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Archive for the ‘Digital Delivery’ Category
Thursday, November 3rd, 2011 by Autumn Jones
Nearly three-fourths (74.8%) of association executives believe their members use smartphones — including 73% of those in professional societies and 78.5% in trade associations — but interestingly, only 28.1% of respondents report having a mobile strategy.
Also interesting is the fact that while trade association executives were more likely to indicate that their members use smartphones, professional societies are much more likely to be working on a mobile strategy for their associations. Over one-third (36.3%) of professional society executives said their association has a mobile strategy, while a mere 19% of trade associations said the same.
This is particularly interesting, as 73.2% of professional society executives and 61.6% of trade association executives have identified “offering new value-added products and services” as a top strategy for developing new revenue, and it can be argued that offering on-the-go access to the association’s content and products, in an age when 87.1% of executives themselves (87.5% in professional societies and 86.8% in trade associations) say they have a smartphone for business and/or personal use, is definitely a value-added service. The second-most selected strategy to develop new revenue streams among association executives is “developing strategic partnerships with external partners and vendors.”
Of the few associations that have mobile strategies, a majority are formatting website content to be mobile accessible (39.0%). About a quarter (25.1%) are developing original mobile apps or other custom mobile-specific solutions, and 20.3% are using QR codes to direct mobile traffic to association content. Very few (11.2%) are using existing mobile apps (including location-based apps like Four Square) to enhance the member experience.
These findings from the Association TRENDS Fall 2011 PULSE report suggest a few things: First, association executives are largely underestimating the power of mobile in their associations. Many mobile features can be cost-effective ways to interact with members, particularly leveraging existing apps to enhance the mobile experience, which would cost the association very little, if anything. Second, it suggests that many association executives are simply unaware of the possibilities around mobile. It may also speak to the limited resources in associations — both monetary and human, but it undeniably suggests that there is a world of potential for executives to tap into as it relates to meeting members where they are.
Tags: association mobile apps, associations and mobile strategies, mobile apps, mobile publishing, mobile strategy
Posted in Digital Delivery | 2,521 Comments »
Tuesday, June 21st, 2011 by Autumn Jones
By Richard Brasser, CEO, The Targeted Group
1. Differentiation – What is your niche? You are probably well aware of this but it helps to clearly understand it in the context of an online community. What skills, perspectives, knowledge or interests do your members share with each other that differentiate them from other people?
2. Competition – What other communities online offer a place for people like your members to interact? Do the research! You might be surprised that someone already owns your audience. Here is a quick example – a luxury German car company dragged their feet (for two years) while trying to decide whether or not to build their own online community. In the meantime, a community emerged that offered almost everything that these passionate car enthusiasts wanted. When the company finally decided to launch their own community, their audience yawned and found no need to leave the already thriving world they had come to love. If the company would have known about the other community, they could have taken a totally different approach and participated in that community instead of building their own.
3. Value Proposition – What are the top 3 things that a member of your community could gain from joining? Is it unique knowledge that your internal team can provide? Is it access to the other members in a much more efficient way? Is it the ability to participate and help without having to be in person? Whatever it is, you have to clearly understand WHY people will want to join your community and what will keep them coming back.
4. Business Objectives – What are you hoping to accomplish? Imagine that you have already created a community with lots of members…what value does YOUR organization get out of it? Is it the “living” database? Is it the ability to sell sponsorships or advertising around the discussions? Is it a “value-add” for the membership fees that you charge? It is CRITICAL that you answer these questions because the technologies might not cost a lot, but this will take money, time and resources. You have to know why you are doing it and what value you wish to gain from it.
5. Resource Planning – Don’t underestimate the work effort this will take! If you answered number four, you will already know the value and what resources are available based on the expected results. Make sure to challenge your assumptions, test market ideas with members and make sure to overestimate how much time and effort it will take. Bad things start to happen when this kind of initiative is tossed in the lap of an administrator who is already maxed out or an intern that is helping for the summer. Make sure you have enough time and people to manage the community, analyze the data and metrics and constantly refine the strategy.
*Quick story about #5 – I recently worked with a very large association and met the person in charge of social media. She explained that she didn’t track any posts, use hashtags or any analytics because she didn’t have any time. She was communicating constantly but gaining NO value as a result. My suggestion? Pretty simple, post 50% less and spend that time on reporting, analytics and metrics. Don’t fall into the time trap and lose out on the biggest value.
