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‘Effect Change and Influence People’; With Thought, Virtual Events Can Do More

by Media

Events were certainly top of fold on the first day of BIMS 2020 yesterday, with a very popular Connections and Cocktails. Frank Salatto of Government Executive Media Group spoke of the success they’ve had pivoting to virtual. “There are new opportunities in the data you can collect and the leads you’re able to deliver,” he said. Here are some of the virtues of virtual events as we look to 2021.

Opening day keynote, Bob Bejan, corporate vice president of global events, studios and marketing community for Microsoft (pictured here in his studio), told us about a conference—Microsoft Ignite—that they staged this year, virtually, of course. Last year’s attendance in Orlando over 5 days was 24,700.

“This year we had 266,000,” he said. “Just the idea of the inclusion of that and what that means in terms of the audience and who you can reach, not just by scale but to effect change and influence people” is huge, he said. “What does that mean in moving forward?”

Most of us are much more micro than Microsoft, so forget about those sheer numbers. But exponentially, getting 10 times your audience—or even 5 times—could be realistic moving forward. Here are some successful takeaways. (A few are from an excellent blog post by Omeda.)

Be innovative. Wine tastings at virtual events aren’t really new anymore, but they still work. We just had a sommelier talk to about 40 of us for BIMS 2020 about holiday wines and much more, and good vibes bubbled up. The National Speakers Association held a series of “digital dine-arounds,” virtual dinners where members could get together with a top official from the association. It was a part of NSA’s INFLUENCE 2020 conference—and just one way that organizations can excel in a virtual format. Another group here, Association Media & Publishing, did something similar with the second-day morning of their conference. You could make scones with a Board member, take a scenic walk with the President and other feel-good activities. 

The event isn’t over until we say so. “Your virtual events do not have to be a singular point in time… Make the event a launch point for engagement and interest from your audience.” There’s no reason anymore that your event has to be just 2-3 consecutive days. Do a special hour of content every Monday afternoon and call it your Magic Monday conference. BVR’s Divorce Conference scheduled sessions weeks before and after. Instead of their annual conference, the United Fresh Produce Association created United Fresh LIVE! 365, a year-round online platform featuring a permanent expo, social gatherings, on-demand education, webinars, conference programming, and networking opportunities for the global produce industry. “We basically built a year-round convention center,” John Toner, VP of convention and industry collaboration, said.

Invest in lighting and tech for your presenters at home. We actually did see a couple speakers this morning whose lighting could have been much better. It makes a difference. It’s hard to work out though. One of the speakers was presenting from his parents’ basement. Maybe just best to touch base a couple days before and have them see the light. Writes Omeda: “The speaker will feel more in the moment during the presentation and the video production afterwards will be a better quality.” Bejan also wants speakers to be more cinematic than theatrical. “It’s like you’re having a one-on one conversation with each person in that audience.”

Use polls and other interactive features available to drive engagement. “We have watched polls keep the audience engaged throughout the virtual sessions,” writes Omeda. “Polling the audience is a great way to get the pulse on the audience and to keep them engaged in real-time. It helps to foster the sense of the audience coming together.”

Less might be more. This may be the hardest concept to accept. We’re all taught that the more value you can convey the better. But Zoom fatigue is real. “Instead of packing in many sessions and multiple panels, take into account exactly what your attendees are looking to learn and hear about,” Omeda writes. “Identify what will benefit them in order to make the event most valuable.”

Go global. There should be no barrier besides time difference why you can’t have a bigger global audience, if that works for your niche. For Pro Farmer’s first virtual Crop Tour in August, four online, 90-minute broadcasts brought in more than 18,000 total viewers coming from all 50 states and 12 countries. (Historically, the typical audience across the four days and seven Midwest locations has ranged between 2,000 and 3,000.) “You can’t get that kind of reach in person,” said Joe May, marketing and sales director, indicating that Pro Farmer will most likely keep some of that digital component in future Crop Tours.

“If you think how early we are in the medium, the signs are very encouraging about what’s coming out of this,” said Bejan. But this is definitely a practice-makes-perfect affair. Asked about Microsoft’s upcoming partnership with CES on their huge 2021 show, Bejan said, “Everything we’re doing in CES is the sum total of every mistake we’ve made the last eight months.”

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America’s Education is in Crisis. Will Congress Act in Time?

by Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 10, 2020) – Coronavirus is in the air. Literally. COVID-19 is transmitted through aerosols forcing America’s entire education system – from preschool to college – to face new challenges as they re-open with in-person, virtual and hybrid models. Parents, teachers, and students are working to navigate this dramatic shift to keep America’s children educated and their caregivers employed.  

