10 Commandments for Custom Magazine Failure

This topic was created for two reasons.

First, I'll be giving this presentation in Helsinki, Finland next week for their 2009 Customer Magazines Symposium.

Second, I was inspired by the book, The Ten Commandments for Business Failure, written by former Coca-Cola CEO Donald Keough (good book by the way). After reading, I thought it would be interesting to look at custom magazines in this way.

So here's the quick overview. To be sure, if you follow any of these commandments, your custom magazine will be an utter failure.

The Ten Commandments for Custom Magazine Failure

Commandment #1
Keep Thinking Like a Marketer

Some custom magazines are often positioned as glorified sales brochures - lots of company news, case studies that tell how great the company is, and advertorial type informational pieces. For a custom magazine to work, brands need to remove the "sales speak" and start to think like a publisher - with the #1 goal of providing valuable and relevant content to the reader.

David Tokheim from Six Apart put this nice roundup together about thinking like a publisher, including:

• Give them something to talk about
• Listen
• Foster relationships through social currency
• Align with influencers to create something remarkable

If you cannot take your sales hat off and communicate like a publisher would, your custom magazine is bound for failure.

Commandment #2
Talk about Yourself A Lot! - Sell, Sell, Sell

If you mention your company or brands more than a few times on each printed page, you're in trouble. In one test of a recent corporate magazine, we found up to 19 mentions of the company's brand and products on just ONE PAGE. How valuable could that be?

One of the cores of content marketing is that you can actually sell more in the long run by selling less (best case, not at all) in your content. Custom magazines are no different.

Commandment #3
Keep Doing the Same Thing

The majority of custom magazines still use this formula:

• Create glossy custom magazine
• Mail magazine to targeted customers or ship to distribution locations
• Upload content to website/microsite and/or create digital magazine replica
• Repeat in three months

A custom magazine today cannot just be a custom magazine.  Here is what the custom magazine of the present and the future looks like.

• Record interviews (video/audio) for later repurposing.
• Develop a news release schedule pre- and post- issue release.
• Discuss upcoming issue on your magazine blog (editor). Set up RSS feeds.
• Post video interviews via YouTube or Vimeo. Embed in your blog post.
• Print and mail/ship your magazine.
• Send digital replica version to international audience or online subscribers.
• Upload content onto magazine website. Be sure content is sharable via social media (Facebook, Digg, StumbleUpon)
• Provide a “remarkable” download on magazine site (eBook, white paper, etc.). Here's an example.
• Continue to provide relevant content on magazine website – articles, blog posts.
• Use Pay-Per-Click, targeted specific keywords to drive people to your online magazine or download (in addition to the SEO magic of consistent, compelling content.
• Continue news release program (plan for at least one, best for two per month).
• “Listen” to who’s talking about what online (more to come on this).
• Upload articles to key vertical and social bookmarking sites.
• Other social media – Facebook group, LinkedIn group, etc.

Commandment #4
Wait for Better Timing to Expand

There has never been a better time for marketers to leverage publishing tools than right now. The rules of the game have changed.

• If you create and develop consistent and relevant content to your customers, buyers will engage in it as credible, just as they have traditional expert media content. This is happening now!
• Check your databases.  Do you have customer information and permissions to communicate directly with your customers and prospects? You most likely do.
• Traditional media is losing journalistic talent. Hire some!
• There are no technology barriers.

Commandment #5
Don't Leverage Free Online Tools

If you want your custom magazine to fail, don't use:

• Google Alerts
• Twitter
• Twitter Search
• Tweetdeck - Twitter Management Tool

Usage - Finding new stories, new distribution channels, listening to customers prospects, speaking one-on-one with customers, becoming a part of the conversation in your marketplace, developing real relationships with customers and prospects.

Commandment #6
Create Multiple Marketing Objectives

Many marketers want to accomplish the following with their custom magazine:

• Customer Retention
• Lead Generation
• Thought Leadership
• Lower Customer Service Costs
• Open New Markets
• Inspire Former Decision Makers
• Magazine to Pay for Itself
• Solve World Hunger

That's a recipe for failure.  Too many goals = lack of focus. To succeed, focus on one key goal.

• Altair uses its customer magazine to form relationships with key decision-makers.
• SFPE uses its association magazine to maintain/grow its membership.

Commandment #7
Ignore Traditional Media in Your Market

Five out of every 10 magazines and newspapers will go out of business, scale down their frequency or move entirely to the Web,” predicts Andy Cohn, vice president and group publisher, Fader Media.

The opportunity? Do what camera manufacturer Adorama did with JPG magazine and invest in traditional media outlets. Brilliant move.

