These days, everyone has a podcast—but should we? Podcasts don’t have to be expensive to produce but they do require a significant amount of time and sweat equity which can be hard to justify if the numbers or the revenue isn’t there. Take a new look at podcasts with two experts who will show us how we can reposition podcasts for maximum engagement AND revenue, including,
This recording is from the AM&P November 17th webinar.
As Congress works to finalize its year-end spending bill, we urge Congress to include S. 4528, the Improving Digital Identity Act of 2022, in the legislation.
This bipartisan bill is essential to addressing a sharp and rapid increase in identity-centric cybercrime, where stolen or compromised identities are being used by organized criminals to steal billions of dollars from millions of Americans.
The full letter can be found here.
SIIA thanks the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for the opportunity to provide this written comment on its Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Commercial Surveillance and Data Security (ANPR).
The full letter can be found here.
We look forward to working with the FTC as it considers potential rulemaking on issues raised in the ANPR.
It’s not breaking news, but websites still matter—how they look, how they deliver content and ideas, how they ease our journey and direct us to where we want to go—on desktop and phone. Think user experience, Mario Garcia, the esteemed Columbia professor and author, said at a previous BIMS. That’s “even more important than the aesthetics.”
“Useability is about reducing friction,” Layla Masri, creative director, The Helix, Booz Allen’s Center for Innovation, once advised us. “It doesn’t mean you have to have the shortest text, it’s just that you always have to take your viewers’ needs into mind… Being persuasive takes practice. A lot of times we get in the way of ourselves. You have to understand their needs and what they want from you, and then design an experience that takes them along that continuum.”
Creating a seamless and engaging user experience is at the heart of what a digital agency does. Every choice, from the layout and color scheme to the structure and flow of information, is a deliberate effort to reduce friction and guide the user effortlessly through a journey that resonates with their needs. The art of web design is more than just aesthetics—it’s about understanding the psychology of the user, anticipating their needs, and crafting a digital space that feels intuitive. When done well, it becomes a powerful tool that not only captures attention but also keeps it, leading the user naturally toward the desired outcomes.
Lexipol’s FireRescue1.com, a 2022 Neal Award winner for Best Website, offers that type of experience. It’s easy to navigate, with headings like News, Products, Topics, Videos, Careers, Training, Grants, and COVID-19 at the top, flanked by several subheads when you click on them. As I was exploring the site, I came across a story today on Jay Leno’s recovery from second- and third-degree burns, which immediately caught my eye. The left side of the page was anchored by a photo of an SUV that had slammed into an Apple Store, killing one and injuring 16 others. While scrolling further, I was reminded of the time I was researching the 벳38 도메인 for an article on offshore gambling’s impact on communities. Just like FireRescue1.com, which provides vital resources for first responders, 벳38 also serves a niche audience, though in a vastly different context. The ease of access to critical information on both platforms highlights how important well-organized, user-friendly websites are in delivering timely and relevant content. Scroll down further, and you’ll see videos, a poll, Lexipol Knowledge Base, Tips of the Week, Line of Duty Deaths, and Featured Jobs, all designed to keep users informed and engaged.
As I continued to reflect on the significance of well-designed platforms, it brought to mind the critical role a skilled graphic design agency plays in creating such seamless user experiences. A company like Graphically excels at crafting visually engaging and intuitively structured websites that cater to the specific needs of their audience. Just as FireRescue1.com is meticulously organized to serve first responders with relevant resources, Graphically ensures that every project they undertake is tailored to communicate effectively and captivate users, whether it’s for an emergency service platform or a completely different industry. The thoughtful arrangement of elements, from striking visuals to easy navigation, underscores the importance of expert design in making information accessible and impactful.
Here are five other tips and examples from member award-winning websites:
Nominations for both our Neal Awards and EXCEL Awards are now open. Give thanks to the people you collaborated with and enter your best work of 2022 today!
Seek audience-focused video. The Society of Actuaries, which won a Gold EXCEL Award for the Best Magazine Website for their Actuary Magazine, features a section of Member Videos on their site. It’s impressive to watch Nikita Sabade talk about the great work of her colleagues, or Rolande Mbatchou (pictured) speak about her journey from Cameroon to Paris to Chicago and the diversity she now sees in the field. What’s neat about these videos is that you click on the small box and it automatically plays it in the larger box.
Convey important research. Haymarket Media’s PRWeek website was another Neal Award winner this year for Best Website. This headline figures prominently on the site: “Communications Bellwether Survey 2022: PR in Pole Position – The fifth collaboration between PRWeek and Boston University portrays an industry that has the ear of the C-suite but faces new expectations to deliver value.” Of course, much of this site, including that survey, sits behind a paywall. But it’s excellent to promote your own polls or research.