The pandemic’s long-term impact on public schools is being acutely felt. States, responsible for funding K-12 public education, are struggling with rising unemployment and declining tax revenues. They need federal assistance now more than ever. The March CARES Act infused state governments with funding to get through the 2019-2020 school year. Both parties in Congress have introduced legislation that would send additional funds to schools. This was an excellent start – but the moment – and our nation’s learners – need Congress to do more and to act now as they return to work this week.

SIIA’s education technology companies are working closely with educators and administrators to address core issues impacting digital learning.  Equity and access are critical areas of focus for our country to ensure the continuity of learning in the years to come. Congress must act with urgency to  address the connectivity and funding challenges that threaten our nation’s education system at this pivotal moment.

First, connectivity is key. We need connectivity to facilitate learning and close the homework gap. This problem isn’t new but has been exacerbated by the pandemic. When students don’t have a reliable internet connection, they are unable to access their education – academic and social. This inequity must end.  A number of states plan to use CARES Act funds for connectivity – whether through the deployment of mobile hotspots, turning on the wifi at school buildings for students to access from the parking lot, or purchasing data for students that have access to cell phones. We need long-term solutions to replace our current Band-Aid fixes to this problem. One approach would be for Congress to invest additional funds in the Education Stabilization Fund. Another would be to act on FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel’s call to expand the Commission’s E-rate program which could allow school libraries to loan out mobile hotspots or subsidize at-home internet connections.

Second, Congress should allocate need-based funds to schools and workforce programs. These funds should, among other things, support school districts in the integration of digital learning solutions helping ensure continuity between in-school and at home learning and further mitigating learning loss. The dramatic change in learning compounded by its psychological and emotional toll on learners mean students will require more support from our education system, not less. After the Great Recession of 2008, school budgets in 29 states still hadn’t returned to their pre-recession funding levels in 2015. Studies consistently show when funding is cut, students fall behind. State budgets will be impacted with the loss in tax revenues that are used to support school infrastructure in states.  During this extraordinary moment we cannot afford to stretch our teachers even more than they are already stretched.

We’re already seeing the chaos this pandemic has had on our colleges and universities. Many institutions trying to reopen were forced to shift quickly to online learning after outbreaks of COVID-19. More, colleges and universities are also key employers in communities across the country. They need support before virus spikes lead to additional unemployment spikes. .  Congress needs to step in and allocate additional funds for K-12 and institutions of higher education in the Education Stabilization Fund.

Finally, our economy is forever changed. We need to encourage continued professional development and continuing education for all Americans. No one could have prepared the 3.2 million teachers in America for the abrupt transition to digital learning. Congress should fund teacher preparation and professional development and ensure teachers have ready access to the resources and support required to drive the effective use of technology and meaningfully connect with their students. Congress should also encourage short-term credentialing programs so Americans can develop rewarding career paths.  

School is back in session as the pandemic continues. Parents, educators, learners, and entire communities across America seek leadership and support. The time is now – policymakers must take action this month to protect the future of our country’s vital education system.

Jeff Joseph is president of the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) – the principal trade association for the software and digital information industries. SIIA’s more than 700 members consist of software companies, data and analytics firms, information service companies, digital publishers, and education technology companies. Prior to joining SIIA, Joseph was founder and CEO of Starlight Public Affairs, a strategic communications firm advising an array of corporate and non-profit clients. Joseph also served as senior vice president of communications and strategic relationships for the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™, the U.S. trade association representing more than 2,200 consumer technology companies. CTA owns and produces CES® – The Global Stage for Innovation.

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SIPA December Member News

by Media

A Clever insideARM Take

On insideARM, Mike Bevel, their director of education, lists some of the things that he is thankful for—after some fun Thanksgiving banter. It’s a nice way to speak to your audience. His first thankful burst is: “Everyone who reads our newsletter. Everyone who takes time to trust us, and our insights and opinions. Even you. Even the person who once wrote to me to tell me I had half a brain. I’m a brain half-full kinda guy anyway.” Well done.

Fantini Research Celebrates 20 Years

What started as a single emailed newsletter with six subscribers in January 2000 has blossomed into a multi-title publishing and research enterprise with global customers. “We are proud of our accomplishments in building our suite of products and services, and we are even more excited about the future as the gaming industry continues to grow and evolve,” says Fantini Research founder and CEO Frank Fantini.

On their Meet the Team page, you can watch a wonderful video interview with Fantini and associate publisher and executive editor Ashley Diem (pictured above). “Historically, our main product has been a daily newsletter that covers the gaming industry comprehensively… It’s become a must-read for a lot of people,” he says proudly. “We have that slogan, ‘More important than your morning coffee,’ because for some people it is.”

In response to the pandemic, they created Fantini’s Gaming Show: A Virtual Trade Show and Newsroom. “There is now a way for gaming industry suppliers to exhibit their products to decision-makers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”

Africa Confidential, Plain-English Media Offer Glimpses

We’re all playing with different paywall ideas this year. Africa Confidential features timely daily stories from many of the African countries. Usually there’s one paragraph and then it says this: “End of preview – This article contains approximately 1642 words.” They do choose about three free stories for visitors to read, highlighted with a red box. Good color choice.

