By Tonie Auer

Everyone keeps talking about social media and how we've all just got to be a part of it. I'm not sure who the “everyone” is really, but I'll fill you in: they're right. For one of the first times in my life, listening to my peers paid off in all the right ways.

Labels: Facebook, LinkedIn ASBPE, Social Media, Tonie Auer, Work Life, Writing

By Tonie Auer

Since our first blog post on Dec. 13, 2007, by former ASBPE President Steven Roll, to Maureen Alley's post about being productive, this blog has seen a lot. We've seen ups and downs in the economy, the election of a new president, the downfall of print journalism and the rise of the new media.

This has been a wonderful experience for me. Launching the ASBPE blog has been both exhilarating and challenging. Coming up with news you can use or insights into the business as well as giving you information that may make you smile or make you cry — all of it has been incredibly rewarding.

In October, I moved from freelance B2B writing and editing into a new role as the DFW reporter for Bisnow.com, an all-digital outlet covering commercial real estate and all that goes with it. I credit much of my move into new media to ASBPE. I've learned much here, including that we have to evolve to stay relevant. With that in mind, I think the time is ripe to hand off the responsibilities to a fresh set of eyes with new ideas.

On Monday, our new Blog Chairwoman Maureen Alley will introduce herself and start her trek of providing you with content to improve your publication and your journalism skills.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to the blog, read it and forwarded it to their colleagues. We do it for you.

Labels: Tonie Auer

By Tonie Auer

Finally, there is some good news to report. MinOnline shared it with us earlier this month when they told us that:

• Trade publishers are starting to see the bottom of a marked decline in their print and events businesses, according to the latest figures from American Business Media.
• In the first quarter of this year, ABM found that print revenues had declined only 6.4% to $1.8 billion.
• On a month-by-month basis, revenue figures improved in the first quarter as well, indicating a positive trajectory. Print revenue in March 2010 was down only 3.1% compared to March 2009.
• The digital side of the b2b business grew by 7.5% in Q1 2010.

You know what? I totally believe it. The company I work for, Bisnow.com, is all digital with no print product whatsoever. And, we're growing. The company launched e-newsletters covering commercial real estate in Dallas/Fort Worth in October; Houston in December; Atlanta this spring; and L.A. about a month ago. There is no doubting that digital products are in demand by the evolving fast-paced society in which we live. The trick revolves around keeping up with the changes.

Labels: State of the Industry, Tonie Auer, Work Life

By Tonie Auer
DFW Chapter President

Occasionally, other bloggers can say things so much better than I can. This time, it’s Joe Pulizzi. The author, speaker and strategist for content marketing and founder of content matching site Junta42 marked his 37th birthday with 37 reasons to blog. And, they’re good ones.

Here's a sampling:

5. You can't be taken seriously in social media unless you have a robust, consistent blog. That's the truth. Deal with it.

7. A blog is search engine candy. Google loves blogs and Google is hungry. Feed the beast.

8. A blog is an industry game changer. When the buying decision comes down to three or four companies, the company website with consistent, relevant content is 60% more likely to win (Custom Content Council stats).

11. How can you be successful with Twitter, Facebook and other social media without generating consistently relevant content through a blog? Remember, content strategy comes before social media. That content strategy can be executed through the blog.

13. A blog can serve as the content hub for your enewsletter, print newsletter and company magazine.

14. Your customers want and need to be inspired. Is there a better way to inspire customers than through consistent content gifts through a blog.

So, go forth and be inspired by Joe. He gave me this great idea for a blog post.

Labels: Blogging/Blogging Strategy, Joe Pulizzi, Social Media, Tonie Auer

By Tonie Auer
DFW Chapter President

Like most aspiring writers (of something beyond the B2B publications), I strive to read quality work. I try to change things up a bit, moving from suspense writers like Deborah Crombie to the snarky memorist Jen Lancaster.

I've read many books about writing techniques and I'm even a member of the Writers' Guild of Texas, which brings in great speakers to talk about the craft of writing. All of this greatly improves my writing skills overall, so it is beneficial all the way around.

I subscribed for a year or two to Writer's Digest, but found that I never took the time to read it. Fortunately, I saved the magazines and ran across them recently and started reading them. Writing tips are timeless (for the most part), so why not? What I found in the pages went beyond the traditional tips on creating good characters and addressed topics facing the B2B publishing industry, too.

