North Coast Media, LLC

5 tips for event marketing

By Scott Gebler | Marketing Manager

1. Start early

It may sound simple, but promoting an event always seems to start later than intended. Way out in advance you might not have all the details — but as soon as the event’s date, time and place are set, it’s a good idea to get it on people’s agendas.

If your event is annual, this could (and probably should) mean promoting next year’s event this year. After all, your best and most loyal clients/customers will probably be right there in the booth, exhibit hall, presentation rooms and networking events.

If you’re the event host, there’s no harm having next year’s registration form on-hand at this year’s event. Some other ideas include:

Tiered, time-sensitive early-bird registration rates
“Frequent Flier” –style incentives for repeat attendees
Attendee-only discounts on your other products/services

2. Diversify your marketing.

For a number of years, I marketed an event with a registration charge close to $1,000 — a number that didn’t include hotel accommodations or airfare. Throw in the attendees’ indirect costs of time out-of-office and away from family/home, and you can really be asking a lot.

So how did that event’s very first registration come in? From a tweet.

They way people receive and process information is more diverse than ever, and your marketing plan should be too. It might otherwise be easy to discount the effectiveness of a tool like Twitter (or Facebook or LinkedIn or print or web ads, etc.) but it says here that they work when part of a comprehensive plan.

3. Remember what you’re asking for.

This really applies to all marketing in general, but it’s especially true in event marketing. Be mindful of exactly what each piece of your marketing communication is asking your audience to do, particularly your call-to-action. Do you ask them to register immediately — or should you direct them to the website for more info first? Or, is this a tougher sell that you want them to contact a rep?

And, as mentioned in #3, above, it’s also important to consider everything you’re asking of a potential event attendee. Registration fees are more obvious, but you might also be asking them to travel hundreds (if not thousands) of miles. You might be asking them to leave their family behind for a few days. You might be asking them to come to a new city that is completely unfamiliar. Acknowledging those things in both your marketing and your event plans can make a huge difference. You should address all these issues and provide solutions whenever possible.

4. Make hay while the sun shines.

While attending (or especially hosting) an event can be hectic, its important to take advantage of all the opportunities your face-time can present. Chances are, there will never be a better time for you to gather materials that can be invaluable in your advertisements and other promotions. Set up a video interview area. Go with a “man-on-the-street” approach. Hand out surveys to gather data and feedback. Bring a voice recorder. Take pictures. Efforts you make at the event could potentially provide you with a year’s worth of materials to use in marketing and advertising.

5. Don’t forget the follow-up.

From what I’ve seen, one of the easiest ways to NOT capitalize on your event is by forgetting the follow-up. Don’t forget about the return on your investment. Gather everything you can from colleagues and staff, compile it, and put it to work:

Compile all the lead information you can — especially the attendee list if you can get it — and enter everything into your CRM.
Keep up the communications, whether by email, mail, phone or on-site visits. Even something as simple as a “thank you” or “it was nice to see you” can be effective.
Encourage all staff members to take pictures and/or videos, then collect them all and store them centrally for future marketing.
Type up or transcribe all testimonials or quotes.

Find out what’s trending now

Take advantage of web tools to up your trending game

By Bethany Chambers | Digital Operations Manager

Now that you’ve got your alliterative hashtags for each day of the week in mind, from #MotivationMonday to #FridayFunday, advancing your trending game requires a little research into your audience specifically.

The good news? This leverages our strengths in business-to-business (B2B) marketing, where we have robust data about our customers and know which demographic and behavioral niches contain our prospective customers.

The marketer’s arsenal of tools to find trending topics is vast and only limited by your time. You can do all the research you want, but if you don’t use it you won’t see noticeable improvement. Plan to carve out 10 minutes each day, morning and night, to scan the tools and see what’s hot now.

I’ve split the tools you can use into two groups, those that mine news and those that mine social.

Trending in the news

Buzzfeed Trending

You probably already see this daily on your personal social feeds. Keep an eye out for topics related to your field. For instance, NASA news is of interest to the engineer readers of GPS World, so this could, at the very least, warrant a retweet.

Google Trends

Like Buzzfeed Trending it will give you top stories. A nice bonus: It also lists the top keywords for each story so you know what to use in your own post for search engine optimization (SEO…or at least GO, Google optimization). It also gives you a handy dandy line graph to show whether that trend is rising or falling.

Trendsmap

You know where you have large pockets of customers, so be sure to use the hashtags relevant to those markets. For instance, if we know one of our magazines has a strong readership in Northeast Ohio and we see #hiring is trending, then we know we’ll want to offer tips to our business readers on how to find the best employees or where to look for seasonal help. (Perhaps on #TipTuesday.)

