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An e-Commerce Bump Can Happen If You Follow These ‘Essentials’

by Media
I read in Folio: this week that e-commerce sales at Good Housekeeping are up 567% over the past six weeks, compared to the same period in 2019. And at home fitness-focused Men’s Health, e-commerce sales are up 546% over the same period.
“We’ve continued with our core strategy: create content that’s highly relevant to what our readers need, stay nimble and quickly respond to what addresses the changing world, and always make it easy for our people to take action,” said Emily Silverman, senior director of e-commerce and partnerships at Hearst Magazines. “One of the top commerce stories on [Cosmopolitan] right now is about at-home laser hair removal; not the most sexy topic, but an essential service the Cosmo reader needs guidance on with her usual salons and services unavailable.”
The significant uptick in e-commerce sales reported by Good Housekeeping and Men’s Health underscores the growing importance of digital commerce within the media industry. This surge reflects a broader trend of consumers increasingly turning to online platforms for their shopping needs, especially amid evolving global circumstances. Emily Silverman’s approach, as outlined by Hearst Magazines, epitomizes a successful strategy in this realm, emphasizing the importance of staying attuned to audience needs and delivering content that resonates.

A pivotal component of driving e-commerce success lies in crafting press releases for media impact. These releases serve as vital communication tools, enabling publications to effectively convey the value proposition of their products and editorial content to both consumers and media outlets. By strategically positioning featured products and editorial themes within press releases, publishers can generate buzz and engagement, ultimately driving traffic and sales. Furthermore, aligning press release strategies with broader editorial narratives ensures seamless integration of commerce opportunities, reinforcing the symbiotic relationship between content creation and e-commerce initiatives.

There’s actually a lot to dissect in that quote, not even counting the laser hair removal which I may leave for another day or author:
Create highly relevant content. Industry Dive just launched three weekly newsletters this week designed for professionals who work in the specialized areas of human resources—Compliance, Diversity & Inclusion, and Compensation & Benefits. “As the workplace evolves, we wanted to increase our coverage in some critical segments and make it even easier for HR pros to get the news and analysis they need on specialized topics,” said Liza Casabona, managing editor. That brings their newsletter total to 22. Tim Hartman, CEO of Government Executive Media Group, said last week that they now run a podcast for each of their brands, plus some “white label” ones. Although people aren’t commuting, they are doing more chores, and podcasts can be consumed then, he said.
Stay nimble. In NiemanLab’s Predictions for Journalism 2020 back in December—doesn’t that seem like about three years ago?—Emily Withrow, director of R&D at Quartz, predicted that successful news organizations would adopt a more nimble product approach. This would involve building a culture and habit of quick experimentation and establishing that expectation with readership, opening channels for conversations about those experiments and how they might improve. “Our readers will feel like they’re a part of the process, not a part of the product. Audiences will learn to trust us more because we will transparently strive to serve them better, and we will listen when they speak.” Sean Griffey, CEO of Industry Dive, spoke about being nimble last week. “Culturally, our sales team doesn’t view themselves as selling advertising… webinars or banner ads. They’re trying to solve customers’ problems. That’s allowed us to be very nimble…”
Quickly respond to what addresses the changing world. “We put our COVID content in front of the paywall on March 3rd and saw an explosion in website traffic (153% increase) and a modest increase in subscriptions (9%) since the same time period last year,” said Stephanie Williford, CEO of EB Medicine. Speaking during a SIPA UK meeting last week, Victoria Mellor of Kademy and formerly Melcrum, spoke about the adjustments she has made. “What we’ve done this week is a special white paper on COVID-19. The view I’m talking on subscriptions is that you need to sell by helping people. Cold calling in this environment is difficult; being helpful is the way to go. We have a coaching offering in our membership suite of online training modules… What we’re doing is for prospects in our pipeline, offering free coaching sessions [and it is] being well received. People need short-term help… Be helpful and thoughtful about how you’re positioning yourselves.”
Always make it easy for our people to take action. This is huge anytime, but especially now because our frustration level is probably at an all-time high, so a couple extra clicks could make the difference between a sale and no-sale. I’ve experienced this with various online events I’ve signed up for—if it’s not easy, I abandon. It’s just not worth it. In a Zoom meeting we had today, one of our participants remarked how many codes it took to get on. For now, Zoom certainly has an advantage, but as more credible video conferencing platforms start to emerge, three passwords might be two too many.
Decide what is “essential” for your audience. For the Cosmopolitan reader, it appears to be laser hair removal. (And you thought I wasn’t going there.) What are the “essential services” for your audience? The more personalized those can be, the better.
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Global Audience, Discussion Rooms, Polling – The Virtues of Virtual Events

