Smart Publishing

Winter 2010   |   Vol. 10, No. 1

 10 Facts Research Should Deliver

Gather the basics you can't live without - and do it often  

Especially these days, many organizations are using research data to identify cost savings opportunities in publishing operations or tap new opportunities for electronic media. But paying attention to research basics is equally important. Continuing to meet the needs of changing audiences and their many preferences is impossible without current information about reader demographics, satisfaction levels, and competitive readership. If you’re relying on research data from several years ago, you may be headed in the wrong direction.

Here are 10 critical areas your research should address:

1. Who readers are and what they do. Gather data on readers’ job titles, areas of specialization, employer/industry, income, company/ organization revenues, size of staff, geographic region, years of professional experience, level of education, special certifications, gender, and age. Not only will this help you tailor content, but you can use it to sell the clout and prestige of your readership to advertisers.

2. How well publications are read. How much of each issue does your audience read? Also, learn whether they save issues or pass them along to others. Look for at least three quarters of respondents reading half or more of each issue based on our Stratton research stats from “Association Publishing Readership Benchmarks.”

3. What actions they take after reading. If a publication isn’t prompting readers to take action—like adopt a new strategy at work—then it isn’t engaging them. A minimum of one in five readers should have modified a process or adopted a procedure they read about in the publication. And anywhere from 60 to 75 percent should have clipped, copied, or saved an article.

4. Whether publications are valuable and useful. Research can reveal readers’ perceptions of a publication’s quality, relevance of content, scientific/technical soundness, credibility of information, and much more. Seek a goal of 85 percent rating your publication “extremely useful/useful.” By also determining if your publication is a “must read” and relevant, you’ll know if they consider it indispensable. Aim for a goal of 75 percent considering your publication a “must read.”

5. Whether publications meet editorial objectives. A publication may have high-reaching and on-target objectives, but if it isn’t meeting them, you need to know. Maybe the objectives aren’t realistic, or maybe with more effort and better allocation of resources, they are, in fact, do-able.

6. What should go. The best way to update a tired editorial lineup is to ask readers what they want and what they don’t. Feedback on department readership, in particular, provides the intelligence editors need to refine, recast, or eliminate specific content. You know that guy who’s been writing the same column for 20 years? Here’s your chance … .

7. What’s missing. Your publication may have a big, gaping editorial hole that you don’t even know exists. Asking readers what else they’d like to read about in a publication often reveals surprising answers.

8. Whether the design works. A poor design can prevent readers from ever opening a professional publication, but getting reliable information about design is tricky in reader studies because readers lack the expertise to really assess design. Typically, readers assign scores in the range of 80-90 percent rating design characteristics “excellent/ good.” Scores below 80 percent can indicate a problem. Scores regarding a publication’s ease of reading and navigation can also reveal the presence of a design problem.

9. Whether they have any buying power. It’s important to know readers’ level of purchasing authority (recommend, review, make final decision, etc.) so you can talk that up with advertisers. If you have space in the survey instrument, you can go a step further and ask about their plans to purchase specific products and services in the next 12 months.

10. What else they read. Pretending the competition doesn’t exist is a big mistake. By gathering intelligence on what other publications they’re reading, you can better identify your editorial niche and competition for readership.

Undetected problems only get worse. If you haven’t conducted research in the past two years, call in the experts and get the data and strategies you need to streamline your publishing operations, make smart decisions about launching new electronic and social media platforms, or even make the small changes that can make a big difference to your readers.

Shake Your Money Maker

Use quantitative research to show off your competitive edge

Credibility. You know you’ve got it. Readers and members know you’ve got it. But do advertisers? Make 2010 the year you educate prospective buyers and (strategically) flaunt your assets.

Association publishers are particularly well-positioned to bounce back from advertising freefall by promoting their position as “the” industry resource. Unlike for-profit rivals, most association publication readers are highly involved industry decision makers—advertisers’ target demographic. These readers rely on the association’s resources and industry expertise to deliver insightful content they can’t find elsewhere.

