Clients
Special Interest Publisher Advertising
& Sponsorship Sales “Flat”
Situation
- The Company has established itself as the leading information source for a special interest market and service it with a media strategy that combines online, print, audio and face-to-face products
- A large, growing and vibrant community of marketers of equipment, clothing and services for the special interest market is well established and uses the Company's products to reach its customers through advertising and sponsorship
Challenges
- Advertising and sponsor sales were focused predominantly on print publications and products
- Online and digital offerings for the brand were somewhat limited
- Sales team had little to no experience selling web online and digital products
Actions
The actions taken by Sabatier Consulting to address these challenges were:
- Reviewed online and digital strategy with publisher to encourage building out the portfolio
- Conducted integrated media sales training for staff
- Advised on sales collateral revisions to update and integrate online and digital offerings
Results
- Sales staff was excited to glean new knowledge and an expanded portfolio of products
- Within 1.5 years advertising and sponsor sales increased by 80%
Prestigious Association Wanted to "Grow"
the Publishing Program
Situation
- To meet the diverse needs of the profession, the association produces a range of publications to provide information, insight and commentary on the industry in the region and beyond
Challenges
- Third-party research, testimonials, and anecdotal information indicated that the publication was respected in its field
- The content is well written, however the editor has numerous other responsibilities and there is increasing competition for time
- Advertising sales are the primary source of revenue, aside from dues allocation. Finding and managing a sales team (in-house or outsourced) had proven to be difficult
Actions
The actions taken by Sabatier Consulting to address these challenges were:
- Conducted a survey of advertisers across all categories
- Conducted an audit of the publishing operation
- Drafted a strategic/operations plan for the publishing program
Results
- The association implemented the strategic/operations plan which transformed the publishing program. Staff efficiency improved, more collaborative partnerships helped launch related programs resulting in revenue growth
Consumer Magazine Launch "Missed the Mark"
Situation
- A magazine launch was having problems. While prelaunch research indicated that readers should engage with the topic and the new brand, something was off the mark. Readers were not engaged with the publication and advertisers realized this fact and thus they were not investing money in the publication
- The publisher faced the choice of shutting down the publication or relaunching the brand
Challenges
- The parent organization’s primary experience was in b2b publishing versus consumer (b2c) and they did not understand the nuances of consumer publishing
- They wanted to salvage their investment, the publication and their reputation in the field
Actions
The actions taken by Sabatier Consulting to address these challenges were:
- Conducted research with the board, staff and intended audience
- Prepared a plan to relaunch the brand with new name, redesign of the product, slight change in positioning within the market and different content strategy
Results
- The client embraced the research and implemented all recommendations. A decade later the publication is now a flagship brand
DECLINING BOOK SALES
Background
A national professional organization with a robust book publishing program partnered with Sabatier Consulting to conduct customer satisfaction research among their book buyers. The client had not fielded a research study, but rather relied only on sales data to evaluate success of the program.
Challenges
- Book sales were declining over recent years.
- The large number of titles published annually coupled with a small staff had resulted in missed deadlines and low morale.
Actions
Actions taken by Sabatier Consulting to help address these challenges:
- Worked with the client to determine research objective and specific information that we hoped to learn from “listening” to customers
- Fielded two versions of an online research study among current and former book buying customers
Results
- Research revealed a strong sense of brand loyalty among all customers.
- Customers indicated that their budget for professional books had been reduced in recent years which had a direct impact on their reducing the number of titles purchased.
- Additional findings about the subject matter, the number of pages, and supporting or ancillary products shed new light on how to plan, package and market books to their customers.
- The research findings led to crafting a new publishing business plan that has resulted in reversing the decline in book sales.
WEBSITE WAS NOT ENGAGING
Background
A well-established nonprofit had not updated the design and most of the content on their website for a few years.
Challenges
- The website looked dated and was “slow” to load due to thousands of archived pages.
- “Fixes” or minor changes over the years had created a navigation nightmare.
- The site required an inordinate amount of time to update content.
- Site metrics indicated declining traffic and engagement.
