Accumulating more than 15 years of experience in the golf and turf industries, Athletic Turf and Golfdom editor-in-chief Seth Jones makes it one of his priorities to travel the world and seek great stories.
On June 5, 2017, Pitchcare, the premier organization for the sports and amenity turf industries in the U.K. with 50,000 members, selected Jones’ 2017 U.S. Open Preview article to be featured on the homepage of their website, Pitchare.com.
“There is always interest in how greenkeepers go about their work in other countries,” says Peter Britton, Director of Advertising and Production at Picthcare.com. “As you may know, we work closely with Ohio State University to promote the work that Mike O’Keeffe and his team do in placing U.K. interns into the States.”
Britton selected the article because it was of particular interest to U.K. greenkeepers.
“Whilst the grass species and climatic challenges may be different, the efforts of the greenkeeping staff are to be promoted at every opportunity, wherever they are in the world,” Britton says.
Jones values having strong connections with other people working in the same industry, near or far.
“I meet with Peter whenever I’m over at the BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition in England. Peter is nice enough to keep me on the subscription list so I can stay up-to-date on what he and his team is reporting on across the pond,” says Jones. “I admire the work they do. I’m happy to share Golfdom content with PitchCare—groundskeepers across the world share the same passions; they’re all in it together.”
As associate editor of Landscape Management, Dillon Stewart focuses on producing and editing print and digital content, and is always prepared to share his skills in the field. In January, Stewart was a keynote speaker at the 4th annual Lighting Summit in Omaha, Neb.
The Light Summit hosted 21 landscape lighting professionals, and Stewart shared his expertise about how landscape lighting and design/build and installation companies can interact with trade and local media outlets more effectively.
Stewart’s goal of his presentation was to demystify the editorial process and put a human face to the magazine.
“We’re constantly looking for story ideas and feedback from our readers,” Stewart says. “Our magazine is designed to be a reflection of the ideas, trends and best practices in our industry. There is no one as aware of and knowledgeable about those things as the landscape professionals that are on the ground every day.”
Stewart also detailed how important it is for companies to build a certain image.
“We’re at a point where companies need to build a public persona, whether that’s through established media or social media, to stay relevant. The entire event focused on marketing tactics, website design and, of course, media engagement rather than how to install the latest and greatest products,” Stewart says.
Allison Barwacz specializes in digital media and is aware of the constant change in the industry. She makes it her goal to create relevant and appealing content suitable for audiences. She wrote a blog post on the topic from the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) National Conference earlier this month in St. Petersburg, Florida.
ASBPE.org, the organization’s national website, shared Barwacz’s blog post about her expertise pertaining to audience engagement on June 5, 2017, featuring it prominently on the homepage. ASBPE, a professional association for writers, art directors and designers employed in the press has more than 1,700 members.
Barwacz attended the conference as one of the five ASBPE Young Leaders Scholarship winners.
“Allison went above and beyond our expectations by shooting photos and taking notes on her laptop during each session,” says Amy Fischbach, president of the ASBPE Foundation. “The entire national board was impressed with Allison, and we were honored to have her as one of our 2017 Young Leader Scholarship winners. We hope that she will continue to be active in ASBPE, and we think she has a bright future ahead of her.”
Barwacz fully intends to apply the knowledge she gained from the conference to her work at North Coast Media.
“I’m honored to be named an ASBPE 2017 Young Leader, and the conference was an excellent way to gain insights from and network with B2B professional. Ren LaForme’s keynote on audience engagement related directly to what my colleagues and I do on a daily basis, so it was great to bring back some of those insights to North Coast Media,” Barwacz says.
Starting a new job can be scary, whether it’s your first job or your tenth. It’s completely normal to be nervous; you are entering a company that is new to you. Although it can be overwhelming, starting a new job invites more opportunities, expands your professional network and provides you further knowledge in your field. To help ease your nerves and focus on what’s most important, follow these tips for a successful transition to your new job.
1. Be on time.
It doesn’t matter how big your company is or how far from home your office is, it is crucial to always be on time. Being on time shows your coworkers and boss that you are a dependable worker. Being on time also indicates that you have respect for your coworkers and that you are ready to work. Your time management skills demonstrate that you take the job seriously, which provides assurance to your company that you will complete your work in an efficient and successful manner.