Plain-English Media’s Community Association Management Insider—which they acquired from The Habitat Group—gives a headline and an opening paragraph before putting in big type: “The resource you requested is available only to current members.” Speaking about the acquisition, Matt Humphrey, president and founder of Plain-English Media, said at the time: “It helps us serve community associations in a new way that complements our flagship real estate publication, HOAleader.com.” 

Ace Infoway, Money-Media Show They Are Good Places to Work

Ace Infoway has a section on their homepage titled Life @ Ace. “Hop on to see our activities because no amount of creative copy can justify our employee (ec)centricity!”

Of course, most of the ideas were pre-COVID though I’m sure most will continue at some point. They did a ThanksGiving day with people writing notes on hand cutouts of what they are thankful for. There’s also Yoga Day, Environment Day and Women’s Day.

And there’s still that moving and emotional, two-minute video of a desolate Broadway, an empty San Marco Square in Venice, a “Sorry We’re Closed” sign, and then a tribute to the “Heroes fighting the Coronavirus.” “For Ace Infoway, things are not the same as before. We really miss working together… We take this moment to thank our Ace Internal Heroes. Our dedication to our clients is the only motivation we thrive on.”

https://www.aceinfoway.com/gratitude

Money-Media uses a video to show why it’s a good place to work called, “Why should you work for Money-Media?” and it appears prominently on their homepage. We hear from employees about the career-growing opportunities, trust and camaraderie. Then we see pre-COVID laughter and food at staff gatherings, a softball title and comfortable meetings. “We are seeing video usage rise, especially as we test new formats,” said Money-Media managing director Dan Fink. 

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‘People Have to Feel Like They Trust You’; Building Relationships Defines BIMS Day 2

by Media

On the NPR quiz show Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, they’ve taken to asking celebrity guests on “Not My Job” a multiple choice question—where all the choices are right! It makes sense. Number one, it allows them to give three correct pieces of information, and two, nobody loses. I thought of that watching Jim Sinkinson give his thorough, benefit-laden Copywriting Bootcamp today at Day 2 of BIMS 2020.

 “Good subject lines or bad?” Sinkinson quizzed the big group.

  1. “Need a CA.-specific handbook ASAP? Here you go.” (“Bad. What is it?”)
  2. “When FMLA gets tricky.” (Bad. No problem, no solution.”)
  3. “Dads make more buying decisions.” (“Bad. We don’t know what to make of it.”)

He might have listed a couple good ones that I missed. But Sinkinson was made for virtual. Yesterday Bob Bejan, Microsoft’s events guru, told us that speakers have to be more cinematic now and less theatrical, pretend you’re having X number of one-on-one conversations.

What did Sinkinson tell me after his session? “It’s different. I feel like I’m having a whole bunch of one-on-one conversations.” He gets it.

There was a lot of getting it Thursday at BIMS 2020. I don’t think anyone is going to walk away from this event—and into the next room—saying they didn’t get enough useful information.

Here are five highlights from today:

“What will keep them and what else might they want [after a couple years of subscribing]?” data journalist and founder of The Plug, Sherrell Dorsey asked in her opening keynote. She’s proud of their membership structure but admitted it’s hard. “People have to feel like they trust you. For us it wasn’t just about being loud. There are lots of larger publishers. For us it was about doing something deeper—taking our time to be intentional about the type of stories we need to be doing… and having a level of expertise that we can bring to the conversation.” She added that while “people do value community even more so now,” it’s hard to provide. “We’re working to recreate that… People want to know that there’s a real-life human being behind this stuff, a level of authenticity.”

“Don’t try to emulate an in-person event,” Eric Shanfelt told us in an informative virtual event session. “Focus on profitability and audience development, not revenue.” Merek Bigelow, executive editor, Loss Prevention Magazine, added that audience development has been their biggest success in virtual events and they’ve enjoyed a greater profit margin. “How can you shift the content to be engaging in a digital platform? It does allow people to layer in an element of casualness and create it as an opportunity so people want to be there.”

Build relationships now. “Building relationships with new prospects means that when we are able to do this in person, a hybrid format will bring those people into the fold as well,” said Dorian Sullivan, VP, audience development, National Association of Broadcasters, in that same session. “We want to have a year-round relationship.” Added Bigelow: “You assume that same content will resonate. It really won’t. You have to look for ways to create that interactive conversation.” Sullivan said that they are looking at their speakers in a new way, where they will be asked to contribute to the ongoing conversation of the community. “We’re looking to revise our contract [by requiring] two thought leadership pieces before the show, and maybe a webinar after.”

