Blogs: The Latest Posts

Six Steps for Selling Smarter, Not Harder Josh Gordon Tue, 01/13/2009 - 9:24pm A study which I wrote (downloadable for free with registration from www.CustomerCollective.com) found that most companies have adopted a “sell harder and wait for better times” sales strategy, which is no strategy at all. If this is the approach, then cutting the ad budget, along with everything else, is the result. A recession is more than just a period of slow sales but a time when the markets and customers your clients sell to will change behavior. Customers will often realign their buying criteria, corporate values, personnel, corporate structure, and alliances in ways that will last for years after the recession passes. You can use this study to see how companie Read More...

10 Content Marketing Tips to Start Now for 2009 Joe Pulizzi Wed, 01/07/2009 - 9:37pm One of the reasons I love my job is the different kinds of people I have the opportunity to interact with. Over the past year, I've met with entrepreneurs, thought leaders, agency executives, top marketers, social media gurus, publishing veterans, authors and others - all with particular insights and challenges about how to sell more, do more and be more. If 2008 was the year social media went mainstream, 2009 should be the year of content marketing, the corporation as media company, the brand as publisher and broadcaster. Why? Because every one of those incredibly intelligent people I met with, in some way or another, told me that the difference for brands who make it versus those that don't will be relevance. How can we, as b Read More...

'We're Not Hearing Anybody Walking Away From Print' Matt Kinsman Thu, 12/18/2008 - 9:58pm It may seem as though advertisers are trimming print budgets left and right (Macy's recently said it was dropping print in the first quarter of 2009) but at least one major media buyer says print will still has some legs in the new year. "We're not hearing anybody walking away from print," says Roberta Garfinkle, senior vice president and director of print strategy at media buyer TargetCast. "In fact we have one client who hasn't done print in a while who's coming back to it. They think it's a viable medium and the message they want to convey for 2009 is a perfect fit for magazines." Still, magazines will be put under the microscope. "Advertisers are looking to us to be more vigilant about how Read More...

How to Price Custom Publishing Services Joe Pulizzi Wed, 12/10/2008 - 7:51pm This question comes up all the time. In publisher roundtables and networking sessions, it’s always a whispered question, with very few forthcoming answers. Everyone wants to know how other publishers are pricing their stand-alone custom projects, but no-one wants to share. Pricing is just a set of formulas—nothing more, and not much different than other service industries. That said, the key to successful pricing is a clear understanding of the value you bring to the table. Once you understand that, the rest falls into place. Price your profit into what has the most value for the customer. If your ultimate value is content, that is where you should be making your money. Design, Web development, integration, turnkey executio Read More...

Baird’s Top Tips for the Web in 2008 B. Baird Mon, 12/01/2008 - 9:03pm A year is a long time on the Internet. A year ago, you probably didn’t have a Facebook page.  You’d never seen an iPhone.  And most circulators thought that the “New Challenge of Audience Development” was a reference to the future career of Britney Spears after she shaved her head – not a reference to our changing role in our organization. My, how times change …. So, with the passage of time, which of the Internet marketing tips from these columns continue to be relevant and undiscovered?  The ones shown here continue to hold up over time. ON-PAGE SUBSCRIPTION MARKETING:  #1: Location, Location, Location.  Looking at which placements in your Web site ar Read More...

Can’t See the Forest for the Trees? Start with a Picture Gordon H. Bell Tue, 11/18/2008 - 3:08pm We’re awash in data – much of it bad, maybe some of it good – flowing continually into our database. We can look at Internet results moment-by-moment, direct mail response day-by-day, and overall performance, well, whenever we dare. But individual data points may confuse the big picture. Like examining the pixels of a photograph, focusing too closely on specific numbers may lead you to overlook how they fit together. Analyzing one campaign or modeling a list of prospects, you need to dig into the details. Specific response rates, pay-up, net profit, confidence limits, or demographic variables provide valuable information. Following these in-depth analytics, a step back away from the numbers can help.  At times you need t Read More...

What Will the Control Packages of the Future Look Like? Christine Oldenbrook Wed, 11/05/2008 - 6:25pm Some of you subscription direct mail wonks may remember the highly regarded copywriter Bill Jayme and his design partner, Heikki Ratalahi (from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s). Mr. Jayme and Mr. Ratalahi are credited for having created a record number of subscription control packages for such magazines as Smithsonian, BusinessWeek, Psychology Today and Life Magazine.  The copywriting was smart and very funny, which was Bill Jayme’s trademark style. My personal favorite was the outer envelope copy he wrote for Psychology Today:  “Do you close the bathroom door even when you’re the only one home?”… or the one for Personal Computing Magazine: “The boss’s daughter: How to keep from marrying her.” Genius stuff! Read More...

