Chris Blaser is a senior executive with over 30 years of experience in the newspaper industry. As the vice president of audience and circulation at the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Chris Blaser implements churn and retention strategies to keep the journal profitable and readers happy. These strategies include targeting the right audience, improving customer service, and improving the integration process.
Customer churn is the number of customers who leave a business, while retention is the number of customers that return. Companies must minimize customer churn and maximize retention to stay afloat.
To help maximize retention, the Review-Journal targets the right audience by a range of initiatives, including partnering with Starbucks. Through its free wi-fi network, local Starbucks’ customers have free digital access to the newspaper, putting it in front of people who are more likely to value its content and subscribe.
To improve customer service, the Review-Journal implemented an inbound customer self-service feature that makes it easier for subscribers to make payments and report non-deliveries.
Subscribers need to experience a smooth transition during digital product updates. Glitches in software can be frustrating. The Review-Journal improved its integration process when switching its outdated e-edition with an updated optical distribution network. The transition was seamless, and subscribers reported a much smoother reading experience.
