Has the true editorial mission of B2B editors gotten lost in the shuffle of new technology combined with a tight economy? To provide some answers, I recently posted a 20-factor exam on the American Society of Business Editors national site. The blog was the highest traffic puller during the past several months. Time spent per…
Read more
In my pre-consulting days, when I was VP/editorial of a leading B2B multi-publisher, proper complaint handling was accorded high priority. First, we had a written policy in place. Second, we ran periodic complaint-handling workshops for new editors and/or salespeople. The session usually was led by our executive vice president. Here are five policy excerpts specifically…
Read more
Publications that successfully serve retail audiences strive to produce a steady dose of meaningful statistics. One way to get there is via running your own consumer audit. It takes a bit of organizing, but the results are worthwhile. Here’s a typical procedure you might follow: Arrange with a key group of reader contacts — such…
Read more
Talented writers promoted into management roles may not be up to speed on possible legal snafus. In my VP/editorial director days, I ran periodic in-house workshops reviewing common oversights that could bring on battlefield conditions. The trap that invariably lands even some most experienced editors in hot water involves mid-stream reporting of unsettled disputes. The…
Read more
Considering today’s huge workloads, top management should be less inclined to question editorial staff performance. Clearly, double-duty job descriptions requiring creation of high-quality content for magazines and websites are pushing editors to new limits. If anything, top brass must be more tuned in to the possibility that productivity breaking points may already have been reached.…
Read more
Every so often, I field questions about the value of editorial boards. In fact, considering all the other stuff on our plates today, forming and then overseeing a board is a time-consuming process. For that reason, many of you might like to defer getting started. On the other hand, once you have an authoritative, dedicated…
Read more
One of the most important values B2B can deliver to its readers and advertisers is high-quality editorial research. High quality does not necessarily mean that you hire the most expensive research service to conduct a national study for you . . . although quality certainly is implied when you use outside agencies. What high quality…
Read more