What is the gist? At the end of the day, there is a huge opportunity brewing for you to expand your audience, increase revenue and create a long lasting connection with your members through the use of a well-designed online community. Take the necessary steps to design it right, leverage people and resources that know how to put these together and you could create a legacy of value for your organization.
The storm is brewing…are you going to be ready to take advantage or is someone else going to own your audience?
Posted in Digital Delivery | 7,554 Comments »
Tuesday, May 24th, 2011 by Autumn Jones
As the cost of paper and ink continue to rise, the nation continues to emphasize “green” initiatives, and people are increasingly turning to portable devices for their reading preferences, a lot of Scientific Technical and Medical publishers are moving journals and publications into PDFs, instead of expending the money to print them.
Part of the allure of PDF publications, aside from the cost benefit for the association, is the ease of access. PDFs can be saved and stored to desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones, and are, for the most part, universally accessible across operating systems. With over 83% of STM publications and journals now available online (and growing!), libraries are able to continue to stock all of the scholarly research on which the scientists report without having to sacrifice publications because of budget. The speed of delivery is almost instantaneous, and there are more advanced metrics on just who is reading the publications.
Some are apprehensive about the decrease in price at which the journals can be sold, but this is handily accounted for by the significant decrease in printing costs. Journals can become living documents, constantly updated, linked from one to the next, able to be condensed or expanded to suit individual readers’ needs.
Concerns around open access can be assuaged by validation practices that require logging in or entering an authentication code when trying to access articles from mobile devices. This allows even more metrics to be reported back to the publisher, but also allows for customization by users for a better overall experience.
PDFs allow the publisher to maintain control over the work, while allowing the reader to carry it along and search the document with ease. And, if downloads translate into purchases, the business model around journals is unharmed. As the industry and the nation continue to move into the digital age, print publications are increasingly becoming “print to file” publications.
Tags: digital publishing, enhancing STM research, mobile apps in STM, PDF, portable documents, STM publishing
Posted in Bottom Line, Digital Delivery, STM Publishing | 7,591 Comments »
Monday, April 11th, 2011 by Autumn Jones
By Richard Brasser
1. What is your CPC (Cost Per Click) budget going to be?
This one might make me crazier than any other. Savvy marketers might be able to naturally evaluate CPC and arrive at an appropriate number, but most small business will have absolutely no idea.
• The question should be: What is it worth to have virtually unlimited access to the attention of your key prospect for the foreseeable future? If you just ask yourself about CPC, you will be thinking about things all wrong and will probably significantly underestimate (or totally miss) some key factors. To mention just one, let’s take a look at the difference between Facebook and Google advertising. If you have a pay-per-click ad that targets certain search words, it is relatively easy to figure out how much you should pay for one active lead. However, if your Facebook ad campaign results in a prospect “liking” your page, then you have free access to that same prospect forever…unless you annoy them and they “unlike” your page. The fact is that you can’t just use one impression for the formula because Facebook could give you access for many more impressions. Therefore, your budget should reflect the actual long term impact and not just the first click.
2. What is the best way to maximize the clicks on my ad?
Are you ready for a no-brainer, just put “free” or a really cool picture of an exotic beach location…don’t worry, it won’t produce any results but it will cost you a ton. Sorry for the sarcasm, but you really don’t want to increase the clicks from useless passers bye. This is probably the number one mistake that I see. You want to refine your ad message so that it only resonates with a potential buyer and decision maker.
• The question should be: What is the best way to position my ad so that only the right prospects click on it? Well, the truth is that if I had the perfect answer to this, I wouldn’t be writing this blog. I would be sitting in one of those tropical locations. However, there are some good ways to maximize the effectiveness of your ad campaign. Leverage the fields in the profiling section. Facebook allows for fairly broad use of terms in the “Likes” and “Interests” field. If you put your buyers job titles, Facebook will deliver your ad to the right people if they mentioned their title. You might also think about putting your list of top targets in the “workplaces” field. The long and short of it is to use an ad that is specific about what value you will bring and clearly identifies who you are looking to speak with about your solution.
3. Do I really need to spend time on analytics?
I know you saw this one coming. Ok, so I am hearing this less and less but in general, small businesses spend way too much time creating the ad and targeting the ad and far too little time on the analytics. The fact is that the analytics are the only real way to derive value from your ad campaign besides direct sales.
