BLR and M. Lee Smith Publishers Join Forces
If two heads are indeed better than one, then Fortis Business Media LLC will be a powerhouse.
That is the new company name for the merger of two longtime SIPA members: Business & Legal Resources (BLR) of Old Saybrook, Conn., and M. Lee Smith Publishers (MLSP) of Brentwood, Tenn.
Personalizing the Message
I’m talking to you today about marketing. Groupon, step aside, Facebook Deals has arrived—in the U.K. at least.
Starbucks, O2 and Mazda are among the first participants. Mazda is offering five free cars for five months, Starbucks is giving free coffees and O2 is giving away PS3s and Xbox 360s to select people at
Leslie C. Norins, MD, PhD, Publisher, Principal Investigator Advisor, Naples, Fla.
What was your first job out of college and how did you get into this business?
College was the prelude to med school, which led to post-doc immunology research in Australia, with Nobel Laureate Sir Macfarlane Burnet. First “job” after that was as researcher at CDC
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Do-Not-Track Proposal Update: Mozilla and Google Respond
First, some background. On Dec. 1, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) “issued a preliminary staff report that proposes a framework to balance the privacy interests of consumers with innovation that relies on consumer information to develop beneficial new products and services.”The report also called for a Do Not Track
What Makes Us Love Our Communities
A very interesting study was just released by Gallup and the Knight Foundation asking what attaches people to their communities. Now these communities are places to live but there still seems to be relevant data for those of us who seek to develop our online communities.
Gallup interviewed 43,000 people in
Finding the Right Words for Your Documents
Sponsored by the Specialized Information Publishers Foundation (SIPF), the Independent Publishers Legal Handbook is a free and downloadable 150-page book for SIPA members, filled with forms, contracts and guidelines to help you navigate through today’s highly regulated and litigious world. What makes this book special is that these are
Robert (Bob) Brady, Founder and CEO, BLR – Business and Legal Resources, Old Saybrook, Conn.
What was your first job out of college and how did you get into this business?
My first job out of college was with the U.S. Army (1968-71). I was an enlisted man, am proud of it and served my entire tour
Social Networks Are for More Than Being Social
Networked individualism. What does that mean for businesses in search of keeping and attracting customers? As more and more people become social networkers, the rules have changed for marketing to them. While you’re still marketing to individuals, they’re different types of individuals now. They’re plugged in. They’re listening
It Pays to Listen to Those Selling Online Ads
“We’ve got to constantly be on the forefront, delivering what our advertisers need,” says Rob Nance, publisher of the newly minted Sift Media (formerly AccountingWEB). It’s interesting, that even for an advertising-based business model, cultivating relationships grabs the headlines. Donna Jefferson, publisher of Chesapeake Family, another ad-based
Chapters, Too!
SIPA Chapter meetings are another way to get strong value from your membership…
At a New York City SIPA Chapter Meeting a short time ago, consultant Matt Bailey was on hand to tell people how to get the most out of social media. It was an intimate setting and allowed for questions. He talked up
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Trends That Publishers See Coming Your Way
Here is our quarterly review of trends or paths that your fellow publishers and colleagues want to lock onto in the coming months.
1. Rick Longenecker, president, Armature Group
It appears that small and mid-size companies are again focused on top-line revenue growth after two years of cost containment. There seems
New Online Disclosure Rules Reach the U.K.
A little over a year ago, the Federal Trade Commission set specific disclosure obligations for the sponsored online media promotion of products and services. Because the rules potentially imposed disclosure obligations on a broad range of companies, individuals and bloggers engaged in online reviews and word-of-mouth advertising, publishers were
Want to motivate employees? Feedback and autonomy.
Interesting coincidence. Had lunch with a close friend on Sunday to catch up. Midway through, he said, “Oh, I didn’t tell you my great news.” He works as a scientist for a government health organization and said he finally got the go-ahead to work on his project. I had
Rick Biehl, President and Publisher, Atlantic Information Services, Inc., Washington, D.C.
SIPA: What was your first job out of college and how did you get into this business?
