The Workshop of Content Marketing Projects.

“Over a 48-hour period from noon July 29, 2011, through noon July 31, 2011, thousands of writers, editors, artists, photographers, programmers, videographer, and other creatives from all around the world will come together via the Internet to make a magazine from start to finish.”

–        Longshot Magazine

In a chaotic but highly creative two-day window, Longshot magazine accepted submissions, edited entries, and designed a hip and sophisticated print magazine. The creative crowd-sourcing project was co-founded by Gizmodo’s Mat Honan, The Atlantic’s Alexis Madrigal, and GOOD Magazine’s Sarah Rich—and lest you think the whole concept sounds amateurish, the group won a Knight-Batten Award for Innovation in Journalism in 2010.

Longshot relies on a gaggle of tech tools to make the project hum. Some you’ve heard of (Tumblr, Google+, Google Docs, Twitter), but others are new to many, including:

• SubMishMash, a submission management system for magazines, journals, book publishers and agents. Through the site, accepts submissions, manages payments and edits entries. Also works well for managing contest entries.
• HP’s Magcloud, on-demand magazine printing and digital distribution whenever you or your customer orders a copy.  The site also helps to promote new issues and manage your customer lists.

If you’re a content marketer, Longshot’s creative-on-steroids energy offers a glimpse of what’s possible with a tight deadline, tiny budget and daring concept. We would even venture to say the short timetable fuels the creative, risk-taking process at the magazine.

Are crowd-sourced publications—particularly those like Longshot, that crowd-source design and editing duties as well—something more than a passing fad? Do you have experience managing a publication that relies in large part on volunteer submissions? Chime in on The Content Marketing Institute blog: http://dlvr.it/lCJqp

Longshot was co-founded by Gizmodo’s Mat Honan, The Atlantic‘s Alexis Madrigal, and GOOD magazine’s Sarah Rich. Their first effort that followed this “48-hour” model (which was produced under a since-redacted title that provoked the ire of CBS’s attorneys) won a 2010 Knight-Batten Award for Innovation in Journalism.

Before getting to any elements of this approach that have relevance to content marketing, here are a few highlights about how the Longshot team produced their most recent issue.

It obviously took preparation and logistical coordination, but it also took some funding. To compensate contributors for their efforts, over $17,000 was generated for the issue through Kickstarter, a crowdsourced way of acquiring seed capital for creative projects. The involvement of Kickstarter helped promote the effort and made it easy for backers to pay for copies of the final magazine in advance. Advertising partners were able to give their support, buying pages for $1,000 each, through the same mechanism.

Ready, set, go

Production itself began on a Friday at 3:00 p.m. U.S. (Eastern time), when the editors announced the topic for the issue: Debt. Writers, artists, and photographers had 24 hours to submit their stories and other materials. An ad hoc editorial and design team working out of the Gawker Media offices in New York City selected the best pieces from the 700 submissions that came in by the deadline. They then spent the next 24 hours designing, editing, and making the magazine available for printing and mailing via Hewlett-Packard’s print-on-demand service, MagCloud.

With Longshot, the challenge isn’t really to pull together a magazine in two days; it’s to put out a really good magazine that everyone can be proud of in two days.

What does this have to do with content marketing?

With more companies putting out content marketing material — some of it good, some of it not so good — and SEO becoming ever more sophisticated, quality is becoming a market differentiator. One of the fallacies that the 48-hour magazine lays to rest is that creating quality content has to take a lot of time.

If you eliminate all of the wait and queue time required to execute a content project — research, reporting, writing, editing, layout, reviewing, getting final approval, etc.) — you realize that it doesn’t have to take weeks or months to create high-quality content. However, it does take well-defined processes, a lot of discipline, and the right people. When you only have 48 hours, you don’t have time to be distracted.

Quality, real-time content

Becoming a faster and more agile content creator has its benefits. As real-time marketing promoter David Meerman Scott notes, if you can respond quickly to emerging events, leveraging the tools you’re already using to generate and refine content, you have an opportunity to give reporters their “second paragraph” and become part of the story. But can that apply to whole magazines? Well, as a matter of fact, the project that reportedly inspired Longshot was Strange Light, an on-the-fly photo magazine about a freak dust storm that hit Australia in 2009.

In the end, Longshot is a popular literary magazine by and for creative publishing types who are passionate about their art and craft. The crowdsourced content generation and production model provides an outlet for that community, and serves their passion to create something together. There’s no reason that the model couldn’t be adapted for people and audiences — whether they’re end consumers or business professionals — with other passions. All it takes is some content marketing zeal, and 48 hours.

