Finding a Custom Publisher Just Got a Whole Lot Easier: Custom Publishing Industry Gets Behind Junta42 Match

We are proud to announce that Junta42 has partnered with three elite organizations around the launch of our new content marketing matching product Junta42 Match.  The Custom Publishing Council, American Business Media, and BtoB Magazine have all formed strategic alliances with Junta42 Match, announced formally Wednesday.

Please read the entire release here for all the details. For a brief 2 minute video on why Junta42 was created and how it will work, check out this video.

The core issue is that content marketing is becoming more important to businesses around the world, yet it’s challenging, and sometimes even cost- or culture-prohibitive, to create strategic content programs internally. If a marketer decides to search for a content or publishing partner, it’s very difficult to find the right one.  Most of the time, marketers rely on referrals, search engines, or an RFP blast to locate the perfect provider. Any of these strategies might take days, weeks, even months to find the right match. Worse yet, they might call on their agency to provide a content solution, who may or may not have the relevant content or product qualifications to do the job.

On the flip side, new business opportunities are still the driver of long-term custom publisher profitability. Yet, the process for finding qualified leads for custom publishers hasn’t changed in years, and is far behind many industries that have leveraged the internet to create a buyer/seller marketplace.

Thus, Junta42 Match was born.  The service will be an audited directory of custom publishing providers, and will give marketing and association professionals the ability to match their project (a custom magazine, newsletter, content Web site, video series, enewsletter, custom event, etc.) to the exact qualifications of a custom publisher or content agency. Matching services will be conducted online, allowing for ease and anonymity.

Junta42 Match will be free for buyers (those looking for expert content help). Sellers—including custom publishers, traditional publishers with custom divisions, advertising and digital agencies, direct marketers, pr firms, etc.—will be charged an annual or monthly listing fee. All content providers will be offered a free trial.

The service will be open to publishers on March 9, 2008 (launching in time for the Custom Content Conference), and will be available to marketing professionals for matches by mid-May.

We’ve already received a flurry of positive feedback, but I’m more interested in getting actual feedback once the service is launched.  We believe we are addressing a real need here.  Hopefully you agree.