• The question should be: What percentage of time should I devote to analytics and what exactly should I be looking for? I met with a social media marketing manager a few weeks ago that explained that she had no time or resources to do analytics. I advised her to stop doing everything until her head cleared. The fact is that if you aren’t spending at least fifty percent of your time analyzing your results and trying to make sense of the data, you are probably missing the entire point of the effort.
You should be actively compiling a prospect list from your responders and creating a matrix that includes most of their key attributes. Look for commonalities in the data…you never know what you might find. For example, a small capital equipment medical firm found that (strangely enough) almost all of their prospects were hockey fans as well. Changing the ad to include a drawing for Stanley Cup tickets just might have an impact. You have to really spend time in the data and the good news is that the free analytics in Facebook are pretty sophisticated. Take full advantage of these tools and continually build your database (NOT JUST NAMES AND EMAIL ADDRESSES) and constantly try to figure out WHO the people are that liked your ad and why they clicked on it. The insights gained will not only make you real money but will also save you as much or more in the long run.
With over 11 years of experience in the interactive marketing world, Richard has become one of the leading experts in social media and interactive marketing. Helping clients like SAP, Avaya Nortel and GMAC, Richard provides business focused strategic guidance that leads to tangible results.
Connect with Richard: Twitter – @socmedia365 LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/brasser Email: rbrasser@targetedgroup.com
Web – www.thetargetedgroup.com
Tags: b2b marketing, digital marketing, facebook, facebook ads, facebook advertising, facebook strategy, interactive marketing, social media for business, social media marketing, social networking, social technologies
Posted in Digital Delivery, Social Media Matters | 12,005 Comments »
Wednesday, April 6th, 2011 by user
By Richard Brasser
1. Is your target audience on Facebook?
This is a not a helpful question when trying to evaluate whether to use Facebook as an advertising platform. The answer is probably “of course they are on Facebook.” With over 600 million people on the platform, the chances are very good.
• The question should be: Is your target actively looking for your solution while on Facebook? There is a huge difference. Think of Facebook as a person’s living room. It is a personal and intimate space. Your prospect is also sitting in their real living room but you aren’t knocking on the door and asking them if they want to buy your IT consulting services, right? On the contrary, someone sees a message about their friend getting engaged and they want to find a cool gift…bang…ad for cool gift gets clicked. You get the idea.
2. Do the demographics of Facebook align with my market?
Facebook is just kids and people who love pictures of pets, right? Of course it isn’t. Almost every social media presentation belabors the point that people of all ages, genders, etc. are on Facebook. However, once again, it isn’t whether they are there or not.
• The question should be: How well can you segment your exact demographic, psychographic and technographic to achieve the right results with Facebook? There are eleven attributes currently available for targeting but the list is growing. If you can really hone in on your exact high value target, it could pay huge dividends. One thing to keep in mind is that “Targeting your audience is as important as the message itself. Develop personas to represent your target audience. Learn what they’re interested in — their educational background, relationship status, and where they live. Reach only the audience you desire by leveraging Facebook’s targeting to meet your ideal customer profile,” advises Paul Dunay from Buzz Marketing for Technology in his Facebook for Dummies book. So make sure that the targeting parameters fit YOUR targeting matrix before using Facebook for your product.
With over 11 years of experience in the interactive marketing world, Richard has become one of the leading experts in social media and interactive marketing. Helping clients like SAP, Avaya Nortel and GMAC, Richard provides business focused strategic guidance that leads to tangible results.
Connect with Richard: Twitter – @socmedia365 LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/brasser Email: rbrasser@targetedgroup.com
Web – www.thetargetedgroup.com
Tags: b2b marketing, digital marketing, facebook, facebook advertising, facebook strategy, interactive marketing, social media for business, social media marketing, social networking, social technologies
Posted in Digital Delivery, Social Media Matters | 14 Comments »
Tuesday, March 29th, 2011 by Autumn Jones
By now you’ve probably created a facebook page, a twitter handle, and maybe even a LinkedIn profile. But if you’re anything like some I work closely with, you’re sitting there with a “what now?!” look on your face trying to decide exactly what a “Like” or “Retweet” means, how it translates into the powerful interactive marketing tool everyone’s buzzing about.
First things first: identify a goal. Are you looking for an outlet to convey information? Are you hoping to inspire action? Do you want to promote a highly interactive sense of community? There is no definitely-right way to approach social media. Experts may encourage one way or another, but the truth is, social media plans must be tailor-fit for each organization.
The Center for American Progress’s Alan Rosenblatt, Ph.D. devised this chart to aid in identifying a social media objective:
| 1-D |
2-D |
3-D |
| Information |
Action |
Community |
| One-way Communication |
Two-way Communication |
All-way Communication |
| Audience Interacts with Information |
Audience Interacts with Campaign, Organization, or Government |
Audience Interacts with Each Other |
| Email Lists & Brochure Websites (Broadcast & Narrowcast) |
Transactional Websites (Information Exchange, Donations, & Action) |
Social Networks & Social Media (Grassroots & Grasstops) |
Tags: digital communication, digital community, facebook, linkedin, sharing information across online platforms, social media, social media plan, twitter
Posted in Digital Delivery, Social Media Matters | 4,472 Comments »
Friday, March 25th, 2011 by user
By Jean Whiddon
Timely, clear & relevant information is what your members want – and being able to provide it to them shows your value as an association. But with websites, e-mail, social networks and all the other channels the web now has, what’s the best way to reach who with what info? Unfortunately, there is no single answer because everyone uses the web differently. But there are some tips you can follow to be as effective as possible. Why just 9? See tip #1.
1) Be aware of information overload. Be sure what you are providing is helpful and necessary, and don’t overwhelm your members.
2) Make your website a timely information resource – not just brochure-ware. Build an RSS, blog roll, or Twitter feed into your homepage, so the relevant industry news of the day is always right there.
3) Regular e-newsletters, with short, relevant topics that link to more in-depth information let you deliver information to those not actively seeking it. Plus, it’s a great way to keep your e-mail list/CRM scrubbed.
4) Make sure your website is designed for mobile screens. Big graphics, wide horizontal navigations and the like don’t allow convenient communication with mobile users. Be sure to have a mobile friendly or mobile site.
5) If you’re going to have a Twitter account, tweet regularly. Twitter users want to know what’s happening, daily. Product trends, governmental regulations and trade show happenings are just a few of the things you can tweet about.
6) If you have a blog , be sure to post at least 3-5 times a week to keep your audience engaged. The posts can and should be more informal and personal than your main website. Entries should encourage discussion through comments.
7) Re-tweet and use hash (#) tags.
8) If you have a Facebook page, the more people who’ve friended you, the better. Host a contest that exchanges trade show sponsorship points for friend acceptances. Whichever company drives the most friends gets a free sponsorship. Post regularly with all sorts of information.
9) Keep Facebook and Twitter separate – do not repost the same info to both as they each serve different audiences. Facebook is to people who have opt-ed in by “liking” you. Twitter is mostly public and can be searched or followed by anyone with hash (#) tags.
Jean Whiddon is President & CEO of Fixation Marketing, the largest full-service agency specializing in creative strategy, design and interactive solutions for association events and trade shows.
Tags: association communications web trade shows events, association twitter, how to use facebook and twitter, membership outreach, social media in associations
Posted in Digital Delivery, E-mail, Member Outreach | 7,120 Comments »
Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011 by user
If you have been following The Road to a Paperless Workflow series, so far you have assembled your team, managed the transition through critical questions, tested with a small sample of the affected groups, and challenged existing procedures and job descriptions. Effectively, you have passed the Ready and Set stages. Now, it is time to go!
But, no so fast! In order to achieve a sustainable workflow, you will need to properly maintain the employees that you have mobilized. Make sure that the workstations of those who will now be staring at a computer monitor for a majority of the day will accommodate for this kind of change.
According to www.youreyesite.net, the latest ergonomic standards for computer vision include the following:
Control your environment: The recommended distance you should be from your monitor is an extended arm length to the tips of the fingers.
Adjust the alignment of the monitor to accommodate for your height: Line up the monitor so that the eyes are looking down slightly at approximately 10-15 degrees
Make sure your workspace utilizes proper lighting: Most offices were designed to provide sufficient light required for a paper-dependent workflow. Such light, in addition to the glare that may be caused by a nearby window, can negatively impact your ability to stare at a monitor for extended periods of time. Adjust screen brightness and contrast to provide balance with room lighting. Consider using filters and adjusting shades and blinds in regular intervals.