As a quick review, you have a detailed and well-defined custom magazine plan. Based on this strategy, you have produced the first issue and sent it to print. This post examines what goes into making an effective custom magazine that will deliver a strong return on investment (ROI) from issue to issue.

Distribution

There are many ways to distribute your magazine, and you need to choose what works best for you. Your goal should be to attract the recipients’ attention so they do not miss the magazine or, even worse, throw it in the trash bin without even opening it. Here are some ideas:

• Deliver the magazine personally:  If your circulation is small, your target audience is very significant to your business (VIP business partners), and they are close to your or your sales reps, consider personally delivering the magazine. For example, I used to be a regular Red Bull consumer. Many times the local Red Bull distributor sent a Red Bull girl to personally deliver Red Bull; she even filled my Red Bull fridge that was given to me by them. And I kept drinking!
• Distribute in shops/offices/dealerships:  If your magazine is only available in your outlets, your promotion strategy needs to include where and how people can pick it up.  Also,  consider PR opportunities – a new launch or a launch of every consecutive issue can generate positive publicity.
• Mail it:  Many of us get a lot of junk in our mailboxes every day.  Therefore, you have to make an effort to attract the recipient’s attention.  What envelope will you use?  Be creative!  Just last week, I was surprised when I received a custom magazine mailed in a specially designed envelope. It attracted my attention, made me open the envelope and read the magazine.
• Distribute your print magazine digitally:  Make your magazine available for at least browsing online too, either on your website, blog, special web portals. Do not forget to include a subscription form. Also, repurpose the content from the magazine for other channels such as your Facebook page, Twitter account, etc.

Measurement

As with any other content marketing activity, you need a way to measure the success of the custom magazine. There are several ways you can approach this depending on your budget and staff. One of the simplest ways is through a reader survey either included in the magazine or accessed online. However, you usually need to give readers an incentive to complete and send the survey. A contest, for example, may encourage some readers to submit a survey.

If your budget is really low or you desire more detailed, personal feedback, call your readers. It will not take much of your time, and it is a great opportunity to get to know them. As an editor of a medical custom magazine, I  call about 10 recipients a day and simply talk to them. You would be surprised how willing they were to talk directly to an editor of a magazine. These conversations give you really valuable information about the changes you should consider making, ideas for future content, etc.

For more tangible data, try to include exclusive sales codes or unique order phone numbers in the magazine to get an immediate overview of how many readers act based on reading the magazine’s content.

Reassessment

Once the magazine is distributed and you have gathered some results, you and your editorial board should meet and go over all aspects of the magazine together. Discuss  what elements worked well and what areas  need improvement. Act accordingly and start working on the next issue. If mistakes were made, don’t fuss! There is always the next issue. And as any editor will tell you, each issue is even better than the last one.

Did I miss anything? What other ideas would you add? What are you biggest challenges with regard to thinking about/producing a custom magazine? Tell me below!

Recently, I wrote about five steps you need to take before planning the first issue of your new printed custom magazine. This post examines what goes into making that magazine issue as effective as possible.

Before you begin, let me point out that the whole time you produce an issue of a custom magazine you have to think about your pre-defined target audience. Decide your criteria for quality content based on your customers/readers. »Do not create based on your needs; base your decisions on their needs.«

1. Create a production schedule

This will help you manage the production in timely fashion, so you do not miss the agreed-upon deadline for sending the magazine to the printers and your target distribution date. The latter should be your starting point. Create your plan going backward from that date, taking into consideration any obstacles you can anticipate that may prolong the process.

Your schedule should, at the very least, include the following considerations:

• Deadlines for when each story must be submitted to the editor(s)
• Ample time for proofreading
• A design schedule
• Enough time for the editorial board (if there is one) to look over the magazine and add comments
• Your printing deadline
• Your distribution date

2. Create a content plan

Create an editor’s table of content for all pages, including the front and back covers. This helps to plan the content of a magazine issue and to monitor the production process. Make sure that the plan is confirmed by all members of the editorial board. In many cases, this part of the process may take more time than anticipated, so plan accordingly.

I’ve learned over the years that every editor has his or her own work processes. For example, I use an Excel spreadsheet. Normally, an approximate number of pages needed to track the work of each department will be determined before the content is planned in detail. Well-defined magazines already have determined the length and placement of each department in the magazine well before the actual production process begins.