BIEHL: In the early 1970s, I graduated from Columbia with a master’s in Chinese studies, and the timing should have been perfect since Richard Nixon had just “opened the
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New ‘Confidence’ Law May Need Your Attention
On Dec. 29, 2010, President Obama signed Bill S. 3386 into law, the “Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act.” The vote passed by unanimous consent in both houses and was one of four bills that the President signed that day so it kind of flew under the radar—although it will
Making the Right Decision May Require Some Time
Finally, I have found an authoritative source—no less than Kiplinger—telling me that something I have occasionally done all my life is indeed a good thing.
Procrastination.
‘Trendwatching’ Sets Table for 2011 Main Courses
Trendwatching.com, the “independent and opinionated” website of world trends, has issued their “11 Crucial Consumer Trends for 2011,” and they are thought-provoking and well-researched. Here’s a summary.
1. “Random Acts of Kindness.” Trendwatching advises businesses to “pick up the tab” once in a while or offer consumers a “surprise gift”
Rick Longenecker, President, Armature Group, Maplewood, N.J.
SIPA: What was your first job out of college and how did you get into this business?
LONGENECKER: I worked at various jobs to pay for my undergrad and graduate degrees, but my first job after graduating was a field sales representative position with Cargill, Incorporated. I was fortunate to
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SIPA a la Ode
Ho-ho dear members (and readers), allay your winter fret,
Gather with me now away from the Internet.
It’s the Santa of SIPA, the Nick of Time,
Here to give young and old mariners a rime.
So come with us on this seasonal skate,
To wish everyone’s New Year be prosperous and great.
Best Lines From the Member Profiles
We’ve been doing the Member Profiles for eight months now, plenty of time to come up with a final 10 for ’10 of best lines. (Yes, the column becomes “SIPA’s 11 for ’11” starting next week!) Thanks to everyone who has helped make the Monday Member Profile a popular addition
A Marketing Lesson for New-Product Innovation
“How do you create a market for stuff that people don’t understand?” asked Jeffrey L. Cruikshank last month in a special Sunday feature in The Washington Post. A Boston-based business writer, he is the author of “The Man Who Sold America: The Amazing (But True) Story of Albert D. Lasker
Trim Your Taxes While You Deck the Halls
We posted the December Hotline newsletter yesterday for all SIPA member companies and their employees. The online version contains a good article on taxes from the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants about what you can still do in this last week to save money. Here are some
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New System Prices Tickets Based on Many Factors
Funny how we find out about things. I was carefully reviewing the TV channels last night as a guy is prone to do—women may have another word for this art—when I came across the closing seconds of the Utah Jazz home broadcast of their basketball game with the
Greg Krehbiel, Director of Marketing Operations, The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Washington, D.C.
SIPA: What was your first job out of college and how did you get into this business?
KREHBIEL: In college I had my own business collecting information on natural gas pipeline rates. I sold that information to a couple different clients, and that turned into
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Kip Tip, Fool Video Lead Path Into Daily Posts
There was a great cartoon in the newspaper last month. It went along with a story on office holiday celebrations. The cartoon showed a group of office workers with drinks in their hands and paper bags on their heads, with the caption proclaiming: “These office holiday parties
Exhibiting Tips for Drawing People Over
The SIPA online marketing forum has been snap, crackle and popping with discussions the last few days. One of the questions that has created the most energy is: “We are considering exhibiting at some conventions in 2011. Can anyone offer best practices or share what your experience has been?”
So here
Pay-as-you-go Internet Could Be Next Big Thing
I wrote about pay what you want pricing a couple months ago, where consumers choose their own value for something you produce. Now the current headline and pending FCC proposal concern pay-as-you-go Internet access or net neutrality as it is being called.
At the forefront of the proposal that will
Donna Jefferson, Publisher, Jefferson Communications, Annapolis, Md.
SIPA: What was your first job out of college and how did you get into this business?
