We’ve all seen it.
But every once in a while a particularly egregious example crosses our desk.
So let’s learn a lesson from someone else’s mistake.
Let’s say that you are about to launch a new magazine. No small project these days. Print media is in trouble, so you had better have a really good idea.
How about a magazine about Jewish history? Top writers, not too academic, lots of full-color photos and covering a time range from Biblical to recent.
OK, the concept is sound, if not a guaranteed success. So now what do you do?
You have a stated launch date of April 13th and lottery prizes for the first 1,000 subscribers.
You send out an insert in Jewish newspapers: 10 panels, full color, with several excerpted articles and lots of good photos and charts. Costs you a bundle, but hey, you need to spend money to make money, right?
I’m sold and ready to subscribe. I go to the website and…
I guess they blew all of the money on the brochure because the website looks cheap at best. I hit the subscribe button and I get an email form. I have no idea how much the subscription costs, if the magazine will be bi-monthly or an annual. There is no form to fill out.
I log out. As Jerry Seinfeld would have said, “What’s up with that”?
The moral of the story, dear marketer is this: if you’re going to do a job, then do a job.
Not half a job.
If your selling magazine subscriptions for the premier issue, spend some money on your subscription site.
It’s like sending out a direct mail appeal with no return address and no return envelope.
Maybe worse.
David