by Media
“Virtual events break down geographic barriers to attendance. Stretch your event across time zones so participants can experience it live wherever they are. Leverage digital conferencing platforms… that enable live captioning and translation for speaker remarks so audience members can view subtitles in their local language.”
—Bob Bejan, Microsoft corporate VP, in a Fast Company article titled “8 Ways to Rethink Virtual Events for the Age of Social Distancing”
There’s no doubt that there are some drawbacks to virtual events. After all, we are social creatures. But there’s also a lot to embrace. At the SIPA 2020 Virtual Conference June 1-2, Matthew Cibellis of Education Week will speak about Creating a Stand-Out Virtual Event. Their Online Summits were revenue producers even before the pandemic hit, so they’ve been at this longer than most.
Here are other ways to take advantage of virtual events.
Go global. As mentioned above, there should be no barrier besides time difference why you can’t have a bigger global audience, if that works for your niche. Content from virtual events can also be put on-demand, so if the time difference is a hindrance, they could watch it anytime. “Consider how you can make the sessions and conversations viewable after the fact,” Bejan writes. “At Microsoft, we publish event recordings to Stream and Yammer for people to watch when it works for them.”
Audience access to editorial staff. EW’s Online Summits provide readers with a unique opportunity to interact directly with reporters, practitioners and experts. Attendees can participate actively in reporter-expert-peer/peer conversations around niches within K-12 educational topic areas. At live events, it may not always be easy to interact with who you want. They could be popular and busy, or there just isn’t time. In a virtual event, you can have a place where, for instance, Education Week journalists and guests staff online “discussion” rooms on a host of topics within a broader niche. This can also give good exposure to your editorial staff.
Try to bring in tougher speaker gets. There was a 90th birthday tribute to composer Stephen Sondheim a couple weeks ago and they had every star imaginable—Meryl Streep, Christine Baranski, Audra McDonald, Sutton Foster. And why shouldn’t they? Everybody’s home probably with some time on their hands. I’ve also seen online conversations with famous authors and playwrights. If there’s a speaker or two you couldn’t get before, try again now.

Offer content—video, gamification, polling—and then bring people together around that. Speaking at the ongoing-through-May CES Deconstructed Jesse Serventi, founding partner, Renovus Capital, said (in a virtual discussion) today that we’re really just starting to learn how to “have a keen understanding of how to engage an audience virtually. A lot of it is asynchronous. You’re on an island. You’re going through it by yourself. It’s tough to engage. But then it’s also synchronous where you might be watching many hours of content. That’s tough too. The companies doing the best job are bringing in both. They might be starting off with prerecorded asynchronous content, watching video, doing a multiple choice quiz, and then coming together to do a group exercise around that and developing relationships—reaching you through multiple modalities. That’s just a great way to engage the customer or get customers hooked in an even better way than live in-person training. I do believe there’s great opportunity to use all these different tools to create a better experience.

Get a top moderator. This is important in live events, of course. I don’t know how many Q&As I’ve been to where moderators let audience questioners go on far too long or don’t follow up enough on key questions. It might even be more important virtually. It’s so easy to turn away at home. The moderator needs to keep the conversation flowing and not get bogged down. And then she gets to choose which questions to ask; the QA&A could be the best part. When it’s live, you don’t have that choice in front of you.
Be creative. “Your exhibitors are in desperate need for leads,” said Brian Cuthbert, group vice president, Diversified Communication, who will also present at the SIPA Conference on 5 Things to Include in Every Event Contract. “So whether it’s virtual tradeshows or webinars with companies like Webex, or ON24, your vendors need leads… Everything is drying up and that lead funnel is critical. It’s about content and education. Can you create certificates, master classes, certification? Using a learning management system that tracks their progress through the experience. We’re thinking of a way to use e-learning as a component. Whether you try to replicate or go with webinars and e-learning, they’ll pay for it. Create it once in these platforms and sell it as many times as you can. It’s something we do a lot. We’ve used vFairs. The single most important thing is realistic expectations about what the sponsor and attendee can expect.”
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‘Thrilling to See it Happen’ – Transition to 100% Remote Work and Non-Event Revenue Give CEOs Optimism

by Media

When offices open up again, what will make employees comfortable enough to go back in? In an engaging and revenue-focused CES Deconstructed session titled CEO Power Panel: How Leading Companies Are Planning to Not Just Survive But Thrive, Arizent CEO Gemma Postlethwaite offered one answer that resonated with her colleagues and audience.