Any struggling media properties in your market?  Buy them.

Commandment #8
You Don't Need a Content Audit

If you want your custom magazine to fail, don't develop processes to extract the best content from inside your organization.  Don't do a content audit.

The future of a custom magazine is about developing a content strategy that makes sense so you can actually "be the publisher".

Commandment #9
Let the Customer Figure Out the Action Step

If you don't have a call-to-action (some additional piece of content or valuable information) on almost every page, you'll start to have problems. Custom magazines are about creating or maintaining a behavior change, but you have to have an understanding of what you actually want your customer to do.

Commandment #10
Disregard the LEGO Principle

If you want your custom magazine to fail, don't pay any attention to LEGO magazine.  Starting out as your basic custom magazine in the 80s, this top-tier magazine has spread into an email newsletter, branded music, in-person events, a social network, variable versions (LEGO Club Jr., Brickmaster), spin-offs (Bionicle magazine), and even an on-demand TV Channel.

To ensure that your magazine will not be successful, don't pay attention to what LEGO is doing.

What did we miss?

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Comments

[Arjun Basu]

Excellent post, Joe. I have sent it to all senior staff, account mgs and editors.

[Joe Pulizzi]

Great Arjun...had a lot of fun with this post - and it also took way too much time :)

[Joe Maglitta]

Joe - Enjoy your work and thoughts daily. Had to write on this one. Great articulation. Keep em coming!

[Joe Pulizzi]

Thanks Joe...you need to post more often!

Appreciate you taking the time.

It's easy to keep status quo with custom magazines, which is why this post is probably timely.

Cheers
Joe

[Patsi Krakoff aka The Blog Squad]

This is fabulous, Joe. But as much time as it took, you need to go back and do it over again ... and maybe again. I'm thinking this has bigger ramifications and applications...like to more than just custom magazines...like for business blogging, and all writing on web pages.

Okay, don't want to create more work for you. I'll just steal your ideas and rework them into a post on the 10 Commandments for Business Blog Failure... ;-)

Great stuff, I'm sure the Finns will luv it!

[Joe Pulizzi]

Funny you say that. I've been getting some comments on that and was thinking the same thing. Glad you enjoyed it.

[Erica Stritch - RainToday]

Thank you, Joe for a really great post!

How about an 11th Commandment - "Don't try to create a community among your readers."

User generated content and community are going to play huge roles in the future. Readers want to hear and learn from other readers who are in the same situation. If you aren't the one facilitating this conversation and making this connection possible, you can be sure your competitors will be.

[Joe Pulizzi]

Love it Erica...I might have to steal that one!

[Erica Stritch - RainToday]

Be my guest - and best of luck with the Finns. You'll knock 'em dead with this content.

[Discount Business Cards]

Love your ideas. Will be reading your other posts too.

[Janet]

I subscribe to TheBlogSquads newsletter/blogs and saw your post today. I'm starting an online fitness magazine and didn't know where to begin. This is some awesome information. Can't wait to get started.

[Vince Giorgi]

Great post Joe. Here might be Failure Commandment No. 12 (or 0.5?).

12. Expect Your Magazine to "Pay for Itself"

This might not be quite so common today as in years past, but experience suggests too many organizations approach a custom publishing opportunity with the assumption it must be at least partially, if not fully, "liquidating."

This is typically a recipe for disappointment. And it's why some high-potential custom publishing strategies never get off the ground.

Yes, it's important to "think like a publisher" in terms of delivering relevant, compelling content. But assuming ad sales will defray a signficant amount of your investment in the magazine is typically unrealistic, not to mention faulty strategy.

A well-executed custom magazine is, arguably, the most powerful DM touch you can put in front of a key audience. But the value/ROI comes not in whether the magazine becomes a revenue-generator per se.

Instead, the focus should be on whether it drives metrics such as engagement, direct response and brand perception/affinity.

Vince
www.touchpointcity.wordpress.com

[Joe Pulizzi]

Vince...that one is fantastic and I can't believe I left it out. We've all heard that a million times before, and marketers still believe that they can defray all the costs associated with their magazine.

Great stuff, and thanks

[Gordy]

You just saved me time and money with that piece Joe. My clients should read this! Am sure the Finns will have a great time. Wish it was here. Keep it coming.

[Joe Pulizzi]

Thanks Gordy...let me know what your clients think!

Cheers
Joe

[Karl Foxley]

This was a great and informative read. I certainly agree Joe Pulizzi as I see this adapting and applying to the business blogging community.

Thanks for posting.

Karl

[Glenn Laudenslager]

Excellent post Joe. Well-said, completely on point.