At the end of the day…

I was informed last week by the Information Management editors that there are certain phrases I repeat multiple times in any given conversation. The largest offender is “at the end of the day.” Apparently, the editorial staff likes to keep a count going and see where I land at the end of each meeting. (Of course, this would have been an excellent drinking game in my college days. Perhaps I’ll suggest it at the next reunion.) When I was first informed of this habit, I thought they were kidding. I honestly didn’t realize that I was saying it as often as I do. And so to prove them wrong, I decided to keep my own count at my next meeting. Well, that didn’t go so well. I had said the phrase five times!

Knowing now that I have a habit to kick, I decided to work on minimizing the use of this phrase. While it is acceptable to use it from time to time, I do not want to rely on it. I’m happy to report I’m well on my way to recovery, but I have some time to go until I’m rid of this verbal crutch.

All of this banter reminds me that while getting into a routine can be comfortable, you’ll eventually have to break out of the comfort zone or you will be called out on it. The same can be said of your marketing campaigns. Thinking of new and exciting ideas to compliment your current methods is what will get you ahead of your competitors and in front of your prospects. You need to remind decision-makers that there’s more to you than what they have been seeing.

As previously mentioned in earlier posts, SourceMedia has a custom team dedicated to taking an idea and making it a reality. We of course have some ideas of our own that we would be happy to share with you. Don’t hesitate to contact me or your rep on next steps. At the end of the day, we have the same task: Getting your message out to the right decision makers.
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School is Never Out

If you’re like me then you’re eating lunch a couple days a week at your desk, basking in the glow of your computer screen, visiting some of your favorite websites. And while updating your status on Facebook that you’re reading tweets on Twitter can be fun (I would know), there are days that I want a bit more depth in my continuing education. Enter the web seminar.

Publishers regularly attend web seminars to learn about new opportunities that we can share with you, the marketing community. And when the web seminar is presented with the attendee in mind, we hear of case studies and how certain programs have brought success to the bottom line. The web seminar continues to prove that it can reach an influential audience that you can educate.

The members of the Information Management community are constantly looking for information to assist on their projects. Their task is to make their organization run better, faster. And if the information is represented in a format they can easily digest, everyone will be that much more appreciative.

By hosting a web seminar, you have the ability to showcase one of these success stories, told by those who implemented your technology/service and how it helped their business. While words on a page are still valuable in keeping the story in front of them, a web seminar brings those words to life. The excitement is heard in the presenter’s voice, describing the end results of their project and how they were able to make it a reality with your help. By adding the visual aspect via slides, their story is enhanced even further.

Another positive is that you can bring a thought leader to the conversation that can educate the attendee on the overall industry and deliver information that is exclusive to your web seminar. Remember, those who attend your web seminar know they will be “pitched” at; it’s the ultimate end game. However, if you keep the content educational throughout the web seminar they will be much more responsive and appreciate that they were able to take away information they can utilize today and be happy to speak with you tomorrow on how you can take it a step further.

I invite you to visit Information Management’s media site to view additional web seminar information and contact me with any questions. I’d also like to hear of any topics that you would like for us to develop a web seminar on. As always, thank you for your time. Now to tweet that I updated my profile picture on Facebook!

Survey Says

Recently, we had an internal sales meeting where a “media sales trainer” was invited to speak to the team. If you’re anything like me, you might have asked yourself: “What is this guy going to say that we haven’t already heard before?” Refreshingly, he did have a new perspective to reveal to us, and I’d like to share some of it with you.

The presentation was titled “Who are Your #1 Customers?” and the sales trainer asked our group to answer that very question. As you can imagine, answers ranged from vendors who spend the most, to the ones that have the best relationship (as well as some other responses I should keep to myself). As you might have guessed, no one had the correct answer. The trainer pointed out that our number-one customer is in fact our audience. I have heard our editorial director say time and time again that the audience is his customer, but this is not a concept that is pushed from the sales/marketing side. But it is absolutely correct. In the end, Information Management has the responsibility to not only deliver the most relevant editorial to our audience, but also the correct marketing messages. That’s where you come in.

Knowing that the audience you are marketing to is the correct audience or that your message will be well-received can be a learning experience. You want to know that you are not talking down to or over the heads of the audience. While BPAs and publisher data will detail who is visiting the website or subscribing to newsletters and publications, what looks great on paper will not always yield the results you are looking for (just ask Italy, France and England with regards to their performance in the World Cup).

I recommend that potential new clients should test the audience. Start with a campaign where you can see immediate results – perhaps not in the form of direct sales, but in the right members of the audience you want to reach. While lead generation campaigns such as white papers and Web seminars will work, a survey of the audience gets right to the heart of the matter. Simply ask people what they are thinking in regard to your space, and then build your campaign around this new data. You’ll be able to confirm that your marketing message will be received properly – or perhaps may be surprised to learn that the audience doesn’t “get it.” I’m pretty sure that you would rather have an idea of how your message will be received before investing all of your marketing dollars on a campaign that does not have the ROI you were looking for.

Information Management offers multiple survey options that you can utilize pre and/or post campaign. These are turnkey and are targeted at the members of our audience you are trying to reach. When asked at the end of recent surveys if they are willing to participate again in future ones, more than 75 percent of audience members said yes. Our audience knows what it wants and is not afraid to share that information with you. That’s a great place to start – after all, your goal is to make them your number-one customer as well.

Feel free to contact me for any additional information on surveys and as always, I welcome to hear your thoughts on the topic!

Everything is a Game

Hello and welcome to Information Management’s, The Publisher’s Blog. I’m starting this blog to complement the newly launched Media Site, where those interested in learning more about marketing opportunities within the Information Management community can find information. I hope you take the time to peruse the site and find it informative.

In this blog I get to fill you in on industry trends, upcoming marketing opportunities, successful campaigns (as well as the rare not-so-successful campaigns) and thoughts on how best to get your message out. And for those of you who know me, you know there will be mentions about New York, music, movies, television and my beloved Yankees. This brings me to the title of my first post.

From time to time you’ll hear me say that everything is a game. Games are not only played on a field or court but I believe in our daily routines. The better you know the “rules” the better you can play by them and when needed, break them. In our world, getting your message in front of the right person can very much be a game. Where baseball players need the right kind of glove to play their positions, marketers need the right kind of vehicle to get their message out. At times it’s simple – a white paper posting, perhaps a Web seminar sponsorship. Other times it’s a bit more complicated, and your message needs a custom approach that specifically fits your needs. This is where you get to play the game. Together with Information Management, we can discuss ideas that will best get your message out to the right folks ahead of your competitor. The combination of standard options along with custom ones will guarantee you the success you are looking for. I invite you to explore the “Custom Solutions” section of the media site for ideas and a listing of some solutions we can build for your campaign. Don’t see exactly what you’re hoping for? My motto is “If you think it, we build it!”

I invite you to share your thoughts on campaigns that you have found successful and of those that just didn’t work (unless they were Information Management campaigns in which case you can just call me). I also welcome remarks about the new media site both here and at anthony.carrini@sourcemedia.com.

Let the games begin!