As the curator of the INSIDER Guide to New Product Development (NPD), I’m constantly keeping an eye out for bite-size information that will help you develop and scale better subscription products. Here’s my “Five on Friday” compilation for December 18th, featuring the five best trends, tips, quotes or stats from my reading this week.
1. Most Periodicals Delivered Within Three Days
According to the USPS as reported by a blog post by the SIIA:
96% of Periodicals are delivered within three days. Of course, that means that about 1 out of every 25 are not . . .
2. Advertisers Increase Native Advertising Spending
According to Business Insider data, the amount advertisers are spending on native advertisements has risen from $4.7 billion in 2013 to $7.9 billion this year, and is projected to grow to $21 billion by 2018.
3. Writing Good Native Content for Sponsors
Mequoda had a good post recently, with tips on how to write content for your sponsors that is valuable to both them and your subscribers. These tips are good for evaluating sponsored content that’s submitted by your sponsors, too! The quick summary? Optimize for SEO, include meaningful links back to the advertiser, don’t go for the direct sell and keep the style consistent between editorial and native content.
4. Airbnb Discusses the Benefits of the Vendor Meeting
If you have a half hour, this interview with Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky is worth a listen as he discusses, among other things, Airbnb’s relationship with the homeowners who act as hosts. How can subscription businesses that act as intermediaries build a closer relationship with their “vendors?” Give me your thoughts by sending me an email and receive a $10 Starbucks gift card!
5. In a Crisis, Communicate Early and Often
Entrepreneur.com reminds us to keep our head, get the facts and understand the victims and their situation when you have a business crisis on your hands. Their other advice? Communicate, communicate, communicate:
“Silence is a killer in these situations. Speak clearly and speak often — even if you’re repetitive. Tell people what you know and tell them what you don’t know. You should even tell people when you expect to know things. . .a 10-minute silence can feel like an eternity.”
Winter begins on Monday which means, come Tuesday, it will begin getting lighter again!
Have a great weekend, everyone.
Diane
Diane Pierson has deep experience in product management and marketing, having delivered results to companies including Dun & Bradstreet, LexisNexis, American Lawyer Media and Copyright Clearance Center. She has built products & services that have delivered over $100 million in revenue and knows what works, and what doesn’t, when executing product plans and strategies. She is also a contributor to Subscription Insider. (Read Diane’s full Bio)