“We have tried to quantify this [with a survey],” she said. “We’ve asked specific questions of what you would need to have in place to feel comfortable [to go back to the office]. It’s very clear from our part of the world that until there are vaccines, most people will be uncomfortable commuting in and out of New York City. [Plus] 30% have school-age children.”

Of course, she also pointed out that “people who live alone and who work alone are itching to get back to more communication in real time. How do we serve our community and make decisions in the best interest of that community and families, and keep up productivity? We’ll embrace it and look at it as an opportunity.”

Tony Uphoff, president and CEO of Thomas, and Connectiv’s just-named 2020 McAllister Top Management Fellow, has accepted the commuting-will-be-tough mantra and went one step further earlier this year—100% remote.

“It was thrilling to see it happen,” he said. “We saw personal protection equipment coming out of China early on and did a couple things quickly. There were 2000 manufacturers who volunteered to make PPE, and we operate where goods are traded. Usage of Thomas is up 45%. The demand for our advertising solutions is up 100%… For us, this is an accelerator” to the direction they were already moving in.

In the hour-long session, four media company CEOs talked about finding the cents and sensibilities floating in our new uncharted seas. The consensus seemed to be, don’t count on events coming back too soon. Instead, find what can replace them both in terms of revenue and networking.

“We’ve really been aggressive with virtual and digital events,” said Tim Hartman, CEO of Government Executive Media Group. He believes it will be a while before we return to any semblance of what physical events looked like, so they will focus on digital advertising and marketing services and virtual events.

“I really want to avoid [this] and caution everyone else that delays in pushing back live events can be problematic. That requires keeping relationships going with vendors, venues, locations. It’s hard to do—delaying to August, then October, then 2021. We’re avoiding that. [Instead] we went to clients with a combination of new products and an incentive for digital advertising—convincing them that this is good idea. [Fortunately] it works for us. Our clients are open and are still getting paid by the government.”

Sean Griffey, CEO of Industry Dive and a holdout in the events world—although he said that they had been looking to acquire an events business before the crisis—said they have remained focused on solving problems for their audience.

“Culturally, our sales team doesn’t view themselves as selling advertising. And we’re not selling webinars or banner ads,” said Griffey. “They’re trying to solve customers’ problems. That’s allowed us to be very nimble… We’re always looking for something that has a foundation. I’m excited about peer-to-peer networks. How do we do that virtually? What do our audiences need? What do our advertisers need?”

They have “seen some tailwinds shift from event budgets to online. Our clients have problems they’re looking to solve, [and with us in] 19 different markets, we have a vast array of [solutions] to offer… In education [for example], people with remote learning solutions are coming out of the woodwork. We’re fortunate on how we can position ourselves. Sales and revenue are up.”

With those 19 verticals, Industry Dive’s doubling down on content has not gone unnoticed. Postlethwaite said that Arizent has also “invested a lot in our editorial content.” They’ve been able to pivot to an integrated approach, helping to make more truly meaningful connections for their clients. “We’ve made big investments in our studio,” she said, adding that clients are coming to them more for the content they’re producing. “We’ve been gearing up to have way more inventory for sponsors and have also seen a greater demand for valued leads and marketing services.”

Still, the idea of remote working and if not live events, then what permeated much of the conversation. “Are there emergent event models that will happen… that will be complimentary to live events?” Hartman asked. “If there’s going to be a new world, live will have virtual instances. Events may turn to more Netflix-like programming… We have the opportunity to create the next iteration of that. We’re just in the first inning.”

Hartman added that he sees more product and development energy taking place now, and—in a recurring theme with the panel—more added content. “We’re meeting more frequently. We’ve invested in podcasting; we have our own podcast for every editorial brand. Also six or seven white label podcasts. You can listen to a podcast while you do your chores around the house.

“We’re also spending a lot more time with our sales team, listening to what they’re hearing in the market,” Hartman said. “So they have the newest version of our perspective on the future… How we’re going to educate clients on what that will look like is an imperative for us as well.”

As for the working from home, Uphoff said that they are “thriving remotely” and will make coming in optional even when the situation changes. Griffey also said that they will be a lot more remote in the future. In addition, he said the pandemic affects how we all look at office space moving forward.

“Do we need more space to sit apart or less space because less people will go into the office? I will not force people to come in or get on a plane. It’s not on me to tell them they have to be here as long as long as they’re productive.”

The CES Deconstructed Power Panel session can be accessed here. The sessions continue throughout May. If not already registered for CES Deconstructed, sign up here.

Back view of male employee speaking on video call with diverse colleagues on online briefing with laptop at home.