Is online the solution for magazines? David Reich Thu, 10/30/2008 - 6:26pm Newspapers are bleeding red ink, and many magazines are following in their footsteps.  Magazine ad pages are down by 9.5 percent so far this year, according to the Publishers Information Bureau, and 3Q ad pages were down almost 13 percent. Like newspapers, should magazines be looking more closely at online as a source of readership and, eventually, revenue?  If expenses can be trimmed sharply by cutting down on costly printing and distribution costs, perhaps publishers can get some financial breathing room. I'm not advocating dropping print for the Web.  I'm old school – I like to thumb through a paper or a magazine.  But my preferences aside, the printed pages of magazines continue to make sense for some product Read More...

Breaking Up Is Hard to Do Ian Alexander Mon, 10/27/2008 - 7:20pm   Dear Advertorial, I don’t know how to say this nicely but…it’s just not working. I’ve tried for years to include you in my circle. I’ve never made you play the uncomfortable host, I’ve sat you in between features and ads and even given you your own tagline: “Special Advertising Section.” But know matter what I do, you always seem to either want more or blend in covertly and then start passing your card around in the middle of dinner. It wasn’t until this past week when you mimicked my department style that I realized it wasn’t you, it was me. I should have never trusted you to begin with. I should have kept my editorial editorial and my advertising advertising. We’ve had some good times—the ad Read More...

Custom Media to Drive ROI for your Advertisers Gordon Plutsky Wed, 10/22/2008 - 4:08pm Last month I had the pleasure of speaking at the Folio 08 Conference in Chicago.  It is the national event for magazine professionals.  Ironically, I was not hearing a lot traditional magazine talk.  The big buzz was about web sites, lead gen, SEO, digital editions and face to face events.  I ran a lively and interactive session on B2B event models to a packed room.  It was clear that magazine professionals are looking to extend their brand, and find new sources of revenue. While there was plenty of talk about web sites and events, it struck me that there was not as much buzz on custom media.  The most valuable assets media brands have are your circ files and the relationship readers have with your brand.  Magazines can Read More...

Let’s Ban the “About Us” Page on Websites B.L. Ochman Wed, 10/22/2008 - 3:58pm You have an "About Us" page on your website, right? And you always put one on client sites you build, right? I've always done that too. But no more. Let's ban about us pages! Because if visitors need to go to a special page beyond a site's homepage, the homepage isn't doing its job. You should know from the very first screen, exactly what a site is about. Jakob Nielsen, the storied web usability guru recently completed a study of 63 sites run by entities ranging from large and small companies to government and non-profit sites to determine the quality of their "About us" information. He determined that "companies and organizations still can't explain what they do in one paragraph." Read More...

Getting to Know Your Readers Via Third-Party Research Jennifer Armor Mon, 10/20/2008 - 7:43pm Advertisers have many media options to choose from when it comes to spending their advertising dollars. Smart advertisers will only buy ads in publications that most effectively reach their target markets. With increased pressure for ROI, media buyers are looking for more than just circulation numbers. Providing expanded metrics can overcome objections and allow you to sell more advertising. There are three basic elements to successfully sell advertising: know your publication, know your readers and know your position in the market. You already know your publication and market. However, independent, third-party research is an excellent way to get to know your readers thoroughly. It allows you to use qualitative and quantit Read More...

How to Take Over Your Magazine’s Web Site B. Baird Thu, 10/09/2008 - 5:29pm Want to build a personal empire and open the door to a promising future as a brilliant audience development star? Here’s how: show your management the impact that increased email newsletter registration rates can have on the bottom line. And then get them to give you the responsibility and authority to build the list. In addition to showing them the money, what’s your other fundamental rationale? It’s that building, cultivating and harvesting value from a customer list is what circulators do best. Conversely, response-driven marketing is not a core skill for even the most talented editors, Web developers and ad salespeople. The business case below shows a simple example of an email newsletter producing an incr Read More...

Get the Attention You Deserve from Web and Creative Teams Christine Oldenbrook Thu, 09/25/2008 - 8:35pm So, how do we get the attention we need?   I recently fielded a concern that was raised from the audience marketing team, “Why are our requests given such a low priority by the Web department?”  Banners, forms, interstitials, pop-ups, emails...our requests just don’t get the attention they need.     I heard these cries before we had the Web in our marketing mix.  When using an internal Creative Services Department for designing promotions like subscription cards, cover wraps, renewal forms, direct mail, etc. it is usually met with a big yawn and a quick shuffle to the bottom of the priority list.  When the projects manage to get to the top of the priority list, the designs are usually half-hearted at b Read More...

Ten Questions to Ask Before You Blog Joe Pulizzi Mon, 09/15/2008 - 12:04pm One of the most frequent questions I receive while traveling is about blogging. The questions revolve around how to get started, what to talk about, and what software to use. My questions back to them usually startle the person, because so many start thinking about what they want to say, other than what their target audience needs to hear.  Here are a few... 1.  Who are your primary and secondary targets for your blog? 2.  What do you want to tell them? 3.  Do you understand what the key informational needs of the audience are? 4.  Are you reading other blogs on that topic, and ones targeting your customers and prospects? 5.  If you are reading, are you leaving comments that add to t Read More...