I pulled out one issue from 2007 that included query tips from editors of three consumer publications. Of the three magazines, two are now defunct. (Sort of timely considering all the closing publications across the magazine world.) Flipping through another 2007 issue, I ran across an article titled “The Incredible Disappearing Magazine.” The advice seems very timely, as it talks about what freelancers should do if one of their pubs shutters.

After from getting stiffed a check (most likely), now you have to find another revenue stream. The article's author, Lou Harry, recommended going straightaway to the publication's competition. Pretty good advice if you've already been writing about a topic or industry. But, with the shrinking world of publications and the increasing pool of writers, you need to make sure that you play up your strong points. Also, stay in touch with the editors who know and love your writing already. I've gotten several jobs in the past from editors who have jumped ship. Often, they've been gracious enough to leave my name with the editors who replace them as they change jobs, too.

After the Reed announcements recently, you could practically hear the sales departments at competing publishers (like McGraw-Hill) salivating at the opportunities to lure those advertisers to their pubs, too. So, it can be doubly beneficial for some competitors.

So, I suppose the blog title comes into play here. When you find that one door closes (literally, as magazines fold), find your way to another door. You may be able to get your foot in there with a little effort. Then, hopefully, it will open. But, you'll never know if you don't go knock.

Labels: State of the Industry, Tonie Auer, Work Life, Writing

By Tonie Auer
DFW Chapter President

By now, we've all heard the news about Reed Elsevier shuttering 23 B2B pubs. I don't think anyone is all that shocked any more. But, what does this mean for B2B publishing? Folio has its take and former ASBPE president, current TABPI president and editorial director of Hotel & Motel Management magazine Paul Heney has his:

"I think that this is one more indication that the b2b publishing world is moving away from being dominated by a few enormous entities. Our future lies more with smaller companies that truly love and believe in the niche(s) that they serve. Many of the Reeds of the world became little more than faceless earning machines for venture capitalists. Now the pendulum is swinging back toward favoring individuals who are passionate about mining or pharmaceuticals or engineering. This also serves to remind each one of us that a brand may be 40 or 50 or 60 years old, but nothing is too big to fail if editors, publishers and salespeople ignore the shifts in media habits — both on the reader and the advertiser — that we’re seeing today."

Fortunately a few titles have been saved and maybe some others will be resurrected as well. Time will tell.

Labels: Paul Heney, State of the Industry, Tonie Auer

By Tonie Auer

• How can your publication succeed online?
• What points should a social media policy address?
• What challenges will face us as we convert our magazine from print to digital only?

Answers to these questions — and quite a few others — are in these 20 high-value posts from the ASBPE National Blog.

We combed through posts from the blog's three-plus years of existence to compile some of the best. In choosing these posts, we had specific criteria in mind. We wanted to highlight posts that provide actionable, “how-to” material in an easy-to-use format (blogs with bullet lists and checklists were favored). We also wanted the posts, as a group, to cover a variety of topics.

With those considerations in mind, here are 20 of the best ASBPE National Blog posts, roughly in reverse chronological order.

• Two posts by past ASBPE president Steven Roll address social media guidelines. One is “It's Never Too Early to Adopt a Social Media Policy”; the other is
  
  
• “Got a Social Media Policy?”
  
  
• “President’s Letter: It’s All About Brand at the Symposium,” by current ASBPE president Warren Hersch, reports on ASBPE’s November 2009 Digital Symposium.
  
  
• “5 Things To Consider When Converting To Digital Only” is a Q&A with Sara Zailskas of Housing Giants on her publication's experience of the process. The piece was contributed by Chicago chapter board member Erin Erickson.
  
  
• “McCracken: Experimentation Vital to Web-Launch Success” is another report from the Digital Symposium, this time on a session presented by Technologizer founder (and former PC World editor in chief) Harry McCracken.
  
  
• “6 Ideas To Boost Revenue, Readership, or Recognition” contains advice from ASBPE Washington, D.C., chapter president Katy Tomasulo.
  
  
• “SEO Best Practices” was contributed by former Website Magazine staffer Maureen Alley.
  
