“The continued success of the PanoramaNOW Entertainment News, located downtown Valparaiso Indiana, is in no small way a small feat. But with the support of our loyal repeat advertisers and the loyal readers who look forward to every issue, PanoramaNOW is just as popular today as it was thirty years ago,” stated Susie Young Baxter, CEO.
“On the Print side, we still have an 85% Repeat Advertiser Rate, (or better) a statistic you hardly ever find anywhere, and that also eliminates the need for hard sales people out there pressuring small business owners to advertise! We still don’t force people into signing a contract, and also don’t take on clients we don’t believe are a fit for our niche, or will benefit from advertising with us,” continued Baxter. We Reach Approximately 35,000 People a Month! Thru Direct Mail and Drop Offs – we are the only NWI Magazine that is Direct Mailed! Email us at Panoramanow@comcast.net for a rate sheet.
“We’ve always operated on the idea that “Content is King” and to this day that philosophy still proves to be the key to our success. It’s not about the number of Facebook Fans, or the number of Posts that matters, it’s about the quality and the concise delivery of content that makes us stand out from the pack,” continued Susie Young Baxter. “On the website, all our calendar is on one page, with one screen click, so you can quickly see ALL the events going on the weekend without having to click here, and click back, and find your way back to where you were.” “People like to plan for out-of-town guests, where to take their grand kids for free, and how to pack in several events in one weekend.”
Since its inception in 1985, the company has provided marketing solutions to companies both local and in the Northwest Indiana market, serving Lake, Porter and LaPorte Counties in Northwest Indiana. In addition, it’s always been a niche magazine, focusing on things to do; places to go; the Indiana Dunes; local concerts; local festivals; local theatre; family fun; parks and recreation — all topics that is still very important today!
One of our first advertisers, Don Quijote Restaurant, is still our client today, and they are celebrating 30 years as well. “I’ve never been a hard sales person, and have always believed that soft sell provides the long term loyalty that helps keep the sales end of the business efficient and self sustaining,” continued Baxter.
“It always amazes me, when we deliver the magazine and there’s a first year in the work force young adult that looks at the magazine and says ‘Wow!’” continues Baxter.
PanoramaNOW is the only local magazine that is direct mailed to all three counties, and is mailed to doctor’s offices, dentist’s offices, car repair and hair salons, where the advertisers stay visible to consumers all year long. The number of exposures to consumers is truly astounding.
On the technology side, PanoramaNow started their website 19 years ago, and as we all know, Google still takes longevity into account. Re-designing the NEW mobile friendly website has proven to be a wise decision, and has launched PanoramaNOW into the emerging social media industry. “We have never asked for Facebook Fans or Twitter followers – our 3,075 Twitter followers and our 150,000 Facebook Reach are all organic which proves that people simply “love” our concise content,” stated Baxter. We started Twitter in 2009 — way before it was a popular marketing tool.
PanoramaNOW has always been a trend setter as well. “We got into computer graphics at the beginning of the trend, our first computer cost $30,000 and we started with Dos based Windows 1.0,” continued Baxter.
So, where does the next thirty years go? “We’ll let the market determine our direction, but marketing trends continue to predict that people will always “need” their entertainment above all else,” stated Baxter.
Susie Young Baxter, CEO, has published PanoramaNOW Magazine for 31 years. Her hobbies are Camping, Boating, Hiking, Nature, Gardening and Outdoor Activities. She is an Artist, Graphic Designer, an Avid Seamstress, Dabbles in Homemade Crafts and Landscaping. Since her Father was a Health Teacher, she also likes homeopathic Health Solutions. Since blogging started over 10 years ago, PanoramaNow has been added to Newsbreak – a national news affiliate.
