Regional Advertising Director, Three Weeklies in SC

The Regional Advertising Director will serve as the lead advertising revenue driver and business contact for 3 weekly newspapers in the state of South Carolina for Evening Post. This position will be a key part of our organization's growth in the Pee Dee and the surrounding areas by generating client revenue from advertising, events and agency services. The Regional Advertising Director will lead the advertising sales team, while also driving revenue individually through new business development and building a book of business. The Regional Advertising Director should also manage expenses well, ensuring profitability for these three markets is achieved.

Involvement in community festivals, chamber events and other networking opportunities are a must. An entrepreneurial mindset and strong leadership skills are critical. This position should demonstrate sales success at all levels including building relationships and working collaboratively with internal and external customers.

The candidate's areas of expertise should include: directing advertising sales across media platforms; event sponsorship sales experience, forecasting, tracking and budgeting revenue; advertising staff development; pricing and profitability modeling and execution; maintaining and growing relationships with strategic accounts and developing partnerships with the local business community.

Reporting to the Regional Publisher of the Community Group, the Regional Advertising Director will be expected to maintain strong relationships with publishers and sales directors of the community group as well as the company's other markets/newspapers to assess and quickly seize joint revenue opportunities.

Responsibilities will include, but not be limited to:

Achievement of monthly and annual departmental revenue goals. Growing total revenue as creatively and rapidly as possible

Provide leadership, management and support for the advertising staff covering the three weekly publications

Support team of advertising account executives through 1x1 coaching, training, developing sales strategy and joining prospective pitches and client meetings.

Emphasis on new business development, including consistent cold calling, cold emails, client needs assessments and long-term partnership presentations

Manage growing account list gained through outside sales efforts with the support of post-sale teams

Planning and executing creative ideas and sales strategies for events, promotions, and digital advertising campaigns.

Maintaining a thorough understanding of competitive media, market research and market share growth opportunities.

Continual learning of digital advertising capabilities and the digital landscape.

Partner with in-house marketing agency King & Columbus to secure agency clients and digital marketing partnerships.

Be visible in the local community, attending relevant community and business meetings and events to meet and engage with key stakeholders and decision makers.

Building strong relationships and executing presentations with accounts.

Maximizing sales opportunities with active and new business accounts.

Build sales proposals and deliver client presentations.

Collaborate with editor and reporters of the three weeklies to identify revenue and/or audience growth opportunities locally.

Monitoring and analyzing competitive advertising rates. Recommending adjustments to rating strategies to remain competitive in the marketplace.

Monitor competitive event and digital media for trends, ideas, threats and opportunities. Implement short-term and long-term strategies from findings.

Input all client/prospect information and sales activity into Hubspot CRM.

Represent The Post and Courier at community events, networking opportunities, etc.

Participate in Evening Post Publishing advertising management meetings.

Perform other duties as assigned by management

Education/Experience:

Bachelor's degree or higher in business, marketing, journalism, communications or related field preferred.

Digital marketing, advertising and/or media sales experience required.

Minimum of 2-3 years of management experience.

Proven ability to meet revenue goals.

Ability to relate well with clients and business leaders and collaborate with co-workers.

Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to present research and proposals clearly.

Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.

Excellent digital skills, including but not limited to social media, digital analytics and understanding of digital market trends.

Hands-on media sales training experience.

History of consultative selling approach across print and digital platforms.

Candidate should be proficient with Microsoft office suite (Word, Excel, Powerpoint)

Must reside in Horry County, or a nearby area

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

Ability to work in a team environment is essential.

The ability and skill to effectively communicate and interact personally or electronically with team members, customers, clients and other employees of the organization in a professional and courteous manner is essential.

Ability to read, write, analyze, and interpret specific marketing and advertising material, market data, general business periodicals, applicable regulations and procedures.

Knowledge of general financial accounting, budget expenditures and forecasting is critical in determining rates and calculating figures.

Ability to apply logical thinking in solving practical problems, collecting data, and establishing facts while drawing valid conclusions in situations where only limited standardization exists.

Physical Requirement, Work Environment and Travel:
Close eye work on computer, continuous sitting, constant walking, standing, light to moderate lifting 15-20 pounds. Local travel is required.