  
• “Twitter Tips for B2B Editors,” another post from ASBPE officer Katy Tomasulo, features advice specifically for those of us who work at business, trade, professional, and association publications.
  
  
• “Top 10 Strategies To Drive Traffic To Your Blog” was contributed by Michelle Rafter, a long-time freelancer on technology and other topics. Rafter writes the very popular blog Word Count, aimed at freelance writers and editors.
  
  
• “Seven Reasons Why You Should Start Your Own Blog” was contributed by Steve Roll, who did just that with the Latin America travel blog Travelojos.
  
  
• “No Matter How Painful, Editorial Productivity Should Be Analyzed” came from Howard Rauch, an editorial consultant and chair of ASBPE’s ethics committee.
  
  
• “No Solid Answer To ‘What’s Next For B2B?’” reported on a roundtable hosted by ASBPE’s Cleveland chapter.
  
  
• “Want To Learn HTML? Get Your Feet Wet” offers basic coding tips from ASBPE web editor Martha Spizziri.
  
  
• “We Are Already Marketers” is Christina Pellett’s argument for why editors shouldn’t balk at requests to help market their publications. Pellett is now editor of Agent Sales Journal.
  
  
• In “Building Your Wings on the Way Down,” Technologizer's Harry McCracken gives advice on starting a new publishing venture.
  

• Joe Pulizzi, founder of the custom publishing marketplace Junta42 Match, contributed three posts with advice for freelance writers. “Getting into the Custom Game” tells freelancers how to break into custom publishing (aka content marketing);
  
  
• “The Freelance Writing Retirement Plan: Create an Asset” gives advice for maximizing income; and
  
  
• “You Are What the Web Says You Are: Writers and Social Media” explains how many writers’ online presences are lacking.
  
  
• The advice in “Making Time for Print and Online” comes from Dan Blank, director of content strategy and development for Reed Business Information. (Dan also blogs at danblank.com.)
  
  
• “Sure, ’09 Will Be Tough. You Can Tell the Grownups, Though: They Think Rationally” comes from consultant Thomas H. Temin, It still holds up in 2010.
  

The ASBPE National Blog’s value never stops. We have ongoing discussions scheduled on plenty of hot topics. And take advantage of the opportunity to express your own view via a follow-up post. Email me at tonieauer@gmail.com.

Labels: Blogging/Blogging Strategy, Career/Employment, Custom Media, Digital, Economy, Freelancing, HTML, Management, Media Business, Productivity, Social Media, Technology, Tonie Auer

By Tonie Auer
DFW Chapter President

I've been on a roll, talking about professional development and making yourself indispensable. Now I'm going to lead you to another valuable resource to make yourself look like a genius to your boss and colleagues: The Journalist's Toolbox.

This is a hodgepodge of great links for how to find information on topics ranging from multimedia editing tools to editing and fact-checking references. If you need to find a clearinghouse of information on weather, military or even foreign policy, there's a link for that information, too.

It all goes back to being the go-to person in your office. The publisher's administrative assistant needs to find the ZIP code of some head office in Walla Walla, Wash., but she isn't the greatest at figuring out how to find it. So, make yourself invaluable and be able to offer her that assistance. She'll remember it. Trust me.

Labels: Digital, Productivity, Social Media, Tonie Auer, Work Life

By Tonie Auer
DFW Chapter President

Covering real estate in a down economy makes story creation a bit limited at times. But, I’m taking the advice that a commercial real estate broker gave some “young guns” at a recent event: make yourself indispensable. He told them that the key to success is making sure that your team needs you on every deal. Be a go-to person. The same is true in B2B journalism as well.

How do you do that? Be creative, for one. Find the stories that need to be told instead of rehashing the same tired topics over and over.

A great example in the commercial real estate world in Dallas is the use of Jones Lang LaSalle’s SuperBowl blog. They took their top dog — who just happens to be Hall of Famer and former Cowboys QB Roger Staubach — and paired him with his broker son to write it. So, now they've taken something that really has nothing to do with JLL and made themselves relevant.

With the SuperBowl coming to Dallas in February 2011, they have something to generate the interest, and the person to make it interesting. Tie in the real estate world and voila.

But, Tonie, we don't have a Roger Staubach or a SuperBowl to get people interested, what do we do? Find something that makes you relevant to your target audience. Are they all wondering about unemployment? Industry regulations? healthcare reform impacts?