News Whip News App

This is the free service from the company that makes News Whip Spike, a social listening tool used by The Huffington Post and USA Today. It assigns scores to news items based on viral potential. This is perfect for the B2B marketer in that you can first sort by country (or view worldwide) and then see what’s hot by topic category, from the broad (Tech, Business, Life) to the specific (Wireless-Mobile, Oil & Gas, Agricultural).

Trending on social media

Facebook, Twitter or Instagram

For your daily usage, why not just check what’s trending within the native platforms themselves? This is the low hanging fruit, because you can check it out while you’re creeping on your own friends.

Topsy

This is the one you hear about the most because of the sentiment score it assigns to trending topics. Like News Whip it has granular sorting features that make finding your niche topic simple.

RiteTag

Log in with your Twitter or Facebook accounts and get a review of your social feeds, including rankings of the hashtags you’re using (evergreen, underused, overused) and tips on how to improve your writing for social. Where this really excels, though, is in providing you analytics on the hashtags you’re using so you can find social influencers and create linking relationships with them.

Hash

You can use the website or the app to see the top stories in a beautiful interface. This has become part of my evening, post-dinner scan when I’m looking to catch up on the day’s news.

Once you have these trending topics, you can use the hashtags and keywords that matter to your audience on social and let this knowledge inform your content strategy for your blog or Tumblr (or the new Facebook Notes, once its readily available), even embedding posts from your customers.

The one caveat I leave you with is that the free tools out there are frequently changing, much like the trends themselves, so once you’ve done this initial research, mark your calendar for 8 weeks from now and plan to do a quick follow-up to make sure your tools are still active, with a more extensive review annually.

LP Gas Hall of Fame announces 2016 induction class

CLEVELAND, Ohio — November 19, 2015 — Four propane industry leaders with strong ties to state and national associations and organizations highlight the fifth class of the LP Gas Hall of Fame. Bill Byrne (Warren Petroleum Co.), Robert Y. Love Sr. (Lampton-Love Inc.), Daryl McClendon (DFM Enterprises) and Thomas Nunan Jr. (Suburban Propane) comprise the 2016 class. The magazine will honor them and recognize their contributions to the propane industry during a black-tie induction dinner and ceremony April 7 at the Omni in Nashville, Tenn., prior to the NPGA Southeastern Convention & International Propane Expo. Tickets will go on sale in December.

LP Gas launched the hall of fame in propane’s centennial year of 2012 as a way to honor past and present leaders who helped establish, advance and grow the industry. This year’s class brings the total number of inductees to 28.

Meet the 2016 class

Bill Byrne – Warren Petroleum Co.

Byrne’s leadership pertaining to supply and pricing issues and his connections with governmental agencies were crucial to the strength and growth of the propane industry. The former vice president of marketing for Warren Petroleum, a propane supplier, also played a part in seeing that an industry check-off program was revived and reorganized in a way that would help marketers with their promotional efforts. As board president of the National LP-Gas Association, in 1986-87, Byrne promoted cooperative relations between marketers and refiners. Propane companies also relied on his knowledge and expertise. Heritage Propane tabbed Byrne for its board of directors, using his leadership background with the national association and his knowledge of supply and logistics processes to help the new retailer gain traction in a crowded group of competitors. He also sat on the boards of the Energy Transfer companies. Byrne became principal of Byrne & Associates LLC in 1992 after retiring from Tulsa, Okla.-based Warren Petroleum and completing a 40-year career. Byrne was also the Bill Hill Award recipient in 1992. The National Propane Gas Association honor recognizes a propane industry member who has contributed in public affairs at the national, state or local level. Byrne resides in Tulsa.

Robert Y. Love Sr. – Lampton-Love Inc.

The co-founder of Lampton-Love Inc., a propane retailer servicing five southeastern states, often carried a jar of honey with him to sweeten his drinks. Those who know Love say his cautious nature and determination made the industry better. The Mississippi native devoted much of his energy to state and national propane industry associations, ascending to board president at both levels and earning accolades along the way. Love served in every capacity with the Mississippi Propane Gas Association and received special recognition for 25 years of dedicated service to the association. Love’s work in Mississippi was noticed by the National LP-Gas Association, which named him the State Director of the Year in the mid-1980s. The award recognized Love’s achievement in supporting the national association’s market promotion program for member companies. He served on the national association’s board dating back to 1977, had chaired its executive committee and was elected president in 1990. Believing that propane marketers needed an alternative source of liability insurance, Love helped form the LPG Risk Retention Group. It became a successful underwriter of liability insurance for its stockholders. Love was also active in community affairs. He died in 1993 at age 62.