Actions
Actions taken by Sabatier Consulting to help address these challenges:
- We began by facilitating a website content strategy work session with the client to document audience personas and needs paired with content themes and topics.
- Next we worked with the client to understand the essence of the brand which greatly impacts design of a site.
- Using a site map, we created the framework for the new site design and content.
- Photography and illustration assets were sourced.
- The site was designed and then populated with archived and new content.
Results
- The site does an excellent job of engaging users with extensive information.
- It is very well designed with much more compelling imagery and storytelling.
- The new website has created a more impactful resource for the field served.
BUYING A PUBLICATION
Background
A multi-title publisher made a strategic decision to exit a market sector by selling an established publication through an auction.
Challenges
- Our publishing client decided to explore purchasing the title toward the end of the process with only one week remaining before bidding closed.
- There were multiple bidders which made for a competitive climate.
Actions
Actions taken by Sabatier Consulting to help address these challenges:
- We let the seller know we were representing our client and confidential access was granted to all the documents provided to potential bidders.
- Sabatier’s team of five conducted due diligence in three days and produced a 30 page detailed report on our findings.
- We recommended against participating in the auction to make the acquisition based on numerous factors.
Results
- The client accepted our findings and recommendation and did not proceed with the acquisition.
- The multi-title publisher did sell the publication through the auction to another entity for more than $350million.
Special Interest Publisher Advertising
& Sponsorship Sales “Flat”
Situation
- The Company has established itself as the leading information source for a special interest market and service it with a media strategy that combines online, print, audio and face-to-face products
- A large, growing and vibrant community of marketers of equipment, clothing and services for the special interest market is well established and uses the Company's products to reach its customers through advertising and sponsorship
Challenges
- Advertising and sponsor sales were focused predominantly on print publications and products
- Online and digital offerings for the brand were somewhat limited
- Sales team had little to no experience selling web online and digital products
Actions
The actions taken by Sabatier Consulting to address these challenges were:
- Reviewed online and digital strategy with publisher to encourage building out the portfolio
- Conducted integrated media sales training for staff
- Advised on sales collateral revisions to update and integrate online and digital offerings
Results
- Sales staff was excited to glean new knowledge and an expanded portfolio of products
- Within 1.5 years advertising and sponsor sales increased by 80%
Prestigious Association Wanted to "Grow"
the Publishing Program
Situation
- To meet the diverse needs of the profession, the association produces a range of publications to provide information, insight and commentary on the industry in the region and beyond
Challenges
- Third-party research, testimonials, and anecdotal information indicated that the publication was respected in its field
- The content is well written, however the editor has numerous other responsibilities and there is increasing competition for time
- Advertising sales are the primary source of revenue, aside from dues allocation. Finding and managing a sales team (in-house or outsourced) had proven to be difficult
Actions
The actions taken by Sabatier Consulting to address these challenges were:
- Conducted a survey of advertisers across all categories
- Conducted an audit of the publishing operation
- Drafted a strategic/operations plan for the publishing program
Results
- The association implemented the strategic/operations plan which transformed the publishing program. Staff efficiency improved, more collaborative partnerships helped launch related programs resulting in revenue growth
Consumer Magazine Launch "Missed the Mark"
Situation
- A magazine launch was having problems. While prelaunch research indicated that readers should engage with the topic and the new brand, something was off the mark. Readers were not engaged with the publication and advertisers realized this fact and thus they were not investing money in the publication
- The publisher faced the choice of shutting down the publication or relaunching the brand
Challenges
- The parent organization’s primary experience was in b2b publishing versus consumer (b2c) and they did not understand the nuances of consumer publishing
- They wanted to salvage their investment, the publication and their reputation in the field
Actions
The actions taken by Sabatier Consulting to address these challenges were:
- Conducted research with the board, staff and intended audience
- Prepared a plan to relaunch the brand with new name, redesign of the product, slight change in positioning within the market and different content strategy
Results
- The client embraced the research and implemented all recommendations. A decade later the publication is now a flagship brand