A word of advice here: Build your content for at least one issue ahead of your schedule to make sure you are never left with an empty space if an article falls through. This also provides a safety net for articles that might need extra time to be written, photographed, illustrated or designed.

3. Create a detailed plan for each story

Once you’ve confirmed your overall content plan, you’ll want to follow with a detailed plan for every story you’ll be publishing. Considerations here include:

• The content of a story: What is the challenge it will address for your audience?
• Types: What type of article will be the best fit for the story? Certain content naturally lends itself to different formats (e.g., interviews, features, news stories, infographics, etc.). For example, sometimes an infographic will be much more effective than a traditional feature story, especially when you want to relay complex or dry (if not illustrated) information.
• Create modular content: As consumers, we are constantly bombarded with information; therefore, we tend to be put off by long, seemingly unending text. So explore ways to make your content as visually appealing as possible; for example, dissect content into sidebars, infographics, tables, illustrations, etc., whenever possible.
• Create a design mock-up: This helps communicate layout details to your authors. I usually do this by hand. Keep in mind that mock-ups should be very simple; they provide a visual guide to help you and your designer envision the layout of each story, but they aren’t necessarily the finalized designs for your spread.
• Instructions: Now you’re ready to write down detailed instructions for every story: The length, what it should cover, etc. I also like to ask each author to send me a detailed outline of his article before he starts writing it.
• Authors: Finally, you are ready to discuss planned stories with your authors. Who would be the best fit as the writer (or photographer, illustrator, etc.) of a story on your chosen topic? You can choose someone from your pool of potential authors, or you can look for a new author (this depends, also, on your budget and the magazine concept). Once you have nailed down your authors, make sure to give them sensible deadlines for their submissions.

4. Proofread and edit stories

In many cases, an article will need to be returned to its author to make corrections and add information that you, as an editor, believe is missing. For every story, make sure to edit the following:

• Headline: Writing a great headline can be daunting, so you shouldn’t take this task lightly. I use a great trick I learned from a friend: When the magazine is ready to be designed, I write all the headlines on a piece of paper. This allows me to see what story a magazine communicates as a whole and to check whether headlines by themselves (outside the context of the article) make sense. Oh, and always ask “So what?” after reading each headline. If you’re bored or the answer is, “Not much”, rewrite it (them) accordingly.
• Lead: An introduction to the story should be short and it should fulfill the following two criteria: It should attract a reader’s attention, and it should tell him/her what follows.
• Body: Is it readable? Does it make sense? Does it have subheads to break up the text for clarity? Are you using effective pull quotes?
• Pictures: When you use images, make sure they are of a suitable resolution for the magazine’s format; for example, for print, images should be at least 300 dpi.
• Picture captions: A legendary communications design consultant, Jan V. White, wrote in his seminal work that captions, “should contain the very best, most startling, newest, most fascinating, most valuable nuggets of information, written so the reader will be avid for more details, reasons, background — all motivation for digging into the text itself.” After all, readers usually first look at the pictures and then the accompanying text.
• Calls to action: You produce a custom magazine because you want the readers to do something after they’ve read an article. Whatever that may be don’t leave them guessing; suggest where they can get further information about the problem discussed, let them know about services and products that can help them solve the problems, how to ask for information, etc.

5. Design

Now your magazine is ready to be designed. Submit all final materials to your graphic designer and work together closely.

Make sure the design of every spread is logical and works with the design of the magazine as a whole. I am sure you remember scenes from the movies or TV shows taking place in editorial rooms with pages of a magazine hanging around the room. While putting together a magazine, print every page and reduce each one to about 40 percent of its final size. Hang them on the wall, whiteboard, etc. Check, look, compare, and make necessary changes.

6. Checking

Before you can send a new issue of your custom magazine to print, take one final detailed look at it. I usually take printed pages with me home over the weekend, and when I am most relaxed, I read the magazine from cover to cover again to make sure there are no mistakes.

Read the magazine as if you haven’t seen it before. Of course, nobody’s perfect, so you will probably find a mistake or two that you will need to fix or additional changes you’d like to make, but at this stage they should be minor. Also make sure the pagination is correct, the departments’ names are correct, the authors’ names are spelled correctly, etc.

Let your designer apply those changes. Now he/she is ready to prepare the magazine for printing.

Your job, however, is not finished yet. What follows, I’ll discuss in detail in my next post.

Did I miss anything? Do you do anything differently and does it work well for you? Share your experience and advice with us.

* Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

For this reason, many companies include custom magazines within their content marketing strategy. If you are starting down this path, there are five steps you need to take before you start planning the first issue.