2. Dress to impress.
The saying, “You never get a second chance at a first impression” could not be more accurate. On your first day, plan to look polished and professional. This shows your coworkers and boss that you know how to appropriately act in a workplace environment. Don’t just give up dressing professionally once you get comfortable with your coworkers and workplace, because you never know whom you will meet outside of your company. You don’t have to dress like you are going to the Grammys, just be modest and comfortable.
3. Ask questions.
That question you might think is stupid and you are too embarrassed to ask could have an important answer you need to know. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, because you are there to learn. You want to learn the ins and outs of your job, and continue to learn and better yourself throughout your career. It is also necessary that you are doing your job right, so instead of hesitating to ask for help, remind yourself that you must do your work correctly.
4. Get to know your coworkers.
Since you’ll be seeing them five days out of the week, it’s a good idea to get to know them personally. Discuss your interests and hobbies with your coworkers, because you may have the same interests. Forming bonds with your coworkers creates a positive and healthy environment, and will help you to have a more enjoyable day. Always remember to be polite and friendly to your coworkers, and offer a helping hand. See a coworker struggling with a software program on their computer? Take five minutes out of your lunch break to help them out. Keep in mind that you do have your own work to do, but helping your coworkers will improve your whole company.
5. Focus on your work.
Although mingling and enjoying your coworkers’ presence is a positive thing within a workplace, recall why you are at your job in the first place. You are there to work, as is everyone around you. Make sure to meet all your deadlines, because if you don’t you’ll appear to be unprofessional and will be hindering your company and its clients. When completing a task, put your best effort in. The more time and effort you put into your work, the better the outcome will be.
Take full advantage of your new job by learning as much as you can. Your new job will continue to provide you with more learning experiences and chances at bettering your career. It’s good to be nervous, because it shows you care about your position, but keep in mind that you don’t want to be too overwhelmed. Remind yourself why you are at your job, and put the best effort you can into your work.
By Allison Barwacz, Digital Media Content Producer
Ren LaForme, interactive learning producer at The Poynter Institute, offered tips for improving audience engagement at the ASBPE conference in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Audience engagement goes beyond simply sharing an article, media or photo on social media. It involves creating a post that’s compelling enough to get your audience to interact with it. More importantly, it’s finding what your audience wants and capitalizing on it, says Ren LaForme, interactive learning producer at The Poynter Institute.
It’s not an easy process, and it requires assessing your audience, understanding their wants and giving them a reason to interact. Sharing is the easy part. Now, how can you get your audience to engage with your posts?
Know your audience
Finding out who your audience is will help you find out what types of posts they like to read and hope to see on your social media feeds. Start by asking yourself the average age of your audience, their average income and how they’re accessing your content.
Scroll through some of your old posts on social media. Examine which posts received the most interaction and strategize how you’ll capitalize on those posts. For instance, did you receive a lot of feedback on a “how to” post? If so, create a “how to” series on your website and post the articles weekly on your social media accounts. Did most of your interactions come from Facebook? If so, be sure to maintain a consistent posting schedule on Facebook. Key in on your strong suits and use them as leverage to improve your audience engagement.
Get your audience excited
Now that you’ve determined your core audience, develop a posting strategy for your social media accounts. Determine how often you’re going to post and what types of content you’ll share on each platform.
“The ‘ideal’ frequency depends entirely on your business goals and the amount of time that you are willing to commit to your social media marketing efforts,” says Neil Patel, co-founder of Crazy Egg, Hello Bar and KISSmetrics, in an article on Forbes.
If you don’t have the resources to post frequently on your social media pages, or if posting a lot simply isn’t a part of your social media strategy, make sure you capitalize on your audience’s interests.
An integral part of this includes offering opportunities for your audience to engage throughout your writing process. If you’re writing a particularly intriguing feature story, let your audience know what you’re working on and offer them little previews or tidbits of your piece, LaForme says. You can do this by sharing quotes, images or teasers of your work.
LaForme also suggests sending out a number of connecting tweets in regard to your story, as well as sharing your story with the sources who helped you write it.
Don’t hold back
Even if you’re new to audience engagement, one of the most important goals is to establish your brand as an industry leader. Don’t hold back and don’t be boring: Respond to readers’ comments, ask readers for their input and share posts from other industry leaders on your pages.
“You need to show people that you’re comfortable being an expert on your topic,” LaForme says. “Don’t always publish your own stuff,” he adds.
When users engage with your posts, don’t hold back from responding to them. Develop a tone and company guidelines for how you’ll respond to a comment, whether it’s a rude or friendly one.
