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Things to remember when developing a new website

If you haven’t noticed already, the Great American Media Services team has been busy redesigning our various websites.

New designs for Coach and Athletic Director, Produce Processing and Stationery Trends have already been released and we are currently working on Fruit Growers News.

It hasn’t been any easy process, but we’ve learned valuable lessons along the way. And as we work on website number four, it seems appropriate to share our (much-improved-over-the-last-few-months) process with you.

Before we talk technicalities, it’s important to start from ground level. The purpose of a website is to please your audience, right? So let’s start there.

What do your customers want? When they visit your site, what do they expect? Do they want your products or services to be front and center or do they desire to know more about your business?

I’m sure you don’t know the answer to most of these questions; it’s time to ask. Put together a short — but detailed — online survey. (If you don’t have a go-to resource for online surveys, check out Survey Monkey. It’s free and easy to use.) Send the survey via email and post it on your social media networks. You may have to offer a small incentive to get people to participate, but it’s worth the added cost because your ultimate goal is to please them.

While you wait for survey results, research content management systems. There are a number of options available, so it’s important to find the one that will work best for your business. WordPress seems to be the industry standard, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be the best CMS for you and your team.

Speaking of your team, don’t forget to ask their opinion.

I suggest scheduling a pre-design meeting to work out the kinks. Ask your employees what they expect and compare their responses to the survey results you (hopefully) already analyzed.

Form a concrete plan. “This is what we like; this is what we don’t like.” If everyone is involved in from the beginning, there will be no surprises at the end.

When a plan is in place, communicate word-for-word what you’re expecting with your web developer. Be as specific as possible, even if you feel like it’s something he or she should already know.

Work with the developer to create a schedule and stick to it.

When it comes time to proof the new design, try to simplify the process as much as possible.

I’m not suggesting that you limit the number of people critiquing the site — the more eyes the better! — but organization is important.

Here’s the process we’ve adapted for proofing:

Team leader receives the proof from the web designer and makes sure it’s on track. If it’s what you were hoping for, pass it along to the team for comments. If you’re dissatisfied, send it back to the designer and ask that they start over.
Ask that you team send you a Microsoft Word document with all of the suggestions. (A team member is anyone that may encounter the website on a daily basis.)
Analyze the various comments you received and compile them in one file to be sent back to the developer.
Repeat this process until you’re satisfied with the design.

The new website you launch now will be an online representation of your business for years to come, so spend the time fixing every mistake no matter the size.

When you’re comfortable with the design, work with your developer to schedule a “soft launch.” Make the site live, but refrain from announcing the change to the public. Ask your team to navigate the various pages for operating errors. If everything looks right and performs without a hitch, it’s time for the big reveal.

Don’t hold back. You’ve spent countless hours — and dollars — making your new website, so it’s time to let everyone know!

Advertise the new design on social media, in your signage or print advertising and send out an email notification to your dedicated customers.

But don’t forget to ask for their feedback. Do they approve? And really listen to their thoughts. Most developers offer a small window of time (usually 30 days) to make any updates at no charge.

Happy designing!

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How to multitask at industry trade shows

We hear it time and time again: I only have two hands, how can I possibly gather information, post to Facebook and Twitter, shoot photos and videos and network with others in the industry?

It’s easier said than done, but practice will only make it better. And preparation is crucial.

Before you head to the airport to fly to the next big trade show, take time to gather your thoughts and your materials and put together a schedule.

In the marketing world, connections are key. Try to meet as many people as possible. You never know when an unexpected “hello” can turn into a business relationship for years to come.

As most of you know, educational sessions are equally as important — you’re never too old to learn. I suggest that you attend as many educational opportunities as possible. It’s a lot to take in, but aim to implement one new trick or tip from every learning experience.

If you’re traveling with a team of people, schedule a pre-conference meeting so overlap is minimal. And if you’re responsible for working the company booth, interact with every person who walks by. And don’t forget to smile: kindness goes a long way in any business.