This post examines what goes into making a great and effective custom publication and what you need to do to ensure its success.

1. Define your objectives

Ask yourself:

• What do you want to achieve?
• Why have you decided to launch a printed custom magazine?
• How does your magazine fit into your content marketing strategy?

This first step is crucial because everything else, no matter how important or detailed it may seem, depends on well-defined objectives. As they say it at the British Association of Publishing Agencies, “The tighter your objectives, the sharper the focus and the better the results.”

2. Define your target audience

In order for objectives to be achieved, you need to know exactly who your target audience is. Do research:

• What are your buyer personas?
• What are their pain points?
• How do you already communicate with them?
• What do they read?
• Are they a homogenous group, or are there two or more very distinct groups within your target audience?

The answer to the last question will help you make a decision about segmentation.  Is there a need for two or more different editions of one issue? For instance, Chief Content Officer by the Content Marketing Institute is segmented into different editions, based on the locations of its readers: the US, Australia, Europe, and Spain.

3. Define the main concept

What content will be in your new printed custom magazine? What will be its main message? What underlying messages do you plan to communicate? In his book, Samir Husni (aka Mr. Magazine™ ) stresses that the concept is the only constant in your magazine: “Your magazine’s editorial concept is like a lighthouse on a foggy coastline . . .everything that ends up in your magazine must look to this lighthouse of a concept for direction.”

Every part of your magazine should be well-defined before you begin to think about the first issue. Moreover, if you can’t fathom what content you could put in the first four issues, you will find yourself in trouble very soon. Here are some of the things you need to define from the outset:

Covers: Readers see the cover first, and they decide within a few seconds if they are interested in opening the mag rather than throwing it away. Consider what the cover should include:

• Do you want to use an original photo or illustration?
• What will the theme be?
• How many headlines do you want to include?
• Do you want to include page numbers and your company’s logo?
• What will be their overall concept?

Sections: The sections/departments of your magazine should be relevant, recognizable and easy-to find in every issue. Keep things simple and consistent from issue to issue.

Your editorial board: Do you plan to do it all internally? I would suggest that you (also) appoint a publishing/content marketing agency. Additionally, based on the concept, will you use internal authors, outside journalists or both?

4. Technical parameters

There are a number of parameters to consider for each issue:

Page count: Custom magazines should be at least 24 pages long, but many have at least 36 pages. The length of the magazine depends on the content, the use of photography and other visual representations (illustrations, infographics).

Page/spread size: What page size is consistent with the messages, content, genres and your brand? Also consider how you will be distributing the magazine (whether in-store or by mail). If your main distribution channel is by mail, make sure your magazine will fit into average mailboxes.

Type of paper: You need to decide between matte or gloss, coated and uncoated paper. There are also eco-friendly papers. However, the traditional non-written rules about which type of paper to use are getting blurred. Glossy paper has been traditionally used in magazines that want to showcase the visual elements in the mag (especially photos). But that is not necessarily always the case. For example,  Completely London,  one of the best custom magazines  by estate agency KFH.,  isn’t published on  glossy paper but  it still has a high-end look and feel.

When considering the paper type and weight ask yourself what your intended magazine’s life expectancy is as well as how important is its readability and image quality. Don’t forget to price out paper as some paper is more expensive than others, which can make your project drastically more expensive.

Issue’s circulation: Printing and mailing costs can be quite high, so consider these when you decide. It also means you really need to know who your target audience is and its size.

Magazine’s frequency: Research shows that to achieve its main objectives a custom magazine should be at least quarterly.

5. Design a magazine

Find a good designer. His/her job is to design a magazine with all the necessary elements. You need to work together.

Now, you are finally ready to plan the first issue, which I’ll discuss in detail in my next post.

Did I miss anything? What do you think? Let us know.

My individual world-changer is Presenting to Win by Jerry Weisman who taught Silicon Valley entrepreneurs how to convince venture capitalists to invest millions of dollars. It dramatically improved my presentation skills, both one-on-one and before large groups. I’m not the only one to be inspired: Eight years after its first publication, Jerry’s book continues to sell thousands of copies annually.

You may have the beginnings of a great business book lurking within your brain. And, as a content marketer, one of the best ways to share your knowledge is through a book. I will show you how to take your ideas and to transform them into a business book that benefits executives and entrepreneurs–and your business.

Can you write a successful business book?

