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Why advertising on The Local really paid off for this startup

When Gothenburg company Craft Academy wanted to recruit students to its programming course, The Local really delivered.

Why advertising on The Local really paid off for this startup

Whether you're a startup or a large business, using native advertising to reach The Local's audience of internationals pays off. 

 

Craft Academy wanted to recruit students to its three month programming bootcamp. Founder Thomas Ochman explains how an article on The Local helped them achieve this.

 

Why was The Local the right channel for you?

 

We wanted to reach people who live in Sweden and who have English as a first language – but also other non-Swedes who speak it very well as a second language and who want to learn to code.

 

Our course is an alternative to taking a full university course and gives a quick way into work for people who want to be junior developers.

 

Non-Swedes are more prepared to pay for education. Foreigners make the connection between the direct cost and the value to them.

 

I've known about The Local for a long time, but I only thought about it as an advertising channel when we decided we wanted to reach this target group and Googled 'Swedish news in English'.

 

What effect did your article on The Local have?

 

There was an immediate effect. The reaction was ten times bigger than with any other channel we've tried. We got very relevant, highly-qualified customers.

 

We're a startup and we've worked with social media marketing and sponsored tech podcasts. They've been good for branding, but the direct effect on sales wasn't great.

 

The difference with The Local was that people got in touch with us straight away and the conversion rate was excellent.

 

In concrete terms, what sort of reaction did you get?

 

We got over 75 expressions of interest, we've converted seven and we're talking to several more. 

 

As what we sell costs 84,000 kronor (€8,600) and requires a big time commitment – three months – that was a very good conversion rate. Committing to our course is not like buying a carton of milk. 

 

How was the process of working with The Local?

 

It was great. The team was easy to talk with, and the people who were interviewed for the article only had positive experiences.

 

What would you tell others about the importance of communicating with ‘expats’ and internationals?

 

It's really important to understand their situation. It's useful to have a bit of in-house knowledge about how they view things. Many of our leads were handled by an American who works for us – that was useful.

 
To find out more about advertising on The Local, email our international sales director, Sharon Green [email protected] or call +46 8 656 5019
 

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THE LOCAL

What The Local’s new design means for you

You may have noticed that The Local looks quite different today. Here’s how our new design makes it easier to get around the site.

What The Local’s new design means for you

After several years with the same design we decided last year that it was high time to give the site a makeover. For one thing we wanted it to look nicer, but most importantly the new design is aimed at making it quicker and easier for you to find what you need without hassle.

You will notice, for example, that the site has a new menu bar that will direct you to the most popular categories. The example below is taken from our France edition but you will find variations on the same menu items on all our country sites. 

You won’t be surprised to learn that we are hoping to retire the Covid-19 category as soon as possible. 

On the desktop version of the site, if you hover your mouse over a category title you will find some of the most important related topics. 

If you click on one of the main categories in the menu bar you will find links to what are currently the most popular related topics. 

On the homepage, each article’s main topic will be displayed above the headline so you can quickly click or tap your way to more articles on that subject. 

You will also find more topics at the bottom of every page that will take you to related articles. 

One significant change is the introduction of a feature that will automatically load up a new article for you once you have got to bottom of the page.

Similarly, articles (like this one) that are not affected by the paywall will show an unlocked padlock. 

If you want to search for a particular topic the search tool is prominently displayed at the top left of the desktop and mobile sites. On desktop it’s just under the dropdown menu you can use to switch editions. 

As a members of The Local you will be able to quickly access your account details and update your newsletter preferences using the buttons in the top right. 

If you are not yet a member you can cast your eyes to the top of the site to see offers that are such good value you will wonder what you’re waiting for. Now really is as good a time as any to join. 

READ ALSO: How The Local’s members are helping us get better

We have also worked hard on significantly speeding up the site, which we hope will make your visits to The Local more enjoyable. 

You are sure to notice plenty of other changes as you get familiar with the new design. But one thing that hasn’t changed is our commitment to producing independent journalism that leans heavily on dialogue with our readers. 

With this in mind, we would love to hear from you if you have any feedback on the new design or suggestions for improvements. You can drop us a line at [email protected] or, if you are a member, you will as always be able to let us know what you think in the comments below the article. 

Thanks for reading, and we hope you like the new look! 

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