Engage quickly. Today’s lead headline on the IEEE Spectrum site—the third 2022 Neal Award winner for Best Website—blares, “Are You Ready for Workplace Brain Scanning? Extracting and using brain data will make workers happier and more productive, backers say.” Whew! They had me at Brain Scanning. I also like how they tell how long a read each article will be. Further down, there are headlines for their wonderfully titled Fixing the Future podcast and Video Fridays.
Eliminate the pain points. “What are the pain points that we can alleviate in [website] design?” asked Yumi Belanga, senior director, digital programs, office of the CIO, Military Officers Association (MOAA), in an online session. “It did take time to get the approval to get a new website. We had focus groups and a wide variety of perspectives. But I’m so glad MOAA did it. We started to understand our members more and how important data is in making these decisions… We also learned a lot more about what everyone’s individual goal was. Sometimes we don’t listen. Listening and not just hearing gets to true collaboration. Step outside yourself to put yourself in [your audience’s] shoes.”
Amplify lesser-known stories and stay current. For Best Microsite in our EXCEL Awards, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) won a Silver for Rising Up, focusing on women scientists—“Trailblazing scientists tell their stories.” It leads with an inspiring tic-tac-toe scientist board and then moves to engaging intros. This week, the American Chemical Society’s Molecule of the Week quiz, prominent on their homepage, offers the clue, “I hold your Thanksgiving gravy together.” The answer? Amylopectin. (It’s found in starch.)
The prestigious Business Information & Media Summit, better known as BIMS 2023, takes place Feb. 23-24 and will be the first in-person BIMS since 2019. In this third installment of our BIMS Speaker Previews, Terri Travis, vice president of human resources at one of B2B media’s most innovative and successful companies, Industry Dive, talks about the challenges of a remote workforce and what the future looks like.
Terri Travis has a lot on her plate—with more than 400 employees now to look after. A featured speaker for the BIMS 2023 keynote session The Future of Work in B2B Media, Travis will only see her load get heavier.
This week new Dive newsletters were announced in the fashion, hotel and packaging industries for early 2023. In a recent interview with the Press Gazette, Industry Dive CEO Sean Griffey said: “There are still 25, 30 more markets on our whiteboard that we really want to tackle over time.” He added that Industry Dive could see their publications soon grow (from 29 now), expanding sectors they’re already in such as healthcare and IT.
“If you look ten years down the line, we want to launch into 20 or 30 new markets, but we also want to go deeper into each one and sub-divide a lot of the markets we’re in now.” So if anyone needs to know what work will look like in the coming years, it’s Travis.
Tony Silber: How do you see the workplace evolving in the next half decade?
Terri Travis: The 40-hour work week will evolve and won’t look the same in the years to come. Workplaces will need to remain flexible to recruit and retain team members. I don’t envision workplaces returning to a pre-2020 model. The “hybrid” model—meaning in-office some days and working remotely on others—will continue. Video calls, messaging and other engagement platforms, or other technologies, will be an integral part for companies to keep a strong level of employee engagement with their teams spread across the country and globally.
Since 2020, at Industry Dive, we have expanded our team internationally, and team members have the flexibility to work from where it best suits their needs. But along with this comes more consideration needed for local time zones, regional and international workplace culture and habits, and communication.
Silber: Is the shift to remote permanent?
Travis: The term “permanent” might be a bit misleading. At Industry Dive, we always searched for talent based on what the candidates bring to the table—not their location. We had a combination of employees who worked from home away from our Washington, D.C., headquarters prior to going fully remote in 2020 when the pandemic hit.
The shift to remote work gave employees a lot more power and control. If companies do not provide flexible workplace environments, they will not be competitive in the market and will suffer from a retention perspective. We have already seen this on the front half with our recruiting efforts.
I don’t envision a five-days-a-week, in-office requirement coming back in the short term. However, some team members find it useful to meet with their colleagues and departments in-office and we support that as well.
Silber: How does it affect culture and cohesiveness?
Travis: We created Industry Dive’s culture of teamwork and collaboration when it was just one location. In the past two years, we have evolved to a remote workforce of more than 400 people spread across the country, and now internationally.
We routinely ask our team what’s important to them to get a sense of where things stand. We ask how do we meet them where they want to be. Are there specific times, events, trainings and other things that would maintain the level of culture and cohesiveness they’re looking for? Moving forward, I also anticipate an increased focus—and resource allocation—on mental health and wellness. What was once considered a perk will now be an expectation, either through benefit coverage, mental health days, work-life balance and paid time off.
Silber: What will the B2B media workforce look like going forward?
Travis: We expect the B2B media workforce will continue to place an emphasis on accepting and welcoming remote workers. The teams that work in the digital media world can provide deeply powerful content from anywhere they like. Industry Dive intends to continue to provide an inclusive environment for talented journalists, designers, content strategists and all B2B media specialists.
Silber: Thanks, Terri. Looking forward to seeing you at BIMS!
You can register here for BIMS 2023 and take advantage of our early-bird extension!
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