Yes, if:

• You are motivated to create a great book that benefits its readers
• You begin with a solid body of knowledge
• You are willing to do the research to expand that knowledge
• You can offer a unique approach to your market niche
• You can write logically and coherently
• You have self-discipline and a respect for deadlines
• You are willing to become a one-person marketing and promotion maniac

If that sounds like you, our 11-step program will put you on the path to creating a book that changes the world for thousands of targeted business readers who need your help.

Define a “unique book benefit”

Your unique book benefit is a statement of 25 to 30 words that makes it instantly and intuitively clear why your target reader will benefit from reading your book. It should be clearly reflected in your title and subtitle.

When your prospective readers are book browsing — and this will be increasingly online — they need to understand what sets your book apart and why it will benefit them more than dozens of other potential choices.

Know your readers

Develop an in-depth understanding of your ideal target readers, those who will benefit most from reading your book. For example, your ideal reader may be a C-level executive with 20 or more years of experience who is struggling to understand how to use content marketing and social media in his mid-size manufacturing company. He is primarily self-taught, does not have an MBA, and is skeptical of highfalutin marketing nonsense. He is reluctant but  can be convinced to embrace new ways of doing business if it makes sense. As a pragmatic thinker, he is looking for practical, put-it-to-work advice in any book that he reads.

Determine the market size

Determine whether there is a large enough market for your book. This determination can be made with quick and easy research. Among the questions you should ask:

• Do newspapers or magazines cover your subject area? Do they have high-quality websites and blogs?
• Using industry statistics, can you determine whether there are 100,000 people or more in your market niche?
• Are there books addressing a similar market or problem that are already selling well? A quick review of Amazon.com will give you the info you need.
• Will your book be different enough for business executives to add it to their must-read list?  Again, an objective look through Amazon.com listings will help you.
• Can you identify people who will need the information your book will be providing and would be willing to buy it?  Talk to your customers and prospects to find out whether the information you will be delivering is something they really, really need.

Produce a detailed outline

A detailed book outline is essential to providing a logical path that your readers can follow from the first sentence of the introduction to the final sentence of the last chapter. To make outline creation much less daunting, imagine giving a brief face-to-face presentation to your ideal target reader. Your outline should then derive naturally from the imaginary presentation.

To deliver that imaginary 25-minute presentation to your client, here’s what you need to nail down:

• How can you set the stage in 60 seconds?
• What are the 5 to 10 most important high-level points to make with just 60 seconds per point?
• What are the 5 to 10 best examples and/or case studies for each point you’re making—60 seconds per example?
• How can you wrap everything up in 2 minutes so that the prospect is ready and willing to take action right now?

Find a compatible co-author

Because writing a book is both challenging and time-consuming, seriously consider finding a compatible co-author. I learned just how important this approach could be with our book, Get Content Get Customers. My co-author, Joe Pulizzi, and I complemented each other’s efforts as we shared continuous and constructive feedback. Joe focused more on the theory of content marketing, and I did most of the interviews and case studies. What might have been a back-breaking effort became an enjoyable partnership that produced a book that has helped more than 10,000 readers understand and implement content marketing strategies.

Write or perish

Commit to a regular writing schedule. Whether you write every day, several times a week or just on the weekend, you need to be consistent. Determine the minimum number of words you can produce every week until you have completed the manuscript. Because your outline should keep you on course, you simply need to keep putting words on virtual pages within its basic structure. Keep in mind that whatever you write will require editing to transform it from adequate to brilliant, so don’t worry about generating perfect prose at this point. Keep plugging away, no matter how painful or frustrating.

Land a top editor

Invest in first-class editorial talent. Even the very best writers require editing. Because most of us fall into the OK-to-good writer category, we really need editorial help. This is true whether you plan to self-publish your book, work with a small, independent publisher or hope to be published by one of the big traditional publishing companies. You owe it to your readers to deliver a book that is well worth reading. Of course, no publisher is likely to accept less than a first class manuscript.

Create a great title

Just as a print ad needs a great headline, you need a great title for your book. Your title must make it clear why your targeted business readers would be crazy not to pick up your book and begin reading it. For example, David Meerman Scott’s original 2007 classic, The New Rules of Marketing and PR, addressed the intense concern among the marketing and PR community that the rules were changing. But, when David wrote the book, hardly anybody understood what the new rules were or how they should respond to them. Thus, if you were a marketing pro, you knew you had to read this book in order to survive the tsunami of change in your industry.

A corollary to this point is the need for an explanatory subtitle that provides enough extra detail to lure your potential reader inside the book. For David Meerman Scott, the subtitle was, “How to use social media, blogs, news releases, online video, and viral marketing to reach buyers directly.”

