Recent reports conclude that Craigslist is expected to rake in $100 million in revenue this year. Kudos to CEO Craig Newmark for his innovative thinking and this very commendable 23 percent hike over last year’s estimated revenue.

In contrast, EConsultancy said the Newspaper Association of America is reporting that newspaper ad revenues are down by 29 percent. So what can newspapers and other online media properties, such as local and vertical directories, Internet Yellow Pages and classified sites do to protect their businesses, keep advertisers coming back and compete with the likes of Craigslist?

Media properties need to influence and enhance advertisers’ ability to immediately connect and engage with their browsers. They also need to provide innovative tools to help illustrate how their customers’ ad dollars are generating real leads and sales.

Let’s face it, we live in a “pay for performance” world right now. The days of disposable advertising dollars are long gone and advertisers – whether they are looking to rent a room, sell a house or publicize a job opening – are carefully choosing where to spend their money. However, according to Forrester Research, 76 percent of advertisers still have no way of determining their online advertising campaign ROI, and few are measuring campaigns across channels.

By implementing optimization services such as call tracking, text to speech technology, click to call and call recording, publishers can close the loop for advertisers by converting more leads, guaranteeing that no lead goes unanswered and proving campaign ROI. In fact, the ability to address the ROI factor alone can put a media company steps ahead of the competition.

These services also allow media properties’ advertisers to be immediately connected with potential customers at the point of peak interest and create a personal connection with consumers.

Yes, it’s true that we live in an overly-automated, fast-paced, now-or-never world, but the fact of the matter is that we – as humans – yearn for personal, trust-laden relationships. Without optimization services, media properties’ customers are just another advertiser with another product to sell. Services that help them interact with potential buyers make them stand apart from the crowd and provide proven ROI by converting more browsers to buyers.