May 2010 - Survey Says: "We're moving forward!"
Survey Says: "We're moving forward!"
That headline sounds better with Richard Dawson's voice.
We've compiled the responses to last month's member survey. The candor of the participants, as they shared both the positive and the negative of their situations proved, yet again, that the true spirit of IFPA abides.
Thank you to all who participated and especially to Director Dwight Bitikofer, who coordinated the project.
There were some interesting suggestions that could become future projects for the Board. The most striking aspect of the data was that stagnant (or negative) revenue growth and a desire for new revenue sources were by far the greatest concerns.
Extending that theme, the dominant request for more information was in the area of online initiatives and social media.
In a perfect world, our membership would be concerned about new ways to put their excess cash flow to work. (Not one of the responses, by the way.) But the upside of this is that these are issues your Board has already been working on.
For example, Mark Helmer is putting the finishing touches on IFPA's first Revenue Summit, to be held Saturday July 31 in Minneapolis. This innovative concept pairs a sales manager or publisher with a seasoned sales professional from their company. Each will meet in separate peer group sessions and then reconvene as a single group. The focus will be the development of new revenue programs, which may include online, text message and social networking initiatives.
$299 covers both people for registration, 2 nights lodging, a reception, breakfast and lunch. All you have to do is get there. Learn more here http://www.ifpa.com/revenuesummit/
Looking for a strong, professional new feature to enhance your website and generate new revenue? Your IFPA membership provides you access to "Weather Window" an eyeball magnet tailored for your local market, including the capacity to accomodate four local advertisers with their logo embedded into the weather window. You can see a sample here: http://www.IFPA.com/weather/ And the best part is that this web enhancement is FREE for IFPA members. Yes, you heard that right, FREE. You simply set-up the weather window on your site and you get to sell 4 local advertisers and keep all the revenue. Your only cost is that MyTiWi gets to sell a National advertiser of their own which they get the revenue on. For more information about how to get TiWi products at no cost, please contact Andy Dahl by phone at 651.324.2029 or email:andy@mytiwi.com
How about a tool to spice up a tired, old coupon promotion? "Your Coupon Network," another IFPA member benefit, can plug you and your customers into the world of online couponing to supplement coupons running in your print product.
Your Coupon Network is a web-based revenue tool which offers you a customized and branded local coupon website. At each localized website, visitors will have the ability to search for goods and services by Category, Zip Code, City/Radius, Business Name and Keywords. For more information please contact: Robert Knight, CEO Rknight@yourcouponnetwork.com
Are you having success with a new revenue source at your company? Your peers and fellow IFPA members would love to hear what you are doing! Drop me an email at Dan@TheReminder.com
Another exciting aspect of the survey was the indications it offered for the attendance at the coming Fall Conference in Nashville. 72% of the survey respondents plan on attending the Nashville conference in September. The location and our partnership with SAPA play a significant role in this. But it also says that our membership is energized and attacking the future aggressively.
Our industry is looking to the future. It makes me proud to be a part of it.
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