What's on your readers' minds? Ask them. Make your blog relevant to them and their needs. Maybe create a forum for them to ask each other questions. Christianity Today has a blog for its Your Church magazine. From information that is pertinent to its readers — church leaders — and from its comments section, the editors have developed cover stories that relate to what their readers are asking about. Let your readers guide your topics from time to time. What a novel concept? I don't think so. It's time we got back to basics in our coverage. With scaled-back budgets and staff, we may have no choice.

But, we have to make and/or keep ourselves relevant to our readers. Remember, make yourself indispensable. If you come up with the good ideas, your publisher, editor, board of directors (whoever) will remember that.

Labels: Blogging/Blogging Strategy, Tonie Auer, Writing

By Tonie Auer

I think I know more colleagues who are unemployed than gainfully working these days. That is pretty depressing. If you're a member of the Fourth Estate, you probably find yourself looking over your shoulder a little more these days than maybe in years past. And, rightfully so.

What can you do? Not much. But, one thing I would recommend is taking advantage of professional development opportunities. Want some suggestions?

• ASPBE has inexpensive webinars that don't require you to even leave the office. For the cost of a luncheon, you can eat your sack lunch at your desk and do something good for your career. We posted a list last Monday of the next few webinars.
  
  
• Join some local writers' organizations or check your local public library for writing courses. They may not be B2B, but improving your writing in any fashion can't be bad.
  


• Check the local professional organizations from your local ASBPE chapter to the Society of Professional Journalists, International Association of Business Communicators or even the Public Relations Society of America for networking or improvement opportunities. Relationships are still the best way I've found to get a job. Its how I got my current gig.


• The Donald W. Reynolds Center for Business Journalism, like the SPJ, offers regional workshops for nominal fees, or even free in many cases.

Tonie Auer is the DFW reporter for Bisnow on Business; the DFW ASBPE Chapter president and the ASBPE blog czarina. She can be reached at tonie@bisnow.com

Labels: Tonie Auer, Work Life

By Tonie Auer
DFW Chapter President

We hear about it all the time: social media. Everyone wants to know how to harness its power and rein it in for more readers. If it helps promote your publication, industry or personnel, it seems like a great idea, right?

Well, not if it is a drag on your resources without the payoff. To that end, Reuters set up social media principles and guidelines. "The rise of social media has brought journalists some powerful new storytelling and information-gathering tools. However, with these new opportunities have come some new risks," the blog post states.

According to the site:

At Reuters, we have just published some social media guidelines that lay out some basic principles and offer recommendations that should prove useful as journalists navigate what can sometimes seem a chaotic landscape.

In building the new guidelines, we’ve embraced some basic principles:

• We encourage the use of social media approaches in Reuters journalism.
  
• Accuracy, freedom from bias and independence are fundamental to our reputation. These values and the Trust Principles apply to journalism produced using social media just as they have to all other journalism produced by Reuters.

Has your staff taken the initiative to set up social media guidelines? Why or why not? How important is it? For those of us with limited resources, it could be really important.

Labels: Social Media, Tonie Auer

By Tonie Auer
DFW Chapter President

Yes, 2010 has rolled around and in keeping with my traditions, I'm still writing 2009 on my checks and wondering what this year will hold for the B2B publishing industry. Instead of being ahead of the game and asking for responses from people a month ago, I thought about it today when I was thinking of this blog post. Uh, ok. My trend of procrastinating will definitely continue into 2010, unfortunately.

However, I did find where Folio and Joe Pulizzi were on the ball and quizzed industry experts for their take on things. Go give 'em a quick look. I wish the outlook was brighter, but there are a few silver linings in there.

Labels: Media Business, State of the Industry, Tonie Auer

There may be repetition here, but I found many of the Tweets from our Digital Symposium to be really informative little nuggets. Look at it this way, you're skimming through your favorite magazine and everything you find is pretty good, but then you find that refrigerator article that is so helpful you have to clip it out and put it up for all to see. I hope you find it here. (Hint: Read from the bottom up to see tweets in chronological order.)

Thanks to Martha Spizziri for compiling the tweets.

Labels: ASBPE Conference, Tonie Auer, Twitter