Daryl McClendon – DFM Enterprises

McClendon helped facilitate the establishment of the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) – arguably his most significant contribution to the industry. He was one of the charter councilors and served as PERC’s second chairman from 1999 to 2001, helping to set up the organization for success. During McClendon’s chairmanship, the council launched many firsts, according to PERC President and CEO Roy Willis. This included the first market research initiative, the propane branding effort that led to the “Propane Exceptional Energy” theme, the first consumer education advertising program and the Partnership with States program that expanded the reach and frequency of the council’s advertising campaign to bring the propane message to end users. He also played a key role on the council’s consumer education advisory committee. In addition, McClendon was heavily involved in the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA), serving as committee chairs and in the officer roles. He was president of the board for the 1995-96 term. He also directed a task force that led to the creation of the Gas Check program. Over the 20 years McClendon worked with NPGA, “not much happened where Daryl was not a key player,” says Dan Myers, former CEO of the association. Those close to him say he also made a difference behind the scenes on behalf of the industry. NPGA honored him this year with its Distinguished Service Award. He resides in Willowbrook, Ill.

Thomas Nunan Jr. – Suburban Propane

How fitting that the late vice president of sales for Suburban Propane was, well, always selling. In fact, he built a 50-year career in the energy industry. But it wasn’t just his sales role with the major propane marketer — and Petrolane before it — that drew attention. It was what he did for the industry as a whole that earned him a place in the LP Gas Hall of Fame. Those who knew Nunan say he exuded leadership and was a respected representative of the propane industry as he traveled to events around the country. Nunan helped take Suburban Propane public in 1996, mentoring its CEO before retiring from the company in 1999. “Tom was a critical part of the camaraderie and success of our industry,” says Mark Alexander, former Suburban Propane CEO. Nunan was also a founding member of the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC), serving on the council from 1997 to 2005 and helping to develop PERC’s original grant review process. He was PERC’s vice chairman of marketers from 2000 to 2002. “He was one of the greatest propane boosters I’ve run across,” says Roy Willis, PERC president and CEO. “He was a prince of a man.” Nunan was a longtime member of the National Propane Gas Association board and a president of the Young Gassers. He died in 2013 at age 79.

Why social media trends should matter to B2B marketers

‘Glomming on’ isn’t just for those in B2C anymore

By Bethany Chambers | Digital Operations Manager

If you can’t tell a #TBT from a #TT on your social media feeds, it’s time to read up. Where trending topics were once a hallmark reserved for business-to-consumer (B2C) messaging, they’re now just as important for business-to-business (B2B) marketers.

To be clear, trending topics still have greater prevalence in the B2C space, where going viral and getting the attention of brand influencers are two surefire signs of social media success. And it’s true that as B2B marketers we still need to ensure the majority of our social activity or web traffic via social referrers is people within the niche markets we serve.

It’s a common trap of the B2B marketer to think of our target consumer as the person they are from 9 to 5, focusing solely on their professional persona. That will give you a one-dimensional picture of the person you’re trying to attract, a person who spends two-thirds of his or her time somewhere other than an office, factory or job site.

If we’re competing for their attentions only during business hours, we’re ignoring the reality that we’re all divided between work, family, friends, hobbies and a multitude of media channels, platforms, brands and products 24/7.

Here are some tips for glomming on:

Don’t think that your audience members don’t care about what’s hot.

They do, and they’re scanning their Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and other feeds all day long looking for it. Even at work. (Managers, sorry to break it to you.) And before you generalize, I assure you: No matter the demographic group, social media is only ever as far away as their phone.

View your social feed as a one-stop shop for your audience.

Your audience already trusts you and turns to you for information pertinent to their careers. Now you need to serve them the chocolate with their Brussels sprouts (or whatever food analogy you prefer).

Your follower is busy, with limited time to spare; if you meet them where they are (Twitter, Facebook or otherwise) and tell them what matters today — most of it business and some of it trends and entertainment — you have saved them time. And that is the most valuable service of all.

Use trending topics or hashtags to show your relevancy in the marketplace and engagement with what’s ‘now.’

Does your Twitter feed look a lot like a bunch of headlines and links with no hashtags or personality? Is the tone buttoned-up and the conversation one-sided — with your feed delivering information without analysis or engagement? If you answered yes, you have two options: Delete your Twitter account and save yourself the effort, or reimagine the platform as a two-way street, one where your brand is as multi-dimensional and fun as your reader.

Start by learning the most commonly used hashtags.

For the record, #TBT is #ThrowbackThursday (the zaniest images at least 5 years old, if you don’t want to offend the social media elite) and #TT is #TransformationTuesday, a time to show how you’ve changed over time. Pretty much every day of the week has a few go-to trending topics that you can start using right away. Make a goal to start this Friday (I’m giving you two days to plan!) with one of the following:

#FBF or #FlashbackFriday, where you show how your products have changed over time.

