Paying More Attention to eMetrics in a Down Economy
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First published November 1, 2008
As we’ve discussed previously, one typical response to a challenging marketplace is to decrease the expenditures on… Continue reading
Back to Basics
First published November 7, 2008
Post-election and the financial meltdown continues. Discretionary spending is down. The worst October in forty years. Layoffs are increasing. Everyone is holding tight to personal and corporate checkbooks. What should K-12 publishers and service providers do?
The truth is that educators, schools, and districts are still buying – investing in what they think is most necessary to maximize student learning. However, they are giving purchases more scrutiny. So what should we do to make sure that we get our share of what is being spent? Continue reading
Three Critical Rules for Effective Writing
First published February 25, 2009
With all of the dismal economic news these days, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that most people are still employed, still focused on delivering the best goods and services, and telling their stories in ways that connect with customers and prospects.
Yes, resources are scarce and people are cautious, but much of the educational publishing market is still focused on creating high-value content and finding the best ways to serve it up to today's customers. Even though employee rosters have been trimmed of any excess, and in some cases are now understaffed, it is those who who tell their company stories most effectively that will continue to thrive. Continue reading
The Cost of Fear and Uncertainty
First published March 25, 2009
As I've listened to the presenters at the Executive Publishing Conference and Expo this week, it occurs to me that in all this talk about the recession and who is navigating the economy well and who is still on the sidelines trying to figure out what to do, that there is a real cost to fear and uncertainty. And, in addition to real costs of inertia or non-engagement that there are also opportunities lost along the way.
Someone said yesterday, "if the new up is flat, then we're up." It's a bit of black humor that gets to the heart of today's business climate and that is, if you haven't lost ground, then you're doing pretty well. After listening to publishers' experiences these last two days, it seems to me that even jumping into the fray, investing-scrapping-reinvesting yields more benefits than inertia. The worst outcome for a company is losing relevance to its community while sitting on the sidelines. Continue reading
Some Observations about Publishing Dinosaurs
First published March 27, 2009
Before I leave the topic of this week's Executive Publishing Conference & Expo behind me, there are a few more observations that may be helpful to educational publishers about the general state of the publishing industry. I make these observations through the filter of attendees to another recent conference, South by Southwest (SXSW) which began as a small music festival and is now a signature meeting for music and interactive media.
I'll preface the rest of this post by stating that there are a surprising number of traditional publishers who are still "learning" that the world has shifted and that they are in great danger of becoming dinosaurs. At the conference I attended, there were plenty of people who have sailed into new interactive waters of online publishing and social media. These were best represented by some of the vendor offerings and some of the panelists. But many of the attendees from small to large publishers seemed to be hearing about the shifts in the rules of engagement for the first time. Continue reading
Online Marketing & Sales 101 – Teach Don’t Sell
First published August 6, 2009
In the continually evolving world of online marketing and sales, it is those experts and websites that share reams of content with their audience around common areas of interest that are the most successful. Hands down; no contest. Continue reading
Keeping Your Eye on the Prize
First published August 11, 2008
Marketers often find good business advice in the unlikeliest of places. Why? Because everything is marketed whether you’re talking gizmos or ideas. Today’s pearl of wisdom comes from an interview at Mediabistro’s GalleyCat of blog-to-book-to-movie phenomenon Julie Powell.
With a strong opening weekend behind them, the movie Julie & Julia about the author’s quest to recreate all of the recipes in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking while blogging about it is already the stuff of urban myth. In the interview, Julie cautions others to not get caught up in the social media aspect of the process. Continue reading
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