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The PR Report
Strategies & Actions
October 2007
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The Rise of Custom Publishing
Custom publishing is rising up to fill a growing
information gap: Though print media is shrinking -
and disappearing - potential buyers are craving
detailed authoritative information to help make crucial
IT investment decisions.
Until just a few years ago, glossy custom magazines
were the province of deep-pocketed companies, able
to invest in creating their own media outreach. It is
now far more affordable, on an outsourced basis -
with the big benefit of delivering highly controlled
content that looks sharp and with coverage that is on
message, all the time.
Branding Trust
The best custom publishing positions a company as
an authoritative resource. It shifts the vendor from
selling to advising, with relevant content and insight
that motivates the audience and champions the
brand.
At this point, custom publishing is optimal for reaching
narrow, highly targeted audiences. It's very effective at
building loyalty among a core group by meeting their
need for highly relevant information.
Any investment in custom publishing should involve a
frank assessment of whether it's a fit. Deep technical
material might be better in an e-zine pdf that can be
shared and printed, while detailed case studies, on
the other hand, lend themselves to videocasts, or
magazines.
The Players and The Cost
Most of the larger IT publishers are aggressively
marketing their custom publishing services, tapping
their authors and production capabilities to create
high-end glossies. Among the leaders are
TechTarget,
King
Fish, Ziff
Davis and Tendo,
whose teams help define the focus and mission,
create original content and manage production and
distribution. Budgets are not for the faint-of-heart; a
single issue costs tens of thousands of dollars, plus
postage.
Custom books are just emerging as a marketing
vehicle; pharmaceutical companies are among the
information-intensive companies embracing this
approach. While the product can be quite lavish, with
six-figure budgets, it's worth noting that professionally
produced paper volumes, by firms such as Jenkins
Group, can be
produced for as little as $7 a unit. Digital books can
also be self-produced, with full-color, hard-bound
volumes costing as little as $30 each from companies
like Blurb; volume
discounts
begin at as few as 25 copies. As with all collateral, the
frequency, volume printed, and amount of photography
dominate the budgets.
At the other end of the spectrum, e-newsletters should
certainly be considered 'custom publishing' because
they reach your most direct audience.
Create Conversation
Even custom publishing should prompt an exchange.
Any outreach should leverage the primary web site to
continue the conversation, with issues-driven content,
live webinars and online forums that link readers.
Elicit fresh content - and then use it in future issues.
Wiring Reviews for Success
Entrusting a new product to a competitive review is a
delicate balancing act. Companies often worry about
the risk of exposure, a stacked deck, and the prospect
of coming in second - or worse.
At the same time, the benefits of a positive review are
outstanding; a strong write-up can shape the
competitive landscape for months to come, and force
the competition to respond to what is now defined as
best-in-class benchmarks, as defined by your
product's performance.
Not all reviews - or reviewers - are created equal.
Identifying the handful that merit white-glove attention
is the first step of any serious reviews campaign.
These
influencers should be treated like any other prospect,
with on-site visits and in-depth analysis of their needs,
predispositions and requirements for technical
support.
The most influential B2B print-based review sites are
in flux, with a new and expanding network of online
outlets with reviews of varying levels of quality. These
sites are rising as the IT print magazines are
retrenching, and often, dramatically scaling back their
review labs. The shift also creates a new opportunity
for the leading vertical publications, where a strong
review is extremely valuable.
Tight Control is a Must
Guardium, the database security company, recently
received a 5-star review in SC Magazine (U.K.
edition), the
leading security publication. It was the result of a 2-
month process, in which nothing was left to
chance.
The team frankly assessed the
product's strengths, and ability to clearly showcase
how it solves critical business issues of data
protection and data monitoring, for auditing and
compliance.
Other keys to success:
Know the game. Each publication and
reviewer applies its own criteria, including how much
influence a vendor can exert. Some actively permit
vendors to communicate key strengths. SC
Magazine
follows core categories, including features,
performance and ease-of-use - which are addressed
throughout every review.
Invest in the relationship. First, ensure that
the reviewer has the optimal configuration for testing.
Then assign a system engineer or a highly technical
product manager as the primary point of contact,
including on-site consultation. Guardium's product
manager flew to London for a 2-day intensive session
with the reviewer, ensuring essential knowledge
transfer.
If the reviewer hesitates, forge ahead, explaining
that your staffer is in the city for another purpose. This
on-site visit is often the single-most-valuable step in
avoiding unnecessary dings because of compatibility
or configuration issues. It also creates a collegial
environment for 'educating' the reviewer, and gently
highlighting the features and capabilities that should
form the framework for the most helpful stand-alone
or competitive assessments.
Understand the timing. Some reviews are
completed within days, while others take weeks. Be
prepared to provide intensive support, or sustained
outreach. Treat each follow-up inquiry as if the
reviewer is on deadline and be grateful that they care
enough to get it right. In the end, this premium service
drives goodwill, which consistently pays off with a
more positive tone of coverage.
Listen carefully for objections. It is not
uncommon for competitors to get wind of a review in
the making, and try to shift the ground in their favor.
Dig into questions that are being asked; be paranoid.
Don't be afraid to question the reviewer's new
assumptions, and tackle challenges head on.
Sometimes it's about winning hearts and minds, at
least as much as feeds and speeds.
As with any big win, some risks are inevitable. A well-
managed review should never come as a surprise.
The upside is outstanding publicity with clear
business value that should be used to drive visibility,
and sales, for months to come.
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In Our Corner
"Corporate Ink is a hands-on, tenacious
firm who works wonders with our clients and partners
securing approvals, interviews and coverage. It's
refreshing having them as an extension of our
team."
-Lori Dustin
chief marketing officer
HighRoads, Inc.
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WSJ Honors Corporate Ink
The Wall Street Journal named Corporate Ink
one of the country's Top Small Workplaces - one of
just 15 winners chosen from more than 800
nominees.
It's a 180-degree turn-about for Corporate Ink - after
all, our job is promoting our clients. We were the
smallest - by far - and the only pure-play PR firm
selected.
The judging panel, which included executives from
Southwest Airlines and Berner International Corp.,
pointed to what set us apart:
Our deep commitment to sharing business issues
and creating unusual opportunities for our staff. As our
clients probably know, the team member who books
an interview runs with it, even if it's the WSJ.
Most
firms save these sweet wins for senior staff.
The judges also cited our ongoing training intensives,
sabbatical and mentor programs and, our newest
benefit, a mortgage loan program.
The other winners were much larger - as much as
$495 million in revenue, and several hundred
staffers.
The award was featured in a special section of the
WSJ
(Oct. 3, 2007) and included profiles of all of
the
winners. It's a sign that the WSJ is taking much
greater interest in the small and mid-sized market.
The win is terrific recognition that doing things
differently can be enormously rewarding for our
team - which stays much longer than the industry
norm. And that's the real win for our clients, who make
everything we do possible.
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Clients 
