Coral Braniff works as a sales executive for the Mid Devon Advertiser series based in Newton Abbot.
Having joined the company in November 2023, she discusses her role and the expanding digital marketing opportunities available on our platforms.
What are the main responsibilities in your role?
My day-to-day responsibilities involve selling multimedia advertising to a diverse range of businesses, including a car salesman, local stores, independent gift shops, and solicitors. The Mid Devon Advertiser covers a large geographical area, with a mix of print advertisers and companies who want to use digital advertising on our websites. Many companies want to be visible through, say, a homepage takeover of advertising, where the main website page is dedicated to their adverts – which is a premium slot.
There are social media packages and chances to publish sponsored articles on our websites, which remain online and encourage people to click through to their website. A lot of people follow local news online, so they may respond to posts on social media.
Which jobs did you have before you joined the company?
Prior to joining, I worked in hospitality for 17 years. My final role ended because the business was closing. I knew one of the team here and they said a sales executive role was available, which I knew was different to hospitality, but I liked that. There are similarities, and I can speak to hospitality clients with knowledge of their world.
What is a typical working day in your role?
A typical working day might see me working on something specific, like a cross-region commercial feature, which could be of interest to seasonal businesses looking to reach audiences across Devon. We could be working on Christmas bookings in the summer. We will be checking in with customers, seeing if they want any specific help, which might mean we provide solutions around digital advertising. In general, there are lots of phone calls, although with businesses represented by marketing agencies, it might be done more by email.
Which colleagues do you interact with the most in your working day?
I work alongside Kayleigh Mitchell, the sales executive for Tavistock, so we share information on businesses we come across to help each other and bounce ideas around. In the wider business we have a lot of interaction with the editorial team and share local information. We speak to the digital team about organising the online advertising and keep in regular contact with the team in Cornwall.
What do you enjoy about working for Tindle?
When I work with a business that has not advertised before, I feel an attachment to them. I enjoy consolidating that relationship with them. I like to get to know them so that advertising with us becomes a straightforward process. I get a lot of gratification, as it is not a hard sell or a quick sell; it is something we work hard for, as we care a lot about our advertisers and their campaigns.
If people want to attract local customers, the best place to go is their local news brand. People either pick up the print edition or visit our websites, and they know it is always local. People spend money close to home, so our advertising options are not “in your face”. Advertisers like to deal with local salespeople in their community. They appreciate that we take the time to get to know them and will try to find the best solution for them, as people like to advertise with their independent local news publisher.
How do you use digital in your role?
We have a new booking system that consolidates everything in one place, including client details, booked adverts, and invoicing. We look at digital analytics for each customer to assess the performance around campaign dates, including how many opportunities to see the advert there were, and the clicks through to their website. We can also compare the performance across the devices used by website visitors – for example, desktop, iPhone, tablet – which is very helpful to relay to customers in discussing the best platforms for them to consider.
What are your interests outside of work?
I enjoy going for walks on the beach, whatever the weather. I have two children, so all my spare time is spent with them.