Post like you talk, LaForme says. Ask yourself what you’d say to a friend and use that tone. It’ll help you avoid being stiff or boring.
Finally, don’t be afraid to try something new. For example, Wendy’s introduced a new, sassy tone that’s leveraged engagement from its nearly 2 million followers. When user @_inkedSnowFlake sent a tweet to the fast food chain asking where the nearest McDonald’s is, Wendy’s responded with a picture of a garbage can. The tweet earned more than 13,000 retweets and nearly 40,000 engagements.
Audience engagement won’t happen overnight. It’s a process that requires time and dedication from your entire organization. If one strategy doesn’t work, move onto another.
Keep your chin up and have fun with it, LaForme advises. “It’s really such a huge opportunity.”
Allison, who attended the 2017 ASBPE National Conference, holds a bachelor’s degree in magazine journalism from Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism with specializations in Spanish and English. Her understanding of the ever-changing digital media world allows her to quickly grasp what a target audience desires and create content that is appealing and relevant for any client across any platform.
Cleveland, OH — June 6, 2017 — North Coast Media (NCM) is pleased to announce that Golfdom, Landscape Management, and Pest Management Professional were recent winners in the American Society of Business Publication Editors’ (ASBPE) Azbee awards program, with one national award and 13 regional awards. NCM is also proud to share that digital media content producer Allison Barwacz was named a Young Leaders Scholarship winner.
The Azbee awards recognize the exceptional work of magazines, newsletters and digital media in the business-to-business and professional publication industries. According to asbpe.org, more than 1,200 entries were submitted in 76 different categories.
“We continue to provide the best possible content and design on each platform we use to connect with readers. Having the hard work of our staff recognized is very rewarding and well-deserved,” said Kevin Stoltman, NCM president and CEO.
NCM’s regional and national Azbee award winners include:
Golfdom, a magazine that focuses on news and information for businesses and individuals who manage and maintain golf courses, won:
Regional Gold, Company Profile-Print, “Game On,” Seth Jones
Landscape Management, a magazine that focuses on news and information for landscape contractors, won: LM’s award-winning October 2016 front cover design
National Gold, Social Media Presence-Online, “Landscape Management Social Media Presence,” for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram, Marisa Palmieri, Dillon Stewart and Kelly Limpert
Regional Gold, Front Cover-Design, “LM October Cover,” Marisa Palmieri, Dillon Stewart and Tracie Martinez
Regional Gold, Special Supplement-Print, “LM150 2016,” Marisa Palmieri, Dillon Stewart and Tracie Martinez
Regional Silver, Magazine Design, “LM October and November,” Marisa Palmieri, Dillon Stewart and Tracie Martinez
Regional Silver, Case History-Print, “Stronger Than Ever, November 2016 Cover Story,” Marisa Palmieri, Dillon Stewart and Tracie Martinez
Regional Silver, General Interest Feature Article-Print, “Employer of Choice, March 2016 Cover Story,” Marisa Palmieri, Dillon Stewart and Tracie Martinez
Pest Management Professional, a magazine that provides its readers with the most recent news and insights in the pest control industry, won:
PMP’s “Ante Up for 2017,” Regional Gold Winner
Regional Gold, Front Cover-Illustration, “Ante Up for 2017,” Tracie Martinez and Courtney Townsend
Regional Silver, Special Supplement-Print, “Bed Bug Lock Down,” Marty Whitford and Tracie Martinez
Regional Silver, Feature Article Design, “Driving the Bottom Line,” Tracie Martinez and Courtney Townsend
Regional Bronze, Special Supplement-Print, Diane Sofranec, “Ant Wars,” Marty Whitford, Heather Gooch, Will Nepper and Tracie Martinez
Barwacz represented NCM at the ASBPE National Conference and Awards of Excellence Banquet recently in St. Petersburg, Florida, where she was recognized as one of five of the country’s top business editors under 30.
About North Coast Media
North Coast Media, LLC (NCM) is the largest B2B publishing company headquartered in Cleveland. NCM’s flagship brands include LP Gas, Pit & Quarry, GPS World, Pest Management Professional, Landscape Management, and Golfdom. Ancillary brands include Portable Plants & Equipment, Geospatial Solutions, Athletic Turf News and Truman’s Scientific Guide to Pest Management Operations, and a host of other leading industry reference books.