In your data world, strive for accuracy. Shawn McCarthy, VP of operations and general manager, Endeavor Business Media, and Mary Tangen, vice president, strategic initiatives, agriculture, DTN, presented the session, Product Is the New Content: Case Studies in Data Monetization. Data licensing is a big part of both of their successful ventures. “Ask for intended use,” Tangen said. It’s a major item. “Don’t be afraid to walk away from a deal if it’s not right. And strive for accuracy. We have over 90% retention rate so we’re doing something right.” McCarthy runs MAPSearch, which combines one of the leading providers of locational accuracy, comprehensive coverage, robust attribute data, and exceptional customer services. Asked how they price it, he said you look at the history and then the ROI. “What did it take to get the product and data?”

“What experience do you create for customers?” Sinkinson asked. “How do customers use your products to get results?” He wants you to focus on benefits. “Our customers buy benefits not features. A benefit is the promise to transform someone’s life for the better.” Think about what makes a difference in people’s lives, he said. “Use provocative language in a subject line. Stir things up.”

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Products, Venues, Conversations and Swag All Have Room for Innovation

by Media

A 6th grade teacher here in northern Virginia made positive headlines last week for teaching virtually from a treehouse. Nellie Williams said “a lot of math was involved” to remodel the space this summer with her husband, but she enjoys the serenity and uniqueness of the unconventional classroom—and how it connects with students.“They are really excited to have a teacher that is teaching from a treehouse,” she said.

That got me thinking again about innovation. A 2020 survey from Marketing General found that “a culture of innovation is the critical driver” for creating member/subscriber value. ”Try something new or you’ll plateau and decline,” one respondent said. Those who have seen member/subscriber gains “are significantly more likely to have a process in place for innovation and new ideas.”

Innovation is hard. It involves taking chances, which during a pandemic is not easy. I’m not sure what the publisher equivalent of a treehouse is; maybe it could lead to new ideas about where speakers present from. Here are a few more ideas I’ve come across.

Virtual shuttle ride. When the Institute of Food Technologists transitioned its Annual Meeting and Food Expo to SHIFT20 Virtual Event and Expo, organizers didn’t want to lose all of the networking opportunities that participants had become used to, reports Associations Now. Since shuttle rides often lead to spontaneous conversations and connections (I’ve actually had a dew of those myself on the way to hotels or an evening reception), IFT hosted a 15-minute virtual shuttle ride before every evening event. Each night, two IFT members moderated a live shuttle-bus-themed discussion with a guest to chat about the ideas emerging at SHIFT20.

Trivia nights. Atlas Obscura invites members to a Trivia Night or as they call it, Convocation of the Atlas Obscura Guild of Trivial Knowledge and Fascinating Ephemera. “During this trivia experience, you can team up with other subscribing members of Atlas Obscura’s membership community by either setting up a team with them independently OR by being grouped with other players on the day of the experience. It’s a terrific chance to engage with other members of the Atlas Obscura community!”

Custom product development. “All it took was a blanket to point Futurism in a new direction,” writes Digiday’s Max Willens, who moderated Friday’s BIMS 2020 Q&A with National Journal’s Kevin Turpin. “Last year, the science-focused publisher produced the Gravity Blanket, a weighted blanket designed to help with insomnia, anxiety and other conditions, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. After selling 65,000 of them (with some help from a feature on Good Morning America), the publisher created Futurism Products, an eight-person team to develop more products.” That led to Crypto Candle, which reveals a coin when it melts that can be redeemed for bitcoin.

Personalized guides and messages. Your writers are becoming more familiar to your audience day-by-remote-day. To do what Cameo does with celebrities and charge for those writers wishing happy birthday is a bit much. But the idea of making those connections has merit. At Schibsted, a large media site in Norway and Sweden, new subscribers can choose one of their favorite editors or journalists as a guide through the onboarding period. These personalized onboarding emails have a higher unique opening rate: 63% versus 38% for the standard onboarding process. The retention rate after the first renewal is also five percentage points higher.

Swag boxes. This trend will probably get even more popular in early 2021. In late June, the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science and the Association of Genetic Technologists sent swag boxes to attendees—JAM Packs—that included a kazoo. Guess what the concerts were called? The Daily Kazoom. Bustle Digital Group sent out yoga mats for its virtual yoga retreat, complimentary for the first 150 attendees to RSVP. BIO Digital (Biotechnology Innovation Organization) took place in June with more than 7,000 participants from 64 countries. To foster community, they changed the meeting’s tagline from “Beyond” to “Nothing Stops Innovation.” Then, in advance of the conference, BIO mailed all speakers a custom mug with the new tagline. “It was an added expense, but worth it because it gave speakers brand recognition onscreen that reflected togetherness,” said Erin Lee, VP of marketing operations and customer experience. You’d think sponsorship could also be possible for that.