Summary: Transitioning readers from print to digital is challenging due to the distinct moods each medium invokes. Still, some publishers are seeing new uses for print. The Economist found that a print package for their welcome series improved engagement. Publishers take note: print remains a valuable tool, particularly when digital methods are oversaturated. It has…
Summary: It’s not enough to know all the clever business sayings. You have to do them. I’ve been in the publishing business a long time, and it’s rare that I hear something new. When I go to a conference, I’m usually not getting new information. The talks serve to remind me to emphasize things I…
From time to time a publisher will ask me how they can improve their business. I’m first and foremost an operations / tech guy, but I also have ideas about growth and business development. To help a publisher figure out where they can grow, it’s first necessary to find out what they’re doing — good…
Summary: When selling a subscription service, are you trying to sell an honest product, or are you trying to trick people into paying you? If you want to be an honest merchant, follow the consumer-friendly subscription best practices in this article. There’s a reason why people don’t like subscriptions, and I ran into it this…
Summary: To establish trust with your audience, your content strategy should focus on these five pillars: transparency, credibility, habitual product, relevant language, and specificity. At Omeda’s OX7 meeting in Chicago, Adam Ryan from Workweek gave a talk on 5 pillars of trust. They are … Transparency Credibility Habitual product Relevant language Specificity My notes from…
Summary: When evaluating a new technology, you’ll have lots of preconceptions about how it should work, and what key terms mean. You need to shed those preconceptions and ask lots and lots of detailed questions. Last week I was working on an article for Martech.org on customer data platforms and their close kin – that…
Summary: Goals and objectives should be planned ahead of time. Methods and operations should be documented afterwards. Many years ago I did a workshop on how to get marketing to work with IT. I’ve noticed that when IT says, “I need a requirements document,” marketing often hears that as “go away, kid, you bother me.”…