Social media may seem like a tedious task, but with a little planning and a few free tools, you can set up a schedule in no time.

Aim to post at least once every day the show is in session. I prefer posting in the morning — it seems as a natural time to encourage people to stop by your booth. Pictures work well as “value-added,” but they aren’t mandatory. If you decide against photos, you can easily schedule all posts in advance using TweetDeck and Facebook’s scheduling tool.

While you’re walking the show floor for education, social media and networking opportunities, have your camera ready. You never know when you might come across something new and exciting. As a cautionary measure, look over your photos the night before the final day of the show. If you’re lacking diversity, spend the first hour on the final day beefing up your collection. You’ll be glad you did.

I mentioned this previously, but at trade shows, connections really are vital. The digital stuff is important — Facebook, Twitter, photography — but don’t spend too much time hiding behind technology. Get out there and meet people! Say “hello” (in real life) and ask for business cards. The in-person connections you make at 2015 trade shows may come in handy five years from now.

At the end of every day, take a few minutes to decompress in front of the computer screen. Pick one event or conversation that you experienced that day and write a short blog post. Your audience members that aren’t in attendance will enjoy a short recap. And don’t forget to share it on social media.

When you board the plane for your trip home, reflect on your experience. The hard work is over, but it’s important to gather your thoughts and your new bag of resources.

When will you post your blog entry? Should a photo gallery be uploaded to Facebook and Twitter? When will you reach out to your new contacts and thank them for connecting?

When all of those questions have been answered, it’s important to let others know about your successes — and your failures. Put together a written plan and send it to your team via email. Schedule a meeting with your supervisor to discuss a plan for next year.

It’s never too early to start planning!

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Do Facebook videos improve reach and engagement?

Did you hear? Facebook wants its users to stay on Facebook for longer periods of time.

You shouldn’t be surprised. That’s what all markets want, right? Audience duration is key, and Facebook is recognizing that.

The worst part: Facebook seems to be emphasizing this new goal when it comes to people reach and engagement. Take your fans off Facebook and your will pay the price.

As a publishing company, this was hard to stomach. We use Facebook — and social media in general — to drive traffic to our websites. And because some of our YouTube channels have paid sponsorships, we use Facebook to drive traffic to our video content.

For the first few weeks after the announcement was made, we continued business as usual and we paid the price. Instead of uploading videos directly to Facebook, we posted YouTube links and watched our reach decline.

Something needed to change. We planned to continue to use YouTube and Facebook for video purposes, but realized that we would have to do it a little differently. And we would have to invest a little more time to make it all work.

Step One: First and foremost, upload your new videos to your YouTube channel. Subscribers will be notified of the new video and encouraged to watch it.

If you’re like us, uploading videos to YouTube will also guarantee that your videos appear on your websites.

Step Two: Don’t forget about your other social networks! If you use Twitter, Pinterest or LinkedIn for business, copy the YouTube video link and share it with your audience.

Step Three: Post the video on Facebook. No, not the link. Post the original video on your Facebook page under the “Video” tab. The famous algorithm will recognize this and send it out to a large chunk of your audience.

Step Four: Track the analytics. This may be the most important part of the whole process. How will you know if your hard work is paying off if you’re ignoring the statistics?

Believe it or not, this was a Facebook change that improved our reach. (Perhaps the only change that has a positive effect for us.)

Here’s proof:

Michigan Pomesters Honors Joe Klein Sr. — published by Fruit Growers News

YouTube Video Views: 35

Facebook Video Views: 1,194

Asparagus: The Most Perishable Vegetable — published by Vegetable Growers News

YouTube Video Views: 47

Facebook Video Views: 115

Partnership puts Salad Bars in Michigan Schools — published by Produce Processing

YouTube Video Views: 7

Facebook Video Views: 151

Crafting the Perfect Highlight Video — published by Coach and Athletic Director

YouTube Video Views: 9

Facebook Video Views: 367

Progression Drill: Working up to 5-on-5 Play — published by Winning Hoops

YouTube Video Views: 238

Facebook Video Views: 1,239

Yes, our YouTube views have decreased significantly, but our Facebook views have grown exponentially.

