Just read Rob Yoegel’s blog over on Publishing Executive, What Exactly is ‘Publisher’s Own Data?’ He brings up the never-ending specter of the inaccuracies and lack of transparency in web sites that report their own web metrics (uniques, visit, page views, etc.).  He reiterates all of the important points, but what I found most fascinating were the comments posted in response to Rob’s post. Nearly all of the comments focused on how publishers need to get more involved with web audits. Of course the comment thread was started by Peter Black, SVP of Business Development...

I just found out that someone took video of the panel I spoke at during last year’s Catalyst Investors Digital Media Panel and posted it to YouTube. Here I was asked about what the major differences are between print and online publishing. Key points: Online is still publishing, just a different medium and vernacular. You can’t just slap your print content online once a month and expect to succeed. Build off the value of your existing brand. Realize you’ll have to transform your entire company’s culture. Give it focus. What does not have focus will not succeed. Online is NOT...

Every media company has different business challenges and business models, but certain strategies can help almost any publisher grow the e-media side of the business. Are they flashy, new strategies? No. Most are boring fundamentals. But in media, as in football, those who best execute the fundamentals are the ones who win. 1. Sell what you already have. If you sell advertising, take a hard look at your unsold inventory. If you’re less than 75-percent sold-out on your primary positions, you’re leaving significant money on the table. This is by far the easiest way to grow revenue with...

Ah, for the days of print gone by—when there was only one distribution mechanism to transmit information to readers—everything seemed so simple. But along came the Internet, and suddenly readers demanded our content via print, our Web sites and e-mail newsletters. Our once-simple content-distribution model suddenly became complicated, and disrupted the business models to which we were accustomed. My friends, we had better get used to it because the fragmentation has only just begun. Two major technologies have emerged that further complicate how we must connect our brands and content to...

This is a follow-up to my previous post on effective online advertising. Most often when an advertiser is unhappy with the performance of his campaign, he’s probably not looking at the ad the way your readers (his customers) look at an ad. Try helping your advertiser evaluate the entire campaign—ad creative, landing page and follow-up pages—as if you were one of your readers: Can I understand the ad in just a glance? Or do I need to sift through a ton of copy or wait for a 30-second animation to finish? If the goal is anything other than branding, is there a clear incentive and urgency...