JEFFERSON: My first job out of college was working as a junior accountant for a CPA firm. During tax season we were expected to bill a minimum of 60 hours per week which
Online Forums Foster Advice and Solution
The SIPA online editorial forum has been active lately, and that means valuable information. The last question posed was: how do you best test a managing editor for a full-time position? Do you give a writing test and a Myers-Briggs type of test?
To backtrack a second, SIPA has online forums
‘Ambassador’ Strategy Pays Off for McLarney
If you happened to be watching “Market Morning” on Business News Network—Canada’s only all-business and financial news television channel—on Wednesday morning, Nov. 10, you saw a SIPA member take center stage. Michael McLarney, editor and publisher of Hardlines, provided excellent guest commentary on a segment about RONA, one of Canada’s
Timothy Lutts, Publisher, Cabot Heritage Corporation, Salem, Mass.
SIPA: How did you get into this business?
LUTTS: I’ve been part of Cabot since 1970, when my father started writing and publishing The Cabot Market Letter on the proverbial kitchen table. In the beginning, family members and neighbors collated and stuffed envelopes and we were paid in ice
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Best Ideas: Tweetups, Email Capture and IT Cooperation
The Super Bowl has its awarding of the Most Valuable Player trophy, a concert has its final encore, and a SIPA Conference has its Best of the Best Ideas session. Last month’s Marketing Conference in Miami was no different as attendees gathered at the end for one last
Who No’s? Try Saying Yes or Sharing With Others
I saw the show “Oklahoma” the other night. What incredible music! (Are you older than you think you are when you say, “They don’t write them like that anymore”?) “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning,” Everything’s Up to Date in Kansas City,” “All or Nothin’,” “I Can’t Say
Conference Recap, PR Primer Highlight Latest Hotline
The SIPA Hotline newsletter has long been one of the most worthwhile member benefits. (The latest one has just been posted for members on the website.) So let me give you a sneak peek. We’ve included a Marketing Conference recap, a primer on good public relations, two pages of
November Hotline Now Posted on SIPA Website
The November SIPA Hotline newsletter has just been posted on the website, with coverage of the recent Marketing Conference in Miami! We’ve included an overview for you and a recap of some sessions, plus some themes that emerged and 10 takeaways for you to digest. Over the coming weeks,
Rob Lawson, Credit Today, LLC, Roanoke, Va.
SIPA: What was your first job out of college and how did you get into this business?
LAWSON: Swim team coach at the Wooster, Ohio, YMCA. First “real” job: credit manager at The J.M. Smucker Company. I decided to start a newsletter after being a white collar fraud investigator for
Bailey, SIPA to Enter New York State of Mind
Listening to Matt Bailey of SiteLogic speak about social media marketing—as people in the greater New York City area will get to do at a Chapter Lunch next Wednesday—is like listening to Jerry Seinfeld tell a joke, Derek Jeter stroke an opposite-field base hit, or Christina Aguilera
Specific Goals Needed to Make Analytics Pay Off
“You don’t control how people are coming to your site; you only control what they do once they get there.”
Greg Krehbiel, director of marketing at Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc., subtitles his always well-received presentation of Actionable Analytics, “What to do with all those numbers.”
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Kate Mayfield, Managing Director, Mayfield Solutions Ltd., London
SIPA: What was your first job out of college and how did you get into this business?
MAYFIELD: Marketing Assistant/PA at a tourist office
Has there been a defining moment in your career? Perhaps when you knew you were on the right road.
Yes. Seeing yet another badly implemented CRM [customer
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Salt, Matt Salt Becomes SIPA’s Agent of Change and Leadership
I took part in my first SIPA Conference last June and was thrilled to be part of such a hard-working and talented staff. Julie (Utano) personally checked all the meeting rooms and speaker setups, Kati (Fritz) handled registration as smoothly as I had ever seen—I’ve been
Conference Handouts Provide Solid Information
Handouts for sessions from last week’s SIPA Marketing Conference in Miami are now posted on the SIPA website! As a preview, here are important and timely snippets from 10 of those presentations. The links are for SIPA members to view the handouts. (If you don’t know your password, follow the easy
