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Maintaining Editorial Balance and Credibility in Company-Sponsored Magazines

Whether you are the communications manager for a hybrid seed company, a crop consulting business or a major ag chemical firm, you should consider developing a company-sponsored publication to send to customers, prospects and dealers.

A company-sponsored publication is a valuable tool for building customer relationships, improving and maintaining a company’s image, and promoting products and services. It is especially valuable because the company controls content. You do not depend upon an ag writer or editor to write about your company or its products and services. You can select who you communicate with, what you tell them and when you release the information. This is not always possible when working with the media.

Company publications can have several different purposes: promoting products, enhancing a company’s image, entertaining an audience or educating an audience. However, it is very tempting to simply focus on product promotion and fill an entire magazine with sales-oriented articles. Try not to give in to this temptation!

A characteristic of many successful publications is that they provide up-to-date articles which help customers improve their operation, business or dealership, as well as stories specifically about the company’s products or services.

It takes a little extra effort to stay at the forefront of developing issues, technologies and farming practices. But if you do make the effort, your customers will have a good reason to read your magazine month after month. They will count on it for helpful information, not just about their industry, but your products as well.

So what type of editorial mix should you include in your publication? Let’s take a look at a hypothetical example.

An irrigation company is deciding the editorial content for the next edition of its magazine Pivot Times. The marketing director suggested several product-specific articles including a story featuring a new control panel for center pivots and an article explaining a new low-interest financing deal for first-time buyers.

This is great information to include, but the contents should also contain “first-hand, self-help” information from other irrigators. For example, the company should include a story about how a Texas grower uses specially equipped center pivots to maximize water savings and cut costs. They could also include a story sharing how some growers earn extra income from the alternative crops grown under their pivots. The key here is to provide detailed, proven information that would help readers change and improve their operation.

To round out the editorial content, they might also want to include articles about any new water-usage restrictions or other governmental policies affecting their customers. And to lighten things up, they should perhaps consider a “fun” article highlighting any “celebrity” customers like U.S. Senators, Congressmen, large contract growers for major food processing companies, etc.

Keeping editorial content of Pivot Times balanced will not only keep their audience interested, it’s important for maintaining company credibility as well. Companies spend a fair amount of time and money on their publications, so they want it to be perceived by their customers as another valuable service they provide their customers.

Maintaining an editorial balance is just one of at least a dozen other factors to consider when developing a company-sponsored publication. Some of these factors include: who will write the articles, whether you include columns or letters to the editor, how many pages you will print, how many colors you will use, how many issues you will publish each year, how to title your publication, etc.

These factors are discussed in Swanson Russell’s report titled How to Publish an Effective Company Publication for Agribusiness Audiences. It contains very detailed information about developing a publication and would serve as an excellent guide for any company considering their own publication.

If you have specific questions about any issue involving company-sponsored magazines, please call Jeff Patterson at 402-437-6410 or send e-mail to jeffp@swansonrussell.com

Swanson Russell is ready to help agri-marketers with their marketing communications needs. For more information regarding public relations services or agri-marketing communications in general, please call Jeff Patterson at 402-437-6410 or send e-mail to agribusiness@swansonrussell.com