On July 21st, Junta42 launched in preview release (we like preview release better than "beta"). The formal press release will be distributed on July 24th, but I've included detail on the launch here in my blog for colleagues and marketing professionals we are contacting before the 24th. The full and complete press release is just below this post.
Frankly, content marketing is the biggest industry that nobody has ever heard of. Finding case studies and basic information on multi-channel, editorially-based branded content is nothing short of a major challenge (even though, on average, corporations spend more than $1 million per year on content marketing initiatives). Junta42 was created to make it as easy as possible for marketing, association, and publishing professionals to find out what's going on in content marketing (for detail on the definition of content marketing, and its relation to custom publishing or custom media, check out this piece on "The Five Pillars of Content Marketing - The Ultimate Definition.")
The future of content around the globe will rest, not in the hands of the traditional press, but in the hands of businesses (small, medium and large). It's businesses, not the media, that have the financial resources to go out and find the best research and editors to create great content. Plus, businesses are beginning to figure out that the creation of great content is key to lasting customer relationships. To date, we are only seeing a partial picture, but the time is not far away when corporate content will be more dominant than traditional media. Technology is only speeding up this transformation (...and have you looked at corporate databases lately? Quite impressive!) (NOTE: Don't get me wrong, traditional media will always play an important role, but the majority of content that people will consume will not come from traditional sources.)
Our hope at Junta42, and our parent Z Squared Media, LLC, is that Junta42 serves as a tool to help marketers create better content for their internal and external customers. It is also our hope that a community around content marketing will enable better services for marketers to fulfill that goal (custom publishers, agencies, direct marketers, traditional publishers, interactive agencies, etc.).
As of the writing of this blog post, Junta42 has approximately 300 content marketing-related articles tagged and in the database. Our hope is that media professionals, bloggers, and marketers see the value in this tool and fill in the gaps where we need more content resources (such as case studies, educational articles, and industry trends).
Below is the complete press release that will go out on the 24th. Please don't hesitate with any comments or feedback. We are still working out the bugs, so let me know if you find anything.
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Joe
Pulizzi
Junta42, a division of Z Squared Media, LLC
joe AT junta42 DOT com (replace AT with @ and DOT with .)
B2B Social Media Site Targets Custom Content Marketers
Junta42 offers twist
on b2b content, covers booming custom publishing industry.
Cleveland, Ohio – Custom publishing, or content marketing, is one of the largest and fastest growing marketing segments in the world. According to the Custom Publishing Council and Publications Management spending is at an all-time high of $55.6 billion. More corporations and associations are launching their own targeted content initiatives in print and online than ever before. Yet, trying to find useful information and case studies about content marketing is a different story.
Launched as a preview release in July, Junta42 (www.junta42.com) offers a solution for marketers, association professionals, and publishers looking for custom publishing or branded content solutions. “Junta42 was created out of our own frustrations with finding valuable information about the content marketing industry,” says Joe Pulizzi, founder of and chief content officer for Junta42. “Great content is out there in the form of expert articles, blogger posts, audio and video; someone just needed to create a little organization to help business professionals find it.”
Most social media sites let the user-community dictate the content. At Junta42, there is collaboration between Junta42 expert editors and the community. “We believe in the concept of the editor,” says Pulizzi, former vice president for Penton Media’s Custom Media division and a Custom Publishing Council (CPC) board member. “Combining a dedicated team of marketing experts to moderate content with outside contributors made perfect sense.”
Junta42 links to content sources from all over the Internet and includes abstracts on each article. “Marketers are busier than ever,” says Pulizzi. “We created an easily searchable site that they can ‘taste’ through expert abstracts. But ultimately, our goal is to direct marketers somewhere valuable as fast as possible.”
The site is free to all users, and includes a twist for members who submit articles regularly. “We know there is enough incentive for community members to submit great content, but we wanted to do something extra,” Pulizzi says about Junta42’s revenue-sharing program. “With Junta42, we share a portion of our AdSense revenues with active members. Those who contribute will share in our success.”
The site expects to earn profits through Google AdSense and keyword sponsorship.
About Junta42
Junta42 is a search community site focused on content marketing and custom publishing. Junta42 combines expert and user-generated results with computer results to give users the best possible matches to searches. Junta42 is a division of Z Squared Media, LLC (www.zsquaredmedia.com), which develops initiatives to help marketers and publishers create and execute content programs through integrated channels.
About Joe Pulizzi
Joe Pulizzi is founder of and chief content officer for Junta42, as well as president of Z Squared Media, LLC. Previously Joe was vice president at Penton Media, Inc., the largest independent b2b publisher in North America. Joe serves as a board member of the Custom Publishing Council, and recently served two terms as chairperson of American Business Media’s Custom Media Committee. Pulizzi, voted a Northeast Ohio’s “Top Mover & Shaker under 35” by the Cleveland Professional 20/30 club, is co-author of the book Get Content. Get Customers. which will be released this coming winter.
great site, great resource. congrats!
Posted by: Glenn Laudenslager | July 23, 2007 at 03:32 PM
Thanks Glenn...link away!
Posted by: Joe Pulizzi | July 23, 2007 at 03:35 PM
Well done, Joe. A powerful site and a community I'm excited to join. Good luck and count me in.
Posted by: Bob R | July 24, 2007 at 10:19 AM
Thanks Bob...it's a good start. We need writers and marketers to pitch in if the site is to become truly powerful. I guess the point is that there is a lot of great content out there, but finding it will be in the hands of the community. Thanks again.
Posted by: Joe Pulizzi | July 24, 2007 at 11:04 AM