Managing the Journey from Print to Digital; Reinventing a Beloved - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Managing the Journey from Print to Digital; Reinventing a Beloved Publication

Mary Monigan Advancement Editorial Associate mmonigan@skidmore.edu

Of f ice of Alumni Relations & College Events

Culture and Context

• Small private liberal arts college; old campus (1911-1966); new campus

1967 to present. Current enrollment approximately 2500 students

• Lifelong connections among older alumni classes; strong sense of

community continues today

• Long history of a solid, highly valued class secretary network and

voluminous class notes

• The “little engine that could” mentality; financial prudence; minimal

endowment until 1987; “do more with less”

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• Rising status as one of “New Ivies”; “Most Entrepreneurial” (Forbes); ranked

#41 among national liberal arts college (US. News & World Report); “most committed to socioeconomic opportunity” (The New York Times); “One of top liberal arts colleges for return on investment (Money Magazine)

• Desire to maintain momentum and reputation as a premier national liberal

arts institution

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1966-2016

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• Rebranding starts in 2015; consultant hired to serve as interim head of Communications

Department

• In spring 2016, a decision to discontinue Scope alumni magazine was made. Money budgeted

to print and mail three issues of alumni magazine (approximately $50K each issue) used to fund new marketing component of restructured Communications & Marketing Department.

• C&M separated from Advancement Division and headed up by new cabinet level VP. A total of

five new hires, including three managerial roles focused on content, advancement, and alumni engagement marketing, an additional social media specialist and a second photographer/ videographer

Decision & Process

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• Roll out just three months later. Letter from interim VP announces “final issue.”
• Messaging to alumni stresses:
• 1. Fiscal responsibility and good stewardship of limited college resources;

2. Sustainability core value 3. Promote Skidmore’s brand among top tier national liberal arts colleges

• Feedback accepted but no survey done; a fait accompli
• Alumni promised a new print annual that would be “dynamic, splashy, wow-factor” (without class

notes) and an expanded, redesigned monthly alumni e-magazine (Scope Monthly) with video and

• ther interactive features that includes class notes four times a year.

Roll out

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• Angry, confused older alumni both older and middle aged, along with some younger alums
• I want something I can keep on my coffee table and read at my leisure
• Where are class notes? First place I turn to (backed up by CASE Readership Survey)
• We feel cut off from classmates, college. Compromises class spirit and pride in institution
• Shock to class secretary culture; many on the job for decades.
• My friends and I will no longer donate
• Why can’t you find a philanthropic alum to pay for a few issues of print magazine?
• Confusion; did you lose my address, think I died?
• Six conference calls with secretaries from diverse SCYs: “I understand rationale but I’m not happy.”

Response

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• Color cover; black and white guts
• Three issues a year
• Cost per issue, including mailing: $8K
• Mailed to all alumni who graduated prior

to 1970

• Available upon request to others
• Favorable response

Solution: Printed Class Notes Newsletter

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Today’s Higher Education Landscape

• Highly competitive marketplace
• Smaller institutions closing, merging, or re-envisioning mission as technology

changes career readiness profile

• Move to digital communications; majority of applicants submit online/rely on

social media; necessary for young alumni engagement, critical to future stability

• f college
• Skyrocketing cost of printing and mailing

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Are class notes published in your printed alumni magazine?

Yes, 88% No, just online, 10% No, published in separate printed publication, 3%

Yes No, just online No, published in separate printed publication

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Have you reduced the number of issues of your printed alumni magazine; by how many issues?

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

1 2 3 discontinued entirely Percentage 53% 42% 5% 0% I issue 2 issues 3 issues discontinued entirely

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How would you characterize reader response?

Response Surveyed? # Issues Cut Comments Negative Yes We recently conducted a survey as part of a overall redesign and continue to have very strong preference for print. We asked alumni which way or ways they preferred to read the magazine: 97% said print; 13% said on web; 4% as an ePub; 4% as an online flipbook; 3% via social media. We did have better response to whether they would go to the web if there were additional content such as a video, and nearly half said they would. A colleague at a peer institution received a few queries after dropping their summer edition, so the cover was changed to Spring/Summer and they had no more complaints. Negative No

• 3

We had gone to digital for a couple issues and lost alumni input in the Class Notes columns. We've been printing again for three issues and have already increased our magazine page count by 8 (meaning many more people are contributing). Negative No

• 2

Since we have reduced the number of times we publish, we get a fair amount of older alumnus that think we don't have their current address; they feel they've missed alumni magazines or have stopped getting them. Negative Yes Readers of all classes, even with five years, prefer receiving the magazine in print. They either don't care about a digital version or they see it as a supplement of the print. Negative Yes Reader surveys show that people value the print edition above all -- nearly 80 percent want print. Discontinuing the print magazine would not project a University that is increasingly prominent nationally.

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How would you characterize reader response?

Response Surveyed? # Issues cut Comments Neutral Yes

• 1

When we have done reader survey response rate is very low. Neutral No

• 1

We reduced our frequency from 4/year to 3/year after the national financial difficulties of 2008. No complaints our readers about the change. Neutral No

• 1

We made this move about three years ago. No reader complaints. Our constituency seems to be supportive as there were anecdotal concerns shared in a reader survey about associated costs of production and use of environmental resources. Both of these concerns link to and are substantiated by longtime core values of the university and the denomination. Neutral No

• 1

Not as bad as we feared. We dropped the summer issue and kept a spring and fall and honestly, no one seemed to notice. Neutral No

• 1

Much to our surprise, no one really said anything. Neutral No

• 2

I think some people wonder where the magazine is while others don't notice. Neutral No

• 1

Minimal

Of f ice of Alumni Relations & College Events Positive Yes

• 2

We increased the page count and quality but now print only twice per year. Our readers still love the magazine. We haven't received any negative feedback. Positive No

• 3

We cut our number of magazine back to one per year, publishing in the fall. Reader response has been fantastic because they feel they are getting a "yearbook" or annual report. We overhauled the design and added a lot of tips to additional content on our magazine website. The donor envelope included, as well as the donor lists published, has brought in more money than the magazine ever did before. In between magazines we offer a ton of feature content on our website and updates throughout all

• ur social media platforms.

Positive Yes

• 3

People seem to really enjoy one larger magazine - containing many alumni features. We also do an interactive digital version that lives on our website and social media. Younger alumni and millennial parents seem to enjoy both. Positive Yes

• 2
• Good. We went to 2 issues a year and we also announced that those making a donation of $25 or more to the College would

receive a printed magazine. Class notes are included in the printed version. We do have an online version, but class notes are not included online. We did a readership survey prior to reducing the issues from 3 a year to 2 a year. We have not had much kick back from our decision. I believe we actually gained a few more donations. Too Soon No

• 1

We are in the process of going from two magