Saturday, July 25, 2009

Magazine Digital Revenue Strategies

With conferences closing left and right and some taking a “virtual” approach to their existence, many publishers are thrilled to see that one group is continuing their face to face approach to collaboration and idea generation. Niche magazine publishers will unite this fall in Minneapolis to learn, share and collaborate around one single theme, making money from their web site and digital assets at the Niche Digital Conference.

When asked by publishing guru Carl Landau to join his executive team to assemble this all digital conference for niche magazine publishers, I jumped at the chance knowing that this was one area of the niche magazine market that needed serious help. As conference director of the Niche Digital Conference I can assure you that there is no more important time than right now to unite magazine publishers around a single issue; growing magazine revenue using your web site and your digital assets. Carl Landau, as many of you know, is the founder of the Niche Magazine Conference that drew nearly 200 smaller niche magazine publishers to Denver this year. When other conferences where closing their doors, Carl’s conference was showing signs of growth and prosperity. I truly believe the single greatest component is the tactical and practical approach Carl demands of each speaker. As a speaker myself, Carl is very particular to tell us to not bring lofty ideas that are out of reach of the smaller publishers. He requests that all speakers present ideas that the publishers can implement when they get home on Monday. This is one of my main areas of focus as the Niche Digital Conference team prepares for this years all digital conference… keep it tactical and practical for the smaller niche magazine publisher looking to make money form their web site and their other digital assets like digital editions and archives.

Learn more about this conference by clicking here… or read more below.

3 TRACKS FOR YOUR REVENUE GENERATING TEAM:

* CEO / Publisher
* Advertising Director / Sales
* Content & Audience Development


CEO/Publisher Track

1. Lights...Camera...Digital Strategy Action Plan!: You know you need an action plan to tackle your digital strategy effectively. But where do you begin? Eric Shanfelt will walk you through the essential steps to building and growing your online business. From evaluation of your current revenue mix to development of a distinct web strategy, a viable revenue model, and technology plan, to getting our staff on board, Eric will take you step-by-step through the process.
2. Turning Clicks to Cash: Every digital publishing model is different. Stewart Day, Hervey Evans, and Rebecca Sterner will walk you through 5 digital publishing models.
3. Staff Up!: New skills, new eMedia staff or reeducation? Rebecca Sterner will help you get your staffing strategy together. Example #1: The online editor - he's not copy editing any longer, he's driving traffic. The 5 key online employees you will need.
4. So, You Need a New Website...: Like buying a car, the options are nearly endless. Where do you begin? Open source vs. custom applications? Big company vs. geek in a garage? Get your tech nerd on!
5. Social Media Shuffle: Twitter this, Digg that...The social media dance does not have to be painful and can be a real fox trot toward traffic and revenue success. Get some tips from Joe Pulizzi, our social media pro.
6. Digital Edition Landscape: It's a big digital world out there! We'll explore how "digital editions" can bring the magazine experience to your subscribers, offer new revenue opportunities, and fit into your overall business strategy. And Alan Zeichick will show there's more to digital publishing than Web sites and browsers! Learn how mobile devices, such as the iPhone and Kindle, can expand your business into new areas.


Learn more about this conference by clicking here… or read more below.

Advertising Director/Sales Track

1. Selling the Wild Wild Web: The new generation of media sales is upon us and you need to prepare to leave orbit. Digital sales is not the unknown vast frontier! Get your digital mojo pumping as Mitch Rouda gets you ready to sell like a digital warrior! From teaching old sales dogs new tricks to creating media packages that sell, Mitch has walked the walk and will help you talk the talk. Sales people unite as you embark on the new digital sales journey.
2. How the Heck do you Sell Digital?: This is the question everyone is asking. How do you price online eMedia and walk the fine line between pricing that sells and that's profitable? And what about the web stats dance, working with our advertisers' desire for quantifiable results? There's no magic buttet, but there are key principles you - and your sales staff - need to know. Kevin Dunn will tell all.
3. Bundle This!: This is what your clients want! Our panel of experts will dispel the mystery surrounding integrated sales. You'll get easy to follow proposal examples of how to combine your traditional print and online eMedia programs into one sweet package.
4. Using Video to Grow Revenue: Video can be a huge revenue boost to publishers' online revenues. Tricia Clark-Stone and mike Bannan will give real world examples of how video can raise your bottom line and make your editorial scream online.
5. Names, Names, Names - Lead Generation for Dummies: If you don't have a lead generation program, you're leaving money on the table! Alan Zeichick will teach you how to do lead generation right...The right lists, the right technology, the right promotion and sales approach.
6. Evolution of Your Sales Team: Train and motivate your team to sell like digital rock stars. Steve Schiffman and Stacey Marmolejo will teach you how to recruit, train, compensate, motivate, and evaluate your ad sales staff. 4 Case studies of compensation plans.

Learn more about this conference by clicking here… or read more below.

Content & Audience Development Track

1. Content that Connects With the New Generation: Creating a digital connection with your magazine readers is mission critical. From blogs to digital editions, great content comes in many shapes and sizes. Is there a secret sauce for online success? What can you do to keep them coming back for more? How do you turn an online reader into an offline subscriber? Todd Smart will dissect the digital machine and show you what's under the hood.
2. Audience Development Mania!: To build and retain audience in today's environment, you need to be working across multiple media to develop and engage your audience. From site usage and development, marketing and promotional messaging, to operations and back-end technologies Toni Nevitt will explore the best strategies and tactics to expand and develop a demographic-rich audience user base to help drive revenue.
3. Community Gone Wild: We have all heard of "building community", but what does that "really" mean, and what does it take to do it right? Is user-generated content all it's cracked up to be? Learn from our community gurus, Esther Schindler and Hervey Evans.
4. Dinosaur to Digital: The role of your editorial team is evolving and editors are no longer just a cost-center. Are you prepared to be a content provider of tomorrow? Bryan Welch will tell you what you need to know to survive the digi-age
5. Get Your SEO Groove On: Mike Bannan will share simple editorial strategies to get your web site noticed. More results on Google means more eyeballs to your online content. More eyeballs equals more sales.
6. Great Email - Not an Oxymoron: Email is golden to reach your readers and drive results! Todd Smart, regularly referred to at conferences as the "email newsletter guy", will share the latest results from his clients that will have you raring to get home and begin making changes to your email marketing.

And much, much more...

Learn more about this conference by clicking here… or read more below.


Concerned that you are not doing enough to get your site noticed online? Ask for help from the internet experts at Brain Swell Media. Need some help with your online strategy? Want to make money from your Web site? Contact Ryan and the Brain Swell Media team today. ryan@brainswellmedia.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 803-634-3886.

Thursday, July 09, 2009

Keping Web Video Special

I remember the dark basement and the lack of light. The flicker of the machine behind me that would make us jump day or night. The noise of things dropping, the subtle excitement of what was about to come as my grandfather prepared to show us yet another piece of magic from his home movie kingdom. The good old fashioned home movie. No sound, no zooming, no fancy fades. Just an image of my mom running and playing as a child.

Today why do we still like to watch these old movies? They were simple, straight forward and contained something special. These three simple thoughts should be a part of all we do in web video web today as well. My kids are home for the summer. Yeah for them. I have bought them a small video camera and we are creating some magic together on my days off from work. As I have preached for years, you do not have to be a Hollywood director to create compelling online video. Think about what your user wants to see and then deliver. If you do not know... ask. I would add one thing to the three points of simple, straight forward and special.... keep it steady. Tripods are a cheap way to add a higher level of expertise to your video clips. From digital side bars to capturing video at a trade show, make your site something special by adding video today. If my seven year old can do it, so can you. Looking to see some examples, go to http://www.holistichorse.com and see how they are taking video to the next level.