Times Media Co. gets marketing

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A marketing and advertising platform developed by the Times Media Co. last year is being utilized at other newspaper properties owned by its parent company, Lee Enterprises.

The “Get It” marketplace was launched in May as a response to growing digital marketing demands of advertisers, said Kathryn Hepko, online sales manager at the Times Media Co.

The marketplace on The Times’ website provides an opportunity for Munster-area small- and medium-size businesses to be found through search engines and have an online profile.

Hepko said about 125 businesses are part of the marketplace, and advertisers are able to post weekly offers through the portal and track the exposure they receive through the website.

“It was necessary for us in this competitive landscape to be able to bundle all of this together and provide it to our advertisers,” Hepko said.

Despite differences in local markets, Hepko said the system developed at The Times showed potential to be utilized across the country.

Times Media Co. Publisher Bill Masterson Jr. said the success developed from the “Munster model” led to the decision more than four months ago to roll out the system across other Lee properties.

The “Get It” system is expected to be in all of the company’s markets later this year, he said.

The concept helped The Times land the corporate “Enterprise of the Year” award in 2010, Masterson said.

“Everyone is into search and optimizing search, but what everyone doesn’t have is the power of our Internet site, which is the most heavily used site in northwest Indiana,” Masterson said. “By leveraging our site, businesses go up much higher than they would by using other methods of attachment.”

To access the “Get It” marketplace online, visit www.nwi.com/getit.