CFMG leverages magazine skills to provide digital services

• Nelson Kirkland, Publisher of Central Florida Media Group,  publishes two monthly glossy niche magazines  Central Florida AgNews, Central Florida HealthNews,  and a quarterly The Blueberry News for Florida blueberry growers, along with a health expo.

What makes the company so unique is that a higher proportion of its revenues comes from digital services, an area where many niche publishers flounder.

While 36% of the 100 magazines in the 2023 Niche Revenue Benchmarking Survey said they sell digital services, most earn less than 10% of revenues from this segment.

So, we invited Kirkland to an NPB roundtable to discuss how he exceeds most niche publishers in this revenue category.

He said a clear strategy is critical, but keep it simple.

Every community has an abundance of digital agencies, which depresses prices and makes differentiation critical. Print advertisers can “ghost” the sales rep before the publisher knows they are shopping for digital service options. Hiring an FTE to bring new skills into the company is a heavy lift.  Throwing mud at the wall and hoping revenues will stick is not enough to launch services as a successful revenue segment.

Fortunately, niche publishers have some key advantages—superior in-house skills and audiences. Plus, clients are often discontent with their current digital programs.  As one savvy publisher commented, simply asking “Is it working” is often enough to start a conversation, since most advertisers say they don’t know.

Kirkland recommended a step-by-step strategy that focuses on deploying media companies’ core strengths with only minimal new skills:

A. Develop the – often new –  capability to build WordPress websites as the first step.

B. Pair websites with ongoing blogs and social media posting schedules that rely on in-house skills already best in class in your niche, which can be paired with exclusive audiences to provide recurring revenues.

C. Charge by the hour.

D. It also helps to have at least one high-spend category where the publisher can develop expertise and expand beyond the franchise.

Here’s his thinking:

“We do content really, really well,” he told the group of publishers at the roundtable. “We have the writers and creators.”

On the other hand, media are not as good at building websites, so that was the first new skill he advised hiring or partnering to be able to produce. He said there is no need for an FTE if you can partner with an agency for WordPress development.

Start with WordPress because it is ubiquitous, and website construction is always in demand. “If you’ve had a website for six months, you probably hate it,” he said. WordPress is also the perfect base for adding services publishers already have in-house.

Kirkland said he layers other core services into every buy.

“We all know how to write a column of so many words,” he said. “That’s a blog. Every website comes with a blog. It is one of the best things you can do for SEO and to obtain a recurring revenue stream.” he said.

It takes advantage of magazine writing, editing, and photography skills that publishers are better at than anyone else.

Social media is another transferable skill set that creates reoccurring revenues. Packages of posts run from  3, 5, to 7 times a week. “Keep the plans consistent.”

“We are not like a traditional agency,” he said. “What we are really good at is content and digital. We are not necessarily going to go out and buy billboards.

“More FTEs is not necessarily the answer. But if you can partner with someone with those skill sets, that may be the answer to get it off the ground.”

Look for a company “with more than one person that can build WordPress,” he advised,

“If they can build a WordPress site, you can offer that to your clients and prospects.”

Marquis accounts are a great place to start a discussion.

“Fortunately, car dealers are one of our largest client groups.” This specialty has allowed them to gain car dealers as clients in three states and post daily social media and ads.

Flat fee Pricing: Don’t do it.

“A website is like building a house. It can be a one-bedroom or 15-bedroom,” he noted. “Clients want you to give them a flat fee.

“Don’t do it,” Kirkland said.

Instead, he gives clients an estimate but bills hourly at $75 and sends the bill weekly.  If they don’t want to pay, they can find another agency. But so far, none of them have.

“If you explain it that way, clients are cool with it.”

Promoting digital services 

Promotions starts with services as a link in the top navigation bar, separate from advertising.

The message is simple and clearly stated.  It shows their philosophy and hits all the key competitive value propositions:

* The focus is on leads –  “If there’s anything we’ve learned in our combined 75 years of experience, it’s that a marketing plan is only as good as the leads it generates.”

* Customized packages– “No cookie-cutter packages; every company is different, so no package is the same. We have a baseline package, which serves as the building blocks for a well-constructed, results-driven plan.”

* All-inclusive services that include content-  S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound) plan). The plans “include website, social media, e-newsletter, content marketing and targeted media services that have proven long-term success in generating leads.”

* Personal relationships  –  There is “no one-way street communication here. We are local and accessible. You’re NOT communicating with a call center overseas or a company that outsources you to a cookie-cutter media service or a mega-corporate office where your business is just a number. At CFMG, our clients are our friends. We learn your business, define a plan of action with you, and implement that plan.”

Click here to see the three one sheet media kits CFMG uses to sell digital services. 

Takeaways

• Start by being able to create basic websites on WordPress and give every website a blog schedule.
• Social media is another easy add-on, a skill that is already in-house skills that magazines are good at.
• Don’t try to become a traditional agency buying other media.
• Partner at first rather than taking a risk by hiring an FTE right away.
• Give estimates,  but charge by the hour and stay firm on pricing.

Many thanks to Nelson Kirkland, publisher of Central Florida Media Group for sharing his expertise and marketing materials.