Top New Marketing Channels Niche Publishers Need to Try

April 22, 2013 By Leave a Comment


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Niche media companies need to be on the lookout for new channels!

What’s coming up next in the niche magazine world? Of course, we all want to know what to look for in the ever-changing brandscape of magazine marketing. The more we can anticipate change the better prepared we’ll be to meet the challenges and also capitalize on opportunities. In this third part of our interview with Jeff Rohrs, Marketing and Social Media guru and popular Niche Magazine Conference speaker, Jeff lays out the new marketing channels that niche magazine publishers need to check out.

Niche Media:  What channels should niche magazine publishers be investigating?

JR:   If you have the budget to explore some new emerging channels, you should experiment with them and measure the results. It will give you the ability to niche your niche even further. Here are some new channels to try: [Read more...]

Filed Under: Audience Development, Featured, Online Revenue, Publishing Management, Social Media Tagged With: , , , ,

Why Engagement Rocks and Impression-Driven Marketing Sucks

April 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment


Media and technology advances change the sales landscape faster than most of us can fathom.  Salespeople may use the aforementioned as an excuse, but savvy sales pros leverage this phenomenon to their advantage, solidifying themselves as the “expert media guru” (Niche Media 101).

Real World Example: Seven weeks ago, a prospect asked us to help promote a football training camp that would be held during Spring Break, just five weeks away. Of course, they only had $500 in the budget. Yes, I thought what you’re thinking right now – Good luck.

After a quick review of the prospect’s social media profile, we developed a five-month engagement-based campaign using the upcoming camp as a launch event. Although the camp had few new sign-ups, the facility grew their weekly training from 40 to 110 in the weeks leading up to spring break. At the client’s request, we’re now preparing an annual comprehensive engagement-based marketing campaign. We sold services to the prospect and turned $500 into a nice 5-figure monthly agreement. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ad Sales, Audience Development, Featured, Social Media Tagged With: , , ,

5 Ways Magazine Publishers Can Boost Online Advertising Sales

April 7, 2013 By Leave a Comment


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Boost your online sales AND your online revenue.

So you showed up late to the web party and you gave your online ads away for years... the search for the elusive online ad dollar seems to be like a never ending game of cat and mouse, doesn’t it?  So, should publishers just give up on the web and move to new dollars?  Perhaps look harder at mobile or tablet technology?  The answer is a flat out…

Yes and No.

Should publishers just give up on the web and move on to emerging technologies?  Yes, you need to keep your eye on new technology! However, you should still be skeptical of revenue potential: even recent advancements by Google in the mobile advertising space have held little hope of near future revenue.

And No– you should not give up on the web.  The issue is training.  You have trained your clients to undervalue your digital products and your sale staff continues to tell a boooooring story about it.

Here are 5 great yet simple ways you can try to boost online sales this week: [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ad Sales, Audience Development, Featured, Online Revenue Tagged With: , , , , ,

Financials: 3 More Key Areas to Evaluate to Take Control of Your Magazine’s Costs

April 3, 2013 By Leave a Comment


Your niche magazine’s financial picture is important. You know this.  Yet we cannot tell you how many successful niche publishers don’t know – even as a

Knowing your costs is vital to your magazine's success and profitability.

Knowing your costs is vital to your magazine’s success and profitability.

ballpark figure – what their costs are! It’s not always the most exciting part of the business, but you need to know the numbers.  

To help niche magazine publishers get a handle on their finances, we’re publishing advice every Thursday from financial wizard Jim Zielinksi. Jim has already shared with us how to understand and evaluate your niche magazine’s profitability. Last week he shared with us 4 key financial areas on which to focus on first.

Here are 3 MORE key areas to investigate and evaluate to get your magazine’s costs and overall financial picture under control:

 1.  Postage:  Postage went up 2.57% in January. Be prepared for more and soon, due to huge USPS losses. Can you consider co-mailing? What’s your frequency of postage? Ask your printer to do a co-mailing study.

2.  Paper weight and quality:  There are 5 grades.  1 is best, 5 is worst.  Most publishers now use 3 or 4 grade.  Moving one grade gets savings of about 5%.  Also evaluate the print contract cost per copy. Your type of magazine affects how much you can shift paper quality – a high end lifestyle magazine doesn’t have as much wiggle room as Gear & Cog Monthly. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured, Publishing Management Tagged With: , , , ,

Marketing Strategy 101 for Magazine Publishers

April 1, 2013 By Leave a Comment


Pay attention, Grasshoppers.  This is the second part of an interview with Jeff Rohrs, VP of Market Research and Education for Exact Target and a Niche Conference Speaker.  Jeff told us we should definitely be focusing on the essential building blocks of a strategic marketing plan–one that includes both social media AND email programs. And we learned that niche magazines should stop trying to be one thing to all subscribers and niche out within their niche even more.

We also asked Jeff to tell us what’s coming up next in niche magazine marketing:

Niche Media:   What marketing issues are you seeing that niche magazine publishers should pay attention to?

