Introduction
Audience Reach and Characteristics
Discount Offers and Good Finds
Affiliate Marketing / Sales / Referral Arrangements
Advertising
Sponsorships

Introduction

Local Planet connects socially conscious and environmentally sustainable businesses with like-minded consumers.

We accomplish this by providing a community that facilitates commerce, disseminates relevant information, and provides utility to various constituents, benefiting all while also fostering education, awareness, advocacy, and involvement.

Local Planet features an exceptionally well-developed brand, high-quality, relevant local content and compelling discount offers valid at our partner restaurants, spas and other businesses that are doing more than making money – they’re making a difference.

In addition to high-quality editorial content we also offer consumers and businesses relevant and local information around all things socially conscious and green as well as utility – schedules and locations for farmer’s markets, CSAs, recycling and other resources along with volunteer opportunities, green job postings, etc. Our goal is to enable Local Planet members to direct their consumer dollars towards businesses that share their outlook and values and are making an investment in their community helping to bring about positive change.

The result is an online destination that is local (initially Atlanta only, but soon thereafter NYC, San Francisco and other large markets) and aligned with today’s consumer who is discerning and wants to make a difference but is also time-constrained, lacks information and guidance and seeks community and a platform for the exchange of ideas.

Research shows that a majority of consumers in our target audience will support businesses they perceive as being environmentally and socially conscious. For example, two studies found 69% of people consider a company’s social and environmental commitment when deciding where to shop and 89% want to see businesses committed to social issues doing business in their communities. Studies also find that customers who seek these types of businesses tend to be more affluent, more educated and more involved in their communities.

Business Model

Local Planet is a content-driven online community that features local discount offers, editorial content, and targeted, relevant, local information and utility all focused around the central theme of connecting environmentally sustainable and socially conscious consumers with like-minded businesses.

Consumers are drawn to our site by access to our targeted, local content and compelling discount offers from select businesses within their local market and beyond, including online retailers.

Businesses can reach and connect with the Local Planet readership community via targeted advertising, sponsorships, and affiliate and referral marketing and sales.

This document outlines the mechanics and inherent benefits offered by each of these approaches.

Audience Reach and Characteristics

As our name implies, one of Local Planet’s primary differentiators is our focus on all things local: news and editorial content, compelling offers from local merchants, information on charities and non-profits offering volunteer opportunities and advocacy around local issues and more.

So, while we may present content on global, national and regional issues, we will tend to examine these issues through a local lens. Where feasible, we offer analysis of an issue’s impact on the reader’s region, city, or neighborhood and community, as well as steps that can be taken by our readership to build further awareness, and help address or mitigate the many environmental and social challenges our planet faces.

Our subscriber audience tends to consist primarily of young, well-informed, engaged and concerned citizens that are discerning, critical, and involved in their local communities. They are the people that affect change, that seek out – and then share – information, the “connectors” that make recommendations to their friends and help drive word-of-mouth campaigns, enabling them to go viral.

Audience Reach

Our high-quality, engaging content reaches a national audience that is concentrated within the local markets targeted during roll-out and launch (initial launch in June 2010 in Atlanta, GA; subsequently New York, followed by San Francisco). This local launch in the Atlanta region, followed by a successive phased entry into other major metropolitan markets, reflects our emphasis and commitment to locally relevant issues and will also allow us to deliver editorial content, sponsorships, discount offers and more in a targeted manner.

Audience Demographics

Compared to the national population, our readership tends to be:

• Younger.
• More educated.
• More affluent.

Audience Psychographics

Compared to the national population, our readership tends to be:

• More connected.
• More tech-savvy.
• More engaged, both politically and in their respective community.

Discount Offers and Good Finds

Discount Offers

Discount Offers are compelling discount offers to local businesses that are e-mailed to our subscriber base and that can be purchased by consumers directly on the Local Planet Website. Once a business agrees to an offer, we prepare a “Good Business” profile as well as a “Good Story” that details the steps being taken by the business exhibit social consciousness or to affect environmental sustainability.

Summary: Compelling discount offers that are broadcast to subscribers via regular e-mail blast. Offer must include a compelling discount offer (usually 40-60% off) and agreement to standard terms.

Includes the following features:

• A “Good Business” company profile (up to 400 words, 2-3 images, hours of operation, menu excerpts/highlights, etc.), link to business Website.
• A 400-600 word “Good Story”.