That’s how marketing works. Things change, technology improves, but we study and learn and execute the plan that will benefit us most.

It’s time to embrace the change!

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Great American Media Services Acquires GIFT SHOP Magazine

Great American Media Services, a division of Great American Publishing Inc. and publisher of several business-to-business magazines and websites, has announced that it has purchased GIFT SHOP Magazine from Pinnacle Publishing Group in Hanover, Massachusetts.

GIFT SHOP’s operations will be relocated to the Great American Media Services headquarters in Sparta, Michigan. The company also has purchased the supporting Web properties, including www.giftshopmag.com, as well as “Wrap Up,” the publication’s e-newsletter.

“Great American Media Services is excited to bring GIFT SHOP into our growing multimedia publishing business,” said Matt McCallum, publisher and CEO. “This publication has a strong presence in the gift shop industry, and it is a natural fit for our Retail Division, which includes Stationery Trends, Museums & More and Party & Paper Retailer magazines.”

GIFT SHOP Magazine serves a diverse audience of specialty gift shop managers and buyers around the country and is a leading resource for connecting those buyers with the products and services they need.

“We look forward to building on GIFT SHOP’s recent impressive growth and continuing to move the publication and its digital properties forward to even better serve its audience,” McCallum said. “Our talented team of publishing professionals brings a wide range of experience and talent to the table that will help to take the magazine to the next level.”

For more information, visit GIFT SHOP‘s website or email Kimberly Baker.

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Great American Media Services Offering Online Social Media Training

Great American Media Services is pleased to announce it now is offering online social media training for businesses of all sizes.

Drawing on personal experience managing social media accounts for a variety of clients, members of the social media team at Great American Media Services will work directly with you to create a completely customized online learning seminar for your staff — based directly on their needs and current level of experience. Sessions can include:

  • Basic to advanced social media training on the major social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, Google+)
  • Social media marketing planning (including monthly or yearly marketing calendars)

Kimberly Baker, director of media services, has spoken at numerous conferences, including the International Fruit Tree Association Conference; Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market EXPO; Party Club of America; and International Gift Exposition in the Smokies, among others.

“Kim is always knowledgable; she knows what she is doing,” said an attendee to Kimberly’s recent session at the Great Lakes EXPO.

Members of the Great American Media Services social media team have attended numerous training courses on social media and are up to date on the latest trends and research regarding how businesses can make the most out of social media marketing.

If you’re interested in learning more about online social media training for your team, please contact Kimberly at 616-887-9008, ext. 110, or email her.

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2014 Media Kits Available

Great American Media Services is pleased to announce the availability of our 2014 media kits. Whether you’re looking for print or digital marketing solutions, GAMS has something to fit your market and your budget. Click the links below to access the 2014 media kits for our wide array of specialty publications, websites and events.

Agriculture

Retail

Sports

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Great American Media Services acquires Coach and Athletic Director, Winning Hoops

Great American Media Services, a division of Great American Publishing Inc. and publisher of several business-to-business magazines and websites, has announced that it has purchased two titles from Lessiter Publications, Brookfield, Wis.

Coach and Athletic Director and Winning Hoops will be relocated to the Great American Media Services headquarters in Sparta, Mich. The company also has purchased the supporting Web properties, including www.coachad.com and www.winninghoops.com as well as “Team Success Strategies” and “94 Feet,” the publications’ respective e-newsletters.

“Great American Media Services is excited to bring Coach and Athletic Director and Winning Hoops into our growing multimedia publishing business,” said Matt McCallum, publisher and CEO. “These publications have a strong presence in the coaching world and are respected sources of information for coaches in many sports throughout the United States.”

Coach And Athletic Director serves a diverse audience of coaches and athletic administrators at all levels of the team sports industry. Its educational content has aided athletic program leaders for more than 80 years in identifying trends and understanding key issues in high school and college sports.