Here are some tips for maximizing your advantage:

Ensure advertisers know your reputation and credibility can deliver customers. Use your media kits and other marketing pieces to firmly establish your publication’s rank atop the competition with specific information that speaks to its brand value as well as readers’ buying power. Without that knowledge, many advertisers will default their spending to your large, controlled-circulation rivals.

Solicit strategic, qualitative research that delivers the data needed to sell your strengths. Include questions that get at the depth of your readership and market penetration, as well as the relevance, quality, and authority of your content. Include questions about how buying decisions are made and the role your magazine plays in the process.

Assess and quantify the professional value of your publication against your market competitors. Is your publication the best source of information on issues relating to the industry? Which professional publications do readers regard as the most valuable to their work? Gather and compare media kits, too, and review several consecutive issues. Does your publication have a clear niche? Certainly scope out page counts, rates, and ad-to-editorial ratios, but don’t forget to look at value-added offerings and an electronic presence. This can lead to insights for refinements to your publication and sale promotions.

Any publication can say it’s the best, but having the data to substantiate that claim is what ultimately matters. As advertisers continue to scrutinize every last marketing dollar, knowing that their message will reach an influential and targeted audience can certainly influence their spending decisions.

Avoiding Design Headaches

Prep and planning are key to a smooth and streamlined production process 

When designing any print piece—a direct mail postcard, e-newsletter, magazine, etc.—make sure you get the right start. Are you maximizing cost savings by designing a piece that is standard for printing presses? Standard sizes are standard for a reason. If you decide to do something with a bleed, consider making the finished size a bit smaller so it fits into a standard size with the bleed. Maintain a close relationship with outside publishing experts who always have their ears to the ground for cost-saving strategies.

In the meantime, here are some valuable everyday tips for editors and designers:

Spell it all out in writing. Before the designer hits the Mac, make sure to get a design brief or some other document that spells out the cost of everything, estimated time to complete the job, and the actual job specs. Good communication between both parties can save time and money and help catch mistakes or differences of opinion before the clock starts ticking.

Provide all content in final, approved form. Multiple rounds of edits can really add expense to the job. Plus, the initial layout you loved may have to be altered to make room for text additions or deletions, so it’s best to do all of your editing in Word before you pass it off to design. If you’re providing the design with illustrations or photos, make sure they’re the right resolution to avoid back and forth time. (Resolutions should be 300 dpi for print and 72 dpi for Web.)

Get inspiration, not duplication. Don’t copy designs you love, but use them as inspiration or a starting point for color, fonts, and the way shapes work together. If you supply your designer with a few things that inspire you, you will save time and the expense of spinning your wheels in a direction you didn’t want to explore. Keep a file of inspiring items so you have them at the ready the next time a project comes up.

Be consistent, but creative. Use templates from previously designed pieces as a guide. If you’re producing an ad campaign or creating a postcard marketing campaign, use as much from the previous design as possible. Keep basic elements the same, and change up the larger elements to add flair. Keep color palettes in the same family. This also helps with branding and maintains a consistent look with all of your communications.

Keep the look clean and classic. Overcrowding the design with trendy elements will date your magazines, direct mail pieces, etc., and reduce the shelf life of all your pieces.

Maximizing the 'X' in XML

Detailed and platform-friendly tagging can give content and extra push 

Just when association publishers and editors were feeling warm, fuzzy, and comfortable with HTML—many of them committing simple codes to memory for weekly e-newsletters and the like—enter XML. Seemingly a sort of HTML system on steroids, it sent many an editor into a panic.

But fear not, say publishing experts, XML (Extensible Markup Language) may look daunting to non-techies when all the code is exposed, but it’s really just a more flexible and inclusive way to represent information across various platforms. After all, “extensible” simply means “capable of being extended.” So think of the “X” in XML as an entity that can extend the reach of your content. For example:

• Because XML more accurately tags content, it can facilitate the distribution of podcasts and other audio and video content online.

• XML is compatible with the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) System, which identifies content objects—like magazine content—in the digital environment. Using DOIs makes it easier for associations to manage intellectual property in networked environments.