Develop a killer cover

A great cover is as important as a great title. Unlike fiction books where images are all-important, the covers of business books benefit most from the effective use of typography design to drive home the title and subtitle.

For example, one of my favorite books is the business bestseller (#425 on Amazon.com after 12 years in print), First, Break All the Rules, uses type almost exclusively.  Against a white background, the title is shown in bold black letters with the subtitle in red. A brief description below the subtitle that validates the information readers will derive comes below in a combination of black and red type, “Based on in-depth interviews by the Gallup Organization of over 80,000 managers and over 400 companies–The largest study of its kind ever undertaken.”

Find a publisher

Although you may have visions of being published by one of the giants–and this is certainly possible–your best bet in today’s market is to work with a small, independent publisher or to self-publish.

Independent publishers like CMI Books can to move your book to market much more quickly. In addition, because the publishing model is moving quickly online and from print to e-books, the importance of major publisher has diminished dramatically. You may need to make a significant upfront investment to get your book into shape for self-publishing, but the best companies in this market niche do an excellent job of turning your manuscript into a print or e-book version.

Promote the book

Finally, and most importantly, you must be ready to throw yourself wholeheartedly into the promotion of your book. It doesn’t matter whether you are self-publishing or working with a publishing company. You cannot rely completely on anyone else to make your book a success. You are the most important marketing weapon for your book.

If you follow these steps you are well on your way to becoming a thought leader and a trusted source of vital information for your target customers.

Your customers and your prospects will look to you first to provide the answers they need to solve their problems because your book proves that you have the expertise required to make that happen.

Your book will sell well even if it never makes the bestseller lists. But, by publishing a book that is uniquely positioned, well targeted, content-rich, well-written, well designed, and assiduously promoted, you will establish a level of thought leadership that leaves your competitors in the dust.

If you are interested in exploring the opportunity of transforming your business book idea from concept to reality, visit CMI Books.

I can relate to Chouinard’s paradox. I’m a print guy. That’s how I started in this business and how I plan to sustain it. As a print publisher, I too have a responsibility to seek out ways to make sure that sustaining our business doesn’t compromise the earth’s business—which isn’t always easy.

However, while buzz phrases about being eco-friendly stewards—“sustainable living,” “socially responsible,” “lower your carbon footprint,”—are rampant, such messaging tends to fall on deaf ears.  Quite frankly, it’s perceived by the public at large as unrealistic, inconvenient and if you run a business, more than likely unprofitable.

This makes Chouinard’s story even more powerful, though it’s pretty safe to say that the business of saving the planet could really use a massive content marketing overhaul. Perhaps it has already begun with Patagonia.

A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a content strategy

My journey to finding Chouinard’s book and becoming a customer of Patagonia is a good example of a simple content strategy at work, where seemingly disparate parts came together in a seamless experience. Bear in mind, not a single touch point along the way was through a digital channel.

I first read an article on how to build a better workplace (not how to save the world) featuring Mr. Chouinard in a printed copy of one of my favorite business magazines. In the article, he mentions Surfing. Now, it’s important to note that I’ve never been a Patagonia customer. However, the article inspired me to learn more about the man, his mission and his company. Right after I put the magazine down, I drove 25 miles to the nearest Patagonia store to check out their goods, where I bought a few items including Surfing (yes, the non-Kindle version).

The take-away from the book isn’t about the great things Mr. Chouinard has done or is doing. And it’s not about preaching to readers of the book to change what they’re doing. This is a good thing, because I’m not exactly what you’d call a total “greenie.” Though I recycle everything and use low-wattage bulbs, I drive an SUV, I eat fast food cheeseburgers on occasion, and yes, I still drink coffee from paper cups.

But despite my shortcomings as a part-time conservationist, after reading Chouinard’s book I was moved by his story and his sincere desire to help make the world a better place—not only by his company’s practices, but by his personal conservation efforts that include starting the foundation, 1% for the Planet. Now, not only am I a Patagonia customer, but I am also a supporter of his cause as well.

It starts at the top

Patagonia used a simple, shrewd content strategy to tell its story, not only to grow its business, but “keeping the earth in business” as well—and doing so very profitably. Though my experience is a single example, it has important lessons for content marketers.

Use multiple channels to tell your story

It’s important to understand that we all receive information through a multitude of channels, and all of those channels don’t need to be digital. In other words, iPads won’t replace print magazines any more than cycling will replace driving cars to work.

