Augusta Free Press: 10 Years and Counting

On the heels of its most successful year ever in 2011, Augusta Free Press LLC will mark its 10th year in business in 2012.

“Our focus in this anniversary year is the same as it has been for us from day one – building on our success both for ourselves and for our growing list of corporate partners,” said Chris Graham, the president of Augusta Free Press LLC, founded in 2002.

The growth in corporate partners was the big news of 2011 for AFP, which completed more than 75 website projects for its partners, including a family of websites for the Valley Program for Aging Services and its nine local senior centers, and new websites for Mathers Construction, Barren Ridge Vineyards, Fishburne Military School, Alpha Vision Films, the Virginia Awards for Country Music and The Gateway Theatre.

AFP was also instrumental in the biggest entertainment news story in the Valley in 2011 – the first-ever live pay-per-view wrestling event to be broadcast from Augusta Expo in Fishersville, Awesome Wrestling Entertainment’s Night of the Legends. AFP built the company’s website at AwesomeWrestlingEntertainment.com and built a social-media presence for the AWE brand on Facebook that now boasts more than 125,000 fans. AFP was also in charge of the development of video content and local and national marketing for the televised pay-per-view event, which played to a sellout crowd of nearly 3,000 in the Expo Hall on the night of Oct. 15.

All of this was achieved as AFP’s flagship online publication, AugustaFreePress.com, grew to new heights in 2011. The news website now reaches more than 100,000 unique visitors a month and records more than a million page views monthly. Meanwhile, AFP’s top print publication, The New Dominion Magazine, made news in 2011 in winning three Virginia Press Association awards for editorial excellence.

“The awards are nice, to be sure,” said Crystal Graham, the vice president of sales, marketing and design at AFP. “But the most important thing to us is seeing our partners succeed. Your bottom line is our bottom line.”

Augusta Free Press LLC provides clients with marketing and PR solutions including web design, magazine/brochure, TV/radio, social media and overall marketing campaign design and implementation.

To find out more about how you can put AFP to work for your company, go to our website, www.AFPBusiness.com, or email Crystal Graham at [email protected].