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Custom Publishing Strategy

Ideas and insights to help improve your custom publishing strategy.

It Takes a Village to Save a Newspaper

August 25, 2010 Strategy
how to save newspapers

I have a fantastical dream of returning to Indiana and buying my hometown weekly newspaper. Nevermind that I don’t have the cash, it’s not for sale and that I’m firmly rooted in the DC area. I started in newspapers and continue to believe in them. Am I a dinosaur?

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Shred the RFP

August 16, 2010 Strategy
shred the rfp

Relying on an RFP process can often lead to you selecting the company that is the best at responding to RFPs, not necessarily the company that is best at creating and implementing a custom media strategy. So, how can you whittle down the options without an RFP? Focus on these nine best practices to choose [...]

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Head(line) of the Class

July 27, 2010 Strategy
skywalker headline

I still remember one of my favorite headlines with a chuckle: “Skywalkers in Korea Cross Han Solo.” I was enticed to click the head after spotting it while browsing a news website. The headline is so clever that it actually seems like a no-brainer to use. But remember, the editor was only crafting a headline [...]

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Ask For a Date, Not For a Marriage

July 15, 2010 Strategy
will you marry me

It’s pretty easy to get carried away when you’re excited about the possibilities of a potential relationship. You feel the connection. They’re just your type. And they even seem mildly interested in what you have to say. So then, of course, you pop the question. You ask them to marry you. And then they get [...]

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Print or Online? There’s No Easy Answer

June 10, 2010 Strategy
flipping a coin

If I had a nickel for every time a client asked me ‘do you recommend print or online?’ I would be a rich man. Well, not quite rich, but I’d have a boatload of nickels. This question comes up almost daily from corporate marketers, association marketers, hospital marketers, and even from colleagues at other media [...]

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The Greatest Lead Generation Trick in the History of Humanity

May 24, 2010 Strategy
lead generation article thumbnail

It has nothing to do with conversion rates, A/B split testing, contact form optimization, or downloadable white papers. You won’t find the answer in cold-calling, renting lists, or collecting names in a fish bowl. Even the best webinar in the world is not the solution. The trick, in fact, isn’t even a trick at all.

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Why Social Media? Because…

April 8, 2010 Strategy
why social media

“This social media stuff sounds nice, but is there really a point?” You’ve heard this before. You tell them about the sea change. You give them an analogy about a flood coming. You tell them they can either build a levee or grab a surfboard. The analogy worked better in your head. “I want real [...]

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Getting Started in Social Media

December 11, 2009 Social Media
taking off

Just like any good conversationalist would tell you, when socializing, listening is much more important than talking. And when you are talking, it’s much more important to ask people about themselves than to drone on and on about yourself. The same logic applies to your organization when you’re dealing with audiences online in any capacity, [...]

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