Both company profile and story remain on Local Planet site and will be indexed to provide ongoing exposure, SEO performance lift and increased site traffic and brand recognition.

Cost: No out-of-pocket cost but business must bear cost of offering discount and share of revenue to Local Planet.

Good Finds (Small Offers)

Good Finds are smaller offers that are not purchased on the Local Planet site. Instead, they will usually involve a 10-30% discount offer that is made available via a printable coupon, discount code or similar means.

Summary: 10-30% off for Local Planet members using special codes (online), affiliate pricing (online) or by presenting a printed coupons or mentioning Local Planet (offline). May be in conjunction with story, short story, or standard ad buy (see options/terms below).

Includes: May include “Good Business” company profile with link to Website, subject to negotiation. May also include inclusion in supplier index and list, once this is available.

Cost: Cost of standard advertising (detailed below).

Affiliate Marketing / Sales / Referral Arrangements

Local Planet will selectively enter into affiliate marketing and referral sales arrangements with select, ideologically aligned manufacturers, marketers and merchants. These arrangements will be limited to companies that share our commitment to social consciousness or environmental sustainability and offer appropriate products that will appeal to our subscriber base.

Summary: Affiliate or referral sales arrangements can be structured on a per-lead negotiated flat rate or percentage of sales basis. If the vendor is already part of an affiliate network, Local Planet will seek to leverage this relationship where possible.

Advertising

Local Planet offers targeted, well-written and relevant editorial content intended to inform, educate, and advocate on topics related to community, environment and societal issues. While much of our content relates to global or national issues (climate change, food safety, pollution, etc.), it is almost always presented with a very strong local focus. The resulting copy – with this hybrid appeal both locally and beyond – will ensure very good SEO performance (and thus targeted site traffic by new readers) and the exceptional editorial quality and topical relevance will cause first-time readers to return regularly.

Options: May include “Good Business” company profile, link to Website, subject to negotiation. May also include inclusion in supplier index and list once available.

Cost: Standard advertising rate sheets available upon request.

Available Inventory

Local Planet offers seven different ad units, all of which conform to standard IAB ad sizes as specified below.

Sponsorships

Local Planet will feature dedicated content sections, guest editorials, event calendars, resource listings, tools & utilities and other regular features that are integral components of the site and a valued part of our readerships’ user experience. Suitable businesses have the opportunity to sponsor these sections.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Local Planet offers several opportunities for sponsorship, ranging from small tools and utilities (Farmer’s Market Locator, Carbon Footprint Calculator, etc.) to complete sections or even co-branded microsites around specific topics or areas of interest. We can also help sponsors develop and co-market social media applications with the help of our growing reach on several platforms.

Tool, Utility or Survey Sponsorship

Local Planet offers a number of tools, utilities and regular surveys around topics of current interest. The utility and information provided by these components make them quite popular with our readership and their interactive nature ensures a deeper degree of user engagement. These factors combine to make them ideal vehicles for promoting a suitable sponsor’s brand, helping to drive brand awareness and foster goodwill with our readership.

Options: Tool, utility or survey sponsorship can take many forms and is available for standard, “permanent” site tools and utilities (for example site search or “share with friends” tool bar) or may include a custom-developed survey or tool related to the sponsor’s business (that may also provide valuable market insight). Tool sponsorship may also include a “Good Business” company profile and inclusion in supplier index and list once available.

Cost: Standard advertising rate sheets available upon request, cost for custom-developed tool or survey dependent on various factors.

Column or Regular / Topical Section Sponsorship

Businesses may elect to sponsor a regularly occurring column or section around certain topics that align with their product or service. Examples of these major topic areas include Community, Family, Food, Recycling, Construction and more.

Options: Column / section sponsorship is available at various levels and may also include a “Good Business” company profile and inclusion in supplier index and list once available.

Cost: Standard advertising rate sheets available upon request.

Special Topics Sections or Co-Branded Microsite Sponsorship

Occasionally, Local Planet may also feature special sections on our site focused on certain events, dates, or topics. Businesses can sponsor (or co-sponsor) these special sections or even have us custom design and develop a distinct microsite to commemorate a certain event, date or topic.

Options: Special event, date or topic sections can range from a few pages to several dozen. Co-branded microsite can include direct links to sponsor’s Website within primary navigation. May also include a “Good Business” company profile and inclusion in supplier index and list once available.

Cost: Sponsorship costs vary, depending on level of engagement sought, amount and types of content offered, and complexity of overall design and development needs.