PE Firm MidOcean Partners Offers Employee Support Fund to Portfolio Companies During COVID-19 Crisis

by COVID 19

MidOcean Partners, which owns B2B media and information companies such as Questex and Hanley Wood|Meyers Research, has created an Employee Support Fund that offers financial assistance to employees of its portfolio companies during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Support Fund—which is available to recently furloughed and laid off employees as well as current staffers—is intended to help with any one-time unforeseen hardships, including medical conditions and procedures not related to COVID-19 and caring for family members that are experiencing hardships.

“When the crisis hit, it affected each of our companies differently” says Jim Scarfone, MidOcean’s Chief Human Resource Officer. “Some are barely affected while others suddenly had no revenue coming in. Obviously, this is a time of hardship for a lot of people and we discussed internally, what else can MidOcean do?”

In addition to financial assistance, MidOcean will cover the cost for employees of portfolio companies to receive legal counsel for up to one month from another MidOcean holding, LegalShield, which provides affordable access to legal services and identify theft and monitoring and restoration services.

MidOcean hasn’t publicized the Employee Support Fund (I heard about it from a Connectiv member who is an executive at a MidOcean portfolio company) but it’s an outstanding gesture and reminder that we are all in this together.

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In Challenging Times, Quizzes Seem to Be a Challenge People Like Taking on

by Media
A couple weeks ago, I wrote about the successful quizzes that Lessiter Media is doing—an initiative they started well before the pandemic hit. For one, they received a few thousand submissions with almost 2,000 new email addresses; more than 120 new subscribers emerged from the list of quiz takers.
This week I came across a quiz from a publisher in the UK that ties into the pandemic. The Investment Week Virtual Quiz 2020 was designed to help “heroic frontline NHS [National Health Service] staff tackling the coronavirus crisis.” Today at 4 pm their time they held the live quiz “hosted by a special industry guest.” Participants were sent a link and also could dial in to a video/audio call. They would even show a leaderboard in real-time so the winner can be revealed instantly.
To take part they asked people to choose a donation fee with all proceeds going to CASCAID’s NHS fundraising campaign (minimum donation was £15).
Coincidentally, the Washington Post ran an article this week titled, The Pubs Are Closed, But Brits Won’t Give Up Their Quizzes, so the tradition is even stronger there. But still, given the success of quizzes here—I’ve read that Jeopardy is once again soaring in the ratings—this might be a good time to try one, especially if you can work in the goodwill.
Goodwill was one theme in the SIPA UK discussion last week. “What we’ve done this week is a special white paper on COVID-19,” said Victoria Mellor, who with Robin Crumby built Melcrum up from the ground floor and now runs Kademy. “The view I’m talking on subscriptions is that you need to sell by helping people. Cold calling in this environment is difficult; being helpful is the way to go. We have a coaching offering in our membership suite of online training modules… What we’re doing is for prospects in our pipeline, offering free coaching sessions [and it is] being well received. People need short-term help… Be helpful and thoughtful about how you’re positioning yourselves.”
If there can be some type of quiz or gamification involved, all the better. People are looking for any kind of escape, and quizzes, jigsaw puzzles and games can supply that.
In their 100 event trends for 2020—before the pandemic—the Event MB Studio team found that 10% of the apps they analyzed listed gamification features as part of the app. “…let people win rewards for acing a quiz on the keynote [speaker]. Leaderboards and awards have proven particularly effective, as attendees compete against one another for more recognition as well.”
Other publishers I know doing quizzes include:
Financial Times. They are still doing an FT Weekend Quiz that seems to be gated to subscribers (must be popular). They are centered around popular culture with this subhead: “Our ‘Round on the Links’ quiz tests your ability to draw connections. Thinking caps on!” Last year’s quiz focused on “The Week in News.”
Education Week. Although it looks like they put a temporary stop to their quizzes after Feb. 24. They would regularly achieve nearly 90% quiz completions and around 60% of people completing the quiz filling out the registration form for lead generation.
Kiplinger. The UK-owned publisher features an entire gallery of quizzes on varying topics. Although most of them seem evergreen—The Couples and Money Quiz; The Personal Finance Quiz—a click on the Recession Quiz leads to 10 Facts You Must Know About Recessions, updated on March 27.
PR News. On Access Intelligence’s PR News grammar quiz,  a Scrabble-like image of “G R A M M A R” emerges with the headline, “How Good Is Your Grammar?” “Do you correct others on their grammar? Or do you get corrected? See how you stack up…”
Lastly, I always hark back to a quiz that OPIS did. The questions were tough, so that when you got one wrong, the answer led you to an upcoming webinar where the correct answers would be discussed. The email with this quiz drew the most sign-ups for that webinar.