• Using XML tags works well with other program languages, such as Java, PHP, and Perl, making it friendlier to existing online platforms. Reach out to your Web designers and IT for their input.

• XML is a good friend of bloggers, mostly because their RSS feeds are in a form of XML. Bloggers often provide external feeds that link back to their original materials—something that makes advertisers take note.

Emerging Technology

How prevalent is XML in the association publishing world right now? It’s hard to say, but just a show of hands at a recent gathering of the Coalition of Education Association Publications (CEAP) suggests that it’s not that many. However, one association that can now consider itself an XML veteran is the Ecological Society of America (ESA), Washington, DC. Peter Mooreside, assistant editor of the ESA’s Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment journal, admits he doesn’t feel like an XML pro—but says it’s easier to behave like one when you’ve got at least one XML expert on staff. And if you don’t, it may be a good idea to have a plan B in place.

“Having at least one designated ‘XML genius’— ideally, a current staff member at the office—is crucial, especially in the early days,” Mooreside says. “If you’re under deadline when a problem comes up, such a resource could be invaluable. Alternatively, perhaps preparing an alternate workflow (as a backup, in case of emergencies) would provide some additional peace of mind.”

Strategic Decisions

Is XML right for your organization? Like any change to publishing operations, look before you leap. Conduct a thorough assessment of your current workflow and results, and then look at these findings in the context of your organization’s goals going forward. If you’re not sure where to start or what to examine, it may be well worth calling in a consultant. ESA works with outside vendors through its printer for the bulk of its XML work.

“For editors who have yet to take the great leap forward, I’d encourage a common-sense approach,” Mooreside adds. “Investigate the available options beforehand, asking staff from various publications about their experience. I think that it’s a similar process to designing a new database—a lot of forethought is required at the beginning to ensure that the end users will eventually have what they need.”

Read more about XML on the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) site, www.w3.org/standards/xml/core, or send your XML questions to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Close Up On....  

About a year ago, Stratton began working with AOPA to provide editorial management of the monthly O&P Almanac, first refining the mission statement to focus on the business information needs of readers and working with the magazine’s designer to ensure a stronger editorial environment.

“The partnership has allowed us to refocus our commitment to providing professionals the practical advice and information they need to improve their businesses and better serve patients,” says Don DeBolt, AOPA’s chief operating officer.

Because it serves a well-heeled audience of seasoned professionals, O&P Almanac is constantly challenged to go beyond the news to report on what it means to members and their practices. Content now includes more business and legislative news, clinical and educational information, patient-care trends, and other information for improving member practices. A bimonthly facility profile was added that highlights real-life problems facing facility managers.

But members also look to the publication for AOPA news and updates. To ensure they get the information they need without the magazine appearing to be a house organ, we consolidated member news columns into a single section with a permanent position in the magazine and a stronger brand.

“Before, association-focused content was scattered throughout the magazine,” says Editor Josephine Rossi. “Now, with the most critical information in a single, well-designed easy-to-digest department, readers know where to go to find out the latest news from the association.”

Conference coverage also was streamlined into more user-friendly and relevant formats, including features on presentation topics, contributed articles from speakers and interviews with special guests, as well as sidebars and photos.

Given the evolving state of healthcare in the United States, O&P Almanac is constantly challenged to keep pace with ongoing legislative issues and the changing priorities of the O&P community. To that end, we assembled a diverse advisory group of working practitioners and AOPA Board members to keep the industry’s pulse and help guide content development. Additionally, we conducted a virtual focus group of AOPA members and readers to gather feedback on content and to ensure the magazine is meeting their informational needs.

Both the focus group and feedback from the advisory board revealed the need for O&P Almanac to continue to take an authoritative stance in the industry with in-depth coverage on issues such as Medicare regulations, healthcare reform, business management, and facility profitability. The feedback also pointed to the need for more at-a-glance sidebars of article takeaways, as well as a deeper pool of sources to include a well-rounded perspective.

“These refinements and enhancements continue to make the magazine compelling and valuable to readers,” DeBolt notes.