Think beyond your cause

Ironically, I stumbled onto a green company I now admire by reading an article in a print magazine that essentially talked about cool bosses, which had nothing to do with sustainable living.  Before the article, I didn’t think twice about Patagonia or who it was. Today, I’m a customer as well as a supporter of Chouinard’s cause. And you can bet I’m going to talk about it to others. I just did.

To think it all started with a single article in a printed magazine…no, wait. It started with content marketing.

Over the summer, I had the opportunity to talk with marketers all over North America about their marketing plans and struggles. Of course, I heard the usual about social media, content creation, email and lead generation. To my surprise, though, there was talk about print.

Are you kidding me?

Yes, you heard me…print.

No, this is not your father’s print, where we are talking about six or 12-time ad schedules placed in the top two industry trade magazines. The print these marketers were addressing was in the form of a single-sponsored custom magazine.

I recently discussed 7 reasons why I believe print custom magazines will be all the rage in 2011. My friend Gordon Plutzky followed up on this and outlined six reasons why digital popularity brings print opportunity, citing recent magalog success from Zappos.

Put your money where your mouth is

I received an email last week from a colleague who stated:

“Joe, I agree with many of your points about print’s comeback (if it ever went away). You work with many CMO-types. Would you really recommend a print custom magazine strategy? Come on now.”

First, a print custom magazine is just a marketing tool, nothing more, nothing less. I’d say the same thing about blogging, email or events. As marketers, we have marketing objectives that we accomplish through a combination of marketing tactics to maintain or change a behavior. That said, depending on your marketing goals, a print custom magazine is not for everyone.

Second, yes, I really would (and have) recommended print custom magazines as part of the overall content marketing mix to many marketers. We (here at CMI) believe in this so strongly in fact that we are launching our own print custom magazine (Chief Content Officer) with the first issue release in January of 2011 (see a quick preview and subscribe here).

So, if you agree that there is an opportunity here for your marketing goals, what should you do? Below are the major issues you need to know about when it comes to developing your own print custom magazine. Let’s give this a try.

What is a custom magazine?

In general, a print custom magazine is sponsored, produced and issued by one company with the intent of building trust and relationships with its readers. According to a 2010 MarketingProfs/Junta42 study of over 1,000 business-to-business marketers, 42% have a print custom magazine.

The magazines we enjoy the most are those that match our interests most precisely. This applies in both our professional and our personal lives. The same is true of custom magazines that you create for your customers. In other words, you need to pay attention not just to your subject matter, but also to the style and length of the articles you write, as well as overall design and layout.

Key Custom Magazine Points (from Get Content Get Customers)

• High-quality editorial content is consistently delivered to a targeted database in a magazine format.
• Custom magazines are generally 24 pages or more.
• The most effective frequency is quarterly or more (remember, consistent communication is key).
• Some magazines contain partner advertising to help defray the investment.
• Be prepared to spend at minimum $40,000 for even a small initial distribution.

Key custom magazine questions

How do you know if a print custom magazine is a good fit for your organization? Ask these questions:

• Will this create and maintain key relationships?
• Will it position my company as a thought leader?
• Will it strengthen our database efforts? (use the direct mail list to update your customer database)
• Can this be a key sales tool?
• Is this an effective way to bypass gatekeepers?
• How can we use this as an internal marketing tool?

How you answer these questions will define the marketing objectives for your custom magazine project. NOTE: In my experience, the majority of marketers use a custom magazine as a customer retention/communication tool.

Custom magazine return on objective (ROO)

Your measurement of the custom magazine will completely depend upon how you answer the above questions. But, in general, here are the basic measurement techniques:

• Tracking sales lift (and/or cross sales) among those who receive the content program versus those who do not.
• Tracking conversions for online subscriptions, white paper downloads or print subscriptions, and measuring new or increased sales.
• Tracking customer turnover percentages between those who receive the magazine and those who don’t (some marketers are unwilling NOT to send it to a group of current customers)
• Using online readership studies to determine the impact of the custom magazine, as well as the acquisition of customer informational needs and trends.
• Measuring engagement (time spent) with the custom magazine. According to the Association of Publishing Agencies in the UK, the average custom magazine is read for 25 minutes.
• Using a pre-/post-awareness study to measure the impact of the program. If possible, separate out a control group that does not receive your custom magazine. Without that, it’s challenging to tell whether it was the magazine that made the impact or if it was something else in your marketing arsenal.
• If you sell online, Gordon Plutzky recommends that you compare all sales during a set time period (6-8 weeks optimal time) against the mailing file. To the matches you can append sales and product data to do a more thorough analysis.