Incorporate the use of rest or alternate task breaks throughout the workday: This will allow employees to relieve the stress on their eyes caused by shifting focus from a distant point source, like a person walking towards you in the hall, to a near point source, such as the text displayed on a computer monitor.
www.youreyesite.net is the blog for Shady Grove Eye and Vision Care, Optometrists serving the Rockville, Potomac and Gaithersburg suburbs of Washington, DC for over 40 years.
Randy Townsend is a team leader in journals production at the American Geophysical Union. He is currently securing a Master’s Degree in Publishing at The George Washington University. Randy is also a freelance writer. See his interview with Basketball Wives’ Shaunie O’Neal in the latest issue of A-Game Magazine.
Tags: digital delivery, e-records, electronic documents, electronic workflow, going green, paperless office
Posted in Bottom Line, Communications News, Digital Delivery | 6,949 Comments »
Tuesday, January 18th, 2011 by user
By Barbara Meyers Ford
Thad McIlroy, President, The Future of Publishing and keynote speaker at the Cadmus 2010 Executive Management Retreat, gave these ten guidelines for publishers looking to survive the current climate of publishing.
- Don’t Think “Either/Or.” Think “AND” where and = evolution.
- Trends are not linear. There is no evidence that print will die, but there is tons of evidence that its decline will continue. What we haven’t determined is the extent of that decline.
- Data formats remain a problem. Why didn’t XML go mass media? Its growth is happening in a non-algorithmic fashion.
- iPhone, iPads, and Notebooks can not all survive. There is a limit to the number of separate digital devices that people want to carry and that limit = ONE.
- People won’t deal with complexity. They would rather have a simple answer that is inaccurate than a complex one that’s true.
- Digital sales are gross. They don’t bring about the same unit revenues as print so there must be a change in the business model to create a tighter cost structure.
- Free is overrated. Most people will pay a reasonable amount for content. DRM increases the attractiveness of providing free samples, however, which are good.
- Traditional educational institutions are KAPUT; they are on a road to change in spite of their conservative nature.
- Don’t be defensive or you’ll attract predators.
- When there is a level playing field, GOOD content always wins. Problem: the field is rarely level.
Event Date: October 27, 2010, Baltimore, MD
During her 35+ year career, Barbara M. Ford worked for societies and consulting companies before establishing Meyers Consulting Services (MCS), specializing in society management and scholarly publishing. Since starting MCS, Barbara’s work with commercial and non-profit publishers (as well as organizations in allied industries) ranges from a day of advice to months or years of service as adjunct staff in senior positions.
A co-founder of the Society for Scholarly Publishing and a past President of the Council of Science Editors, she has devoted considerable time to all the organizations serving our industry and continues to do so. Her most recent contributions are as adjunct faculty in the Masters in Publishing Program, George Washington University. More information can be found at www.bmeyersconsulting.com.
Posted in Communications News, Digital Delivery, Print Outlook | 14,264 Comments »
Tuesday, January 11th, 2011 by Autumn Jones
That is the big question in the association world right now. Some experts laud the mobile applications as THE NEXT BIG THING in association publishing, while others suggest it’s not really worth the effort unless members are banging down the door requesting one. The decision will ultimately lie with the communications staff, and will be based on association size, aim, resources and membership response.
If you DO however decide to embark on a journey into the iPad-friendly App World, here are some tips to aid in the design:
- Remember that the most innovative and ambitious apps are not always the most highly functioning. Find a balance between the two.
- Incorporate the use of links to featured music and movies, as well as transactional capabilities (iTunes, Amazon), and the ability to drag and drop selected items to a “Favorites List.”
- Embrace interactivity to the fullest extent. Popular magazines have released apps that employ the use of animation on the cover, links to articles from coverlines and a pop-over Table of Contents, as well as large photo-montages with which hundreds of images, allowing navigation in any direction and amplified viewing, with accompanying details, for any one image. The Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses released the Healthy Mom & Baby app, which includes video, online quizzes, and information pertinent to each stage of pregnancy presented in interactive formats.
- Have your app cross-checked. Services like iValuate™ by McPheters & Company help project quality control issues before an app is launched. The greatest app in the world is of no use if the screen ends up crowded, links don’t work, or videos are slow to load.
Tags: application functionality, association mobile apps, iPad, mobile apps
Posted in Digital Delivery | 11,951 Comments »
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