JR:  There’s a lot of debate about list rentals. Never give your list to anyone.  It opens the door to spamming, plus you are giving away your asset. Is the unsubscribe rate really worth it? If you do rent a list, you should control the message and the creative. Be careful to make sure it is permission-based marketing. Be sure the message is consistent with your publication or it can hurt you. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Audience Development, Featured, Publishing Management, Social Media Tagged With: , ,

Amazing, All-Inclusive Niche Digital Conference Package Available!

April 1, 2013 By 1 Comment


Register today for the 2013 Niche Digital Conference in Nashville and you not only save up to $600 with MEGA MARCH discounts!,

You also get ALL these AMAZING extras included for FREE!:April1

-1st Class, round trip airfare (for you and a +1) with the airline of your choice*

-Luxurious Hutton Hotel (penthouse suite) included

-Included airport Hummer-limo pickup with driver that looks and acts like Jimmy Fallon (Well, we are trying to book Jimmy Fallon.)

-Complimentary Dom Perignon champagne by the case and chocolate-dipped, organic strawberries harvested from the trellised hillsides of  Patagonia each night of your stay

-We’ll cover all mini-bar expenses, including the mini-bar in the neighboring room if you run out

-WSJ delivered each morning to your room along with an inspirational koan hand-delivered by Tibetan monks

-Free laundering service at the hotel and the right clothes will actually be returned to you

-Complimentary salon services including “Niche Media HQ” tattoo in location of your choice, hot stone massage for 2, & no attempts by staff to up-sell you to the honey-dip treatment [Read more...]

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Niche Digital Conference – 2013 Speakers and Sessions Revealed!

March 27, 2013 By Leave a Comment


Niche Digital Conference

We want to see you at the 2013 Niche Digital Conference in Nashville, October 1-2! We’ve just released all the new sessions and speakers.

If you think you just don’t have the time, can’t get away from the day-to-day responsibilities of publishing, that you can put this whole digital thing off for another year—think again. You have to make the time to get out of your office (I know it can sound impossible!) and surround yourself with your niche magazine & media company peers to take your media properties to the next level. Online, mobile, tablet, content marketing and social media & video are growing…the successful magazine of tomorrow will be the ones who create successful digital strategies today. (Plus, if you register TODAY – March 28 – you can save up to $600 with Mega March discount pricing. Don’t miss this amazing deal!)

Here’s a 2013 Sneak Peek to show you what’s in store at the Niche Digital Conference [Read more...]

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15 Digital Revenue Ideas for Niche Magazine Publishers

March 25, 2013 By 2 Comments


To get you primed for the Niche Digital Conference October 1-2, 2013, here’s a list of 15 digital revenue ideas for target-interest magazine publishers:NDC_NoDates

1. Create new content for your website, not just regurgitated material from your print magazine. This gives people a reason to constantly return to your website, thus creating more traffic for online advertisements.

2. Use the full capabilities of your digital editions: add outtakes or additional content, press advertisers for videos or other digital content, and make your digital edition different from your print to capture more of BOTH audiences.

3. Make a content calendar for your website (editorial calendar on steroids) that contains everything from blogs to video. Strategically plan your online content while taking into account what has been successful in the past. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ad Sales, Audience Development, Featured, Online Revenue, Social Media Tagged With: , , , , ,

Friday 2 Minute Stretch for Niche Magazine Publishers

March 21, 2013 By Leave a Comment


We get so bogged down with everyday agendas that sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees, we’re knee deep in the muck, we lose sight of the big picture–know what I mean? So take off those swamp boots for a moment and put on some track shoes. It’s Friday, remember?

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Win the work week race by doing our 2-min quick stretch on Fridays.

Here is our Friday 2 Minute Quick Stretch to check in with your media company’s content creation and social media ROI:

1.  How content rich is our website? When was the last time we sat down, put ourselves in our customers’ shoes and read it? What can we improve/edit/delete? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured, Online Revenue, Publishing Management Tagged With: , , , ,

Social Media Revenue for Niche Magazines? It Does Exist!

March 11, 2013 By 4 Comments


Social Media is not a buzz word any more. It’s a integral part of doing business for everyone now. At least is should be if you don’t want to get left behind. Left behind with the people who still bust out a paper map to search for the nearest pay phone. Billions of Facebook fans  “like” and Tweet is now very much a verb, but most niche magazines still struggle with one simple fact:  How do we make any money with social media?

Implementing even one new idea can have a HUGE return! Have fun with 50!

Sponsored product tabs, posts/tweets, and contests can increase your magazine’s revenue AND keep your page fresh for your fans!

Here are my 10 tips to get you started:

1. Most niche magazines have more Facebook fans than People, GQ and Rolling Stone magazine! This is a selling point with advertisers!

2. Create new tabs to highlight sponsored product debuts. If you do not know how, Google it or hire a consultant. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ad Sales, Featured, Online Revenue, Publishing Management, Social Media Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
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