How to make sure your print custom magazine fails

Yes, you read the headline right. Last year, I covered the 10 Commandments to Custom Magazine Failure, which focused on what many marketers do that spell doom for their magazine project. The major ones included:

• Talk about your company’s products and services A LOT.
• Don’t leverage social media as part of your magazine project.
• Try to accomplish a number of objectives with your custom magazine.
• Let the customer figure out the call to action.

Speaking of calls to action

There are a number of tactics you should be looking at in order to track the effectiveness of your print custom magazine. Some of these include:

• Using a distinct 800 number for your print magazine.
• Using a distinct URL or bit.ly links so you can track behavior from your magazine.
• Ensuring that every print page has some type of call to action (we call this the One Page Mantra).
• Using a digital magazine version that IS NOT just a replica of your print magazine. Leverage the digital magazine for a more rich-media experience that includes different content, and most likely, different goals.

Supercharge your print custom magazine

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. Consider transcripts as well.
• Develop a news release schedule pre- and post-issue release.
• Discuss upcoming issues on your blog.
• Post video interviews via YouTube or Vimeo. Embed in your blog post or website.
• Send digital version to international audience or online subscribers.
• Provide a “remarkable” download on magazine site (eBook, white paper, etc.). Here’s an example.
• “Listen” to who’s talking about what online (more to come on this).
• Upload articles to key vertical and social bookmarking sites.
• Use other social media – Facebook group, LinkedIn group, etc.

And with all this, you need kick-ass content in order to make a print custom magazine work for you.

As 2011 rolls around, take a look and see if a print custom magazine should be part of your content marketing mix. If it already is, how can you take it to the next level for a truly engaging (for your customers) and profitable (for you) experience?

While there are plenty of other things a cover accomplishes, when it comes to the reader, a good magazine cover should drive two behaviors: First, it gets you to pick up the magazine and second, it gets you to look inside its pages.

Here are some tips on getting someone to pick up and read your custom magazine.

Don’t follow the rules

Newsstand magazine covers are designed to sell magazines—on newsstands. Titles and headers are placed at the top, because they have to be, otherwise nobody would find what they’re looking for amongst all the other magazines at Barnes and Noble. But since your magazine is probably being pulled out of a mailbox or found at a coffee shop, you’ve got the entire cover as a canvas to work with. Be creative with it.

Anchor your covers with good art

Readers remember photos, not headlines. How many headlines do you remember from a magazine you read last week? Probably very few, if any at all. But you might remember that picture of the celebrity with an egg on his face. At least that image might help you remember where you saw the article on celebrity quiche recipes that you wanted to share with your mother. Custom art and photography is best, but not every budget will accommodate this. Given the choice however, if there was one place you want to allocate more dollars on art than anywhere else, it would be the cover.

Trust your brand

While there might be exceptions, depending on your audience, you probably don’t need to slap your giant company logo at the top of the cover, along with all the corporate colors wrapped around your title. In all likelihood, by doing so you’re making it easier for your reader to make the decision NOT to read your magazine, since it probably looks like a direct marketing piece they’ll catch up with later, or worse, just throw away. Keep your logo and branding subtle on the cover. Try placing a smaller logo at the bottom of the cover, out of the way of the primary viewing area, so it still serves its purpose, but it isn’t shouting from the rooftop. Today’s consumers are pretty smart. They’ll figure out that it’s you.

Don’t sell anything…yet

People appreciate magazines more than direct marketing pieces. So, if you’re publishing a magazine, then it should act like one. Let the contents inside do the selling intelligently by informing the reader about your products and offers. Unless you’re giving away BMWs to the first 100 people who send in the entry form on page 25, they’re not likely ready to buy from you just yet. Give them a chance to get to know you first. It starts with your cover. Do you want to be seen as a used car salesman or a trusted resource of information?

Make every second count

Something on your cover should make the reader stop and stare, if even for a moment. Maybe it’s conceptual art instead of a picture of yet another happy, smiling, model that usually appears in magazines. Perhaps it’s just a letter in the title that’s written backwards, or a catchier header. Whatever you do, it should be just different enough for someone to take a second look. It should be unique and memorable.

There’s an art to a good magazine cover, so be a little adventuresome with them. The whole package working together – art, words, title – is what drives people to not only choose your magazine over others, but actually look inside its pages. With all the choices we have in our busy lives, your cover can be as important as your message in the magazine. So it better be a good one.