Winning Hoops’ readership includes coaches at every level from the club circuit to professional basketball. Each issue provides tips, techniques and strategies for developing a winning program on and off the court.

Kevin Hoffman has worked for these publications for two years and served as managing editor for both publications for six months and will remain on staff as managing editor. Brian Virgona will serve as advertising sales manager for the publications. Virgona also serves as associate publisher for one of Great American Media Services’ other titles.

“We look forward to moving the publications and their digital properties forward to even better serve their audiences,” McCallum said. “Our talented team of publishing professionals brings a wide range of experience and talent to the table that will help to take these titles to the next level.”

About Great American Media Services

With more than 50 years of experience in business-to-business communications and marketing, Great American Media Services, publisher of 10 magazines, websites and e-newsletters, provides a direct connection between all segments of the industries it serves.

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Digital Editions Now Available for all Titles

Great American Media services is pleased to announce that it now has digital editions available for all of its titles. Going forward, all print subscribers will receive a digital edition subscription with their print subscription, and there also is a digital-only subscription available.

Prices vary by publication, and all subscribers wishing to access their digital subscription must sign up within our digital subscription system to create a username and password. Take the free tour and learn how to subscribe at:

Agricultural

Retail

If you have any questions regarding your subscription, please call our circulation department at 616-887-9008.

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Social Media Education Now Available from Great American Media Services

Great American Media Services is pleased to announce it is now offering social media training and education for individuals and organizations.

Director of Media Services, Kimberly Baker, is available to present educational seminars and workshops on topics related to social media — from introductory courses to in-depth, hands-on workshops for individual businesses or conferences/trade shows.

Kimberly has a master’s degree in integrated marketing communications and manages the social media pages for several different organizations and brands across a variety of different industries, including business-to-business and business-to-consumers. She’s spoken at a number of trade shows and conferences on a wide range of topics, such as:

  • Marketing in a Fan, Like, Follow World
  • Top 10 Tips for Social Media Success
  • An In-Depth, Hands-On Workshop on Social Media for Farm Marketers
  • Social Media Success for Specialty Retailers

Audiences have included, or will include:

She is able to create custom topics, based on the wants and needs of each group or individual. If you’re interested in seeing how she can help you or your event attendees make the most out of social media, email Kimberly Baker or call her at 616-887-9008, ext. 110.

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Nine Rules for Social Media Success

There are a lot of social media do’s and don’ts out there from various sources. But, to boil them all down, here are my top eight rules for social media success for your business:
  1. Don’t post just to post. Make sure what you’re sharing has some value to your fans. And, yes, it’s OK to ask them what they want to see from you on social media.
  2. Invite them, speak to them — rather than sell to them. Marketing through social media is more about engagement and conversation than it is about a hard sell.
  3. Use your analytics. Facebook offers built-in analytics that allows you to see who your fans are and, more importantly, who your active fans are. There are a number of tools available to track your analytics across social media sites.
  4. Post often enough to intrigue and engage your customers — but not annoy them. Be respectful of their time and energy. Remember, yours isn’t the only business they’re following on Facebook and Twitter. Don’t clog up their dashboards and feeds with too much information with little value.
  5. Interact with your fans. Just putting information out isn’t enough. You have to be part of the conversation to be successful with social media.
  6. Don’t be afraid to experiment a little. Try different types of posts, different times of days, different days of the week. Posts photos, videos, surveys — the sky’s the limit!
  7. Be human. Show your customers that you’re a person and not just another store wanting their business. Remember: Social media is about being a little more personal than traditional marketing avenues. And it’s OK to be conversational.
  8. Keep it short and sweet. Use conversational language and say it simply in all social media conversations. Fans, followers and friends aren’t looking for 500-word essays from you. They’re looking for easy-to-use and access information.
  9. Have fun. Social media is a fun, interactive tool to have in your belt. It allows you to step outside of the standard marketing box and engage your customers in ways businesses haven’t been able to in the past. Customers — and potential customers — get to see the person behind the store. And it can certainly pay off.