Five Easy Pieces Roberta Garfinkle Fri, 08/22/2008 - 7:50pm Even with fierce competition from increasingly targeted cable offerings, the instant mass market reach of network television and encroachment of digital offerings popping up everywhere, magazines continue to offer a relevant environment, engaged readers, a variety of value-added options and, increasingly, multi-platform packages that include digital, video and/or cable. In this heightened content-driven environment, it’s more important than ever that magazine sales management is focused on what will inform and result in a most productive agency interaction.  In that spirit, we offer publishers and sales executives a five point guideline for better more productive meetings and sales success. 1.  Be Prepa Read More...

Tough times call for creative marketing David Reich Mon, 07/21/2008 - 2:52pm Times are rough in many sectors of the media business, but consumer magazines have just come through what may have been their worst quarter in memory. Ad pages dropped by 7.4 percent in the second quarter, according to the Publishers Information Bureau. Marketers are cutting back big-time. Magazine sales reps are constantly hearing of drastic budget cuts.  One publisher, quoted in one of the ad trade newsletters, says, "We're hearing about how many marketers just aren't advertising. It's across the board…in every industry." Not advertising?  That flies in the face of sage marketing advice that says not to stop advertising in tough times. Challenging times are often, in fact, when advertising is n Read More...

B.L. Ochman, president whatsnextonline.com B.L. Ochman Tue, 07/15/2008 - 3:10pm Mainstream media is still scared of bloggers. And they should be. We're watching them very closely. Every day. Just like they watch us. Only we credit and link to them. Maybe some day they'll return the courtesy. Headline in a Page One story in the NY Times: (sub required, try Bug Me Not) "In Court Ruling on Executions, a Factual Flaw" Make that two factual flaws. The first one by the Supreme Court; the second by the Times, whose headline should read "CAAFlog Blogger Di Read More...

Look Backward and Apply Forward Jennifer Boyd Mon, 07/14/2008 - 3:42pm There was a time when all radio stations were the most technologically advanced form of media, back in the day when everyone sat on their front porch and listened to the baseball games and serial shows on their wooden consoles, sipping lemonade made with actual lemons. And then it happened – this new thing came along and it was radio with a picture in it! Yep, television... and, can you imagine the radio announcers and advertisers, station owners and everyone else shaking in their boots when, after WWII everyone could afford to purchase their own TV? How exciting – and how terrifying all at the same time, what a change in the Read More...

Make Connections with Co-Op Mailing Gail Gastelu Mon, 05/19/2008 - 2:28pm Co-op Marketing is a great thing. It is often overlooked since people do not generally think of ways to work with other businesses and usually cannot think past their competition. To join forces with like-minded businesses in a co-op marketing venture, everyone saves money and everyone benefits by a wider variety of advertising exposure. Generally a co-op advertisement or other co-op venture simply brings several businesses together to share costs and reach more audiences. Think past your competitors to others who are offering products or services of interest to the same consumer base, but not in direct competition with yourself. Then, find some unique ways to work together for print advertising and other cross-marketing promotions. Read More...

Custom Magazines Can Save a Dying Print Industry Joe Pulizzi Mon, 05/19/2008 - 12:58pm In reading Samir "Mr. Magazine" Husni's most notable magazine launch of 2007 (Condé Nast Portfolio), I couldn't help to think that there is a huge opportunity for marketers in, yes, print. Work with me here for a second... Mr. Magazine states that "Condé Nast felt so sure of the current desire for good content that they fed over $125 million into the launch of CN Portfolio, our Most Notable Launch of the Year. So far I haven't heard one whisper of disappointment concerning that investment, except of course from the prophets of doom and gloom." Read More...

Magazines: so much more than print David Reich Fri, 05/16/2008 - 6:48pm Engagement: advertisers say they want it; magazines say they offer it. The term was bandied about a lot at a key conference where publishers connect with advertisers. At the Advertising Club's annual Magazine Day in New York last month, it was clear that magazines today mean a whole lot more than the glossy printed piece that comes out every week or every month. "Magazine" today for many publishers also means broadcast, cable and, of course, the other word that was used heavily at the conference -- digital. John Griffin, president of the National Geographic Magazine Group and one of the session panelists, said his company is actively involved in all platforms. "We develop stories from the ground up, consi Read More...

Do As I Say, Not As I Do Jennifer Boyd Thu, 04/03/2008 - 10:57pm The publishing industry is of course the first on the bandwagon of "advertise more during a recession, and your business will be stronger." Pages go down and marketers, sales and publishers alike reach for studies like the recent ABM report, retelling any advertiser who will listen the old familiar story. But when ad pages plummet what happens to your budget as a marketer in the publishing industry? Yeah, that's right ...those dollars you once had to get your message across to the "right" audience at the "right" time are all but gone. But you still have web and email marketing right? Thank goodness it' Read More...