#FF or #FollowFriday, to give a shout-out to your current customers, vendors or partners or those you wish to start a conversation with in the future.

Check back Friday (after you’ve made your trending posts) for my blog on advanced trending skills, or how you can use free tools on the web to see what’s trending for your audience specifically.

PMP Hall of Famer featured in The New Yorker

‘Ratology’ may not be the field of study for everybody, but it’s one that Robert “Bobby” Corrigan, Ph.D., a 2008 Pest Management Professional Hall of Fame inductee, has dedicated his career to—and now he’s got a feature in a major magazine to prove it.

The New Yorker featured Corrigan in its Department of Experts column in the Nov. 23, 2015, issue and specifically mentioned the Pest Management Professional (PMP) Hall of Fame, which was founded in 1997 to honor industry trailblazers. The New Yorker, a national weekly magazine published by Condé Nast, has 4.7 million subscribers.

Corrigan, who has his doctorate in rodentology from Purdue University, was featured on the cover of PMP magazine in August 2010. He is well known in the pest management field as an educator and expert on vertebrate pests. His work has taken him across the globe, as he told The New Yorker reporter Doreen St. Félix.

“I was in Galway recently,” he said. “It’s Europe, so those sewers are ancient. Perfect for rats. And then Philadelphia called. They wanted to make sure there weren’t any friends running around during the Pope’s visit.”

St. Félix described Corrigan as the “Rat Czar” and detailed how the scholarly looking man with the rimless glasses sells out his classes months in advance.

“After lunch, Corrigan gave a PowerPoint presentation in a dim room on the second floor of the D.O.H. His lecture style is part professor, part Terminator.”

The profile of Corrigan focused on his three-day course in rat management at the Department of Health in New York City. In addition to this course, Corrigan recently spoke at the 79th Annual Purdue Pest Management Conference covered in PMP magazine.

Read the original article: ‘Ratology’ from The New Yorker, Nov. 23, 2015

Meeting digital audiences where they are

‘If you build it, they will come’ can no longer be the standard for media companies

By Bethany Chambers | Digital Operations Manager

In the world of digital media, there is no single Field of Dreams. Shoeless Joe wouldn’t make his appearance in one cornfield now; he’d need one for each day of the week—at least.

Digital media has gone through an incredible evolution in the past decade (to put it mildly), but one thing has not changed: We’re still here to serve our audiences. And that means meeting them where they are. Right now, that’s on their smartphones.

At the Folio: Show in New York this past week, Atlantic Media vice president of digital Kim Lau put it best when she said it’s “back to the future” with our content delivery platforms. (It also happened to be Oct. 21 or “Back to the Future” Day, so Lau was helpfully delivering hashtag-friendly quotes to the crowd of journalists.)

Just more than five years ago, when mobile traffic was a small percentage of website visitors, media companies were setting up mobile websites. The trend was to develop mobile sites as a completely different environment than desktop sites, with separate content and separate domains. (Remember the time when you had to type in “m-dot” before websites on your not-quite-as-smart phone’s browser?) The divergence of platforms was on.

But that was then. Lau’s presentation, “Critical Trends in Mobile Content,” highlighted what a whirlwind we’ve gone through in mobile media in the past year, as the jump in smartphone traffic focused publishers on mobile consolidation before big tech came to throw us for a loop.

By late 2014, the demand of the mobile audience was to consume content on a single responsive website, no longer two separate environments. I’m proud to say North Coast Media’s brands were all responsive before many other publishers, with our last responsive site launching in mid-April, around the same time The Atlantic’s did.

Then came some major announcements – the launch of three new platforms in Facebook Instant Articles, Apple News (which rose from the ashes of the Newsstand and its publisher-developed apps) and Google AMP (short for “accelerated mobile page” project). This means three new distribution points for publishers to figure out in the coming months (none are mass-market yet) and “lots of ongoing maintenance with different templates and different experiences,” as Lau points out.

Also presenting on the mobile topic, Nicholas White, CEO of The Daily Dot, which gets a majority of its traffic from mobile, added that it is critical that competition continues to flourish in order to meet audiences and deliver quality content, calling “a winner take all environment” a “real problem for the industry.”

North Coast Media has 33 social media accounts across our six industries — on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Pinterest — where we are engaging with our audiences on some of their favorite platforms at the times it’s most convenient for them. Although our iPad apps went the way of Newsstand, our digital editions of the magazines are mobile responsive to whatever device you’re using. And, while we are continuing to tweak the design and functionality of our mobile responsive websites, we don’t plan to stop there. We’ll be on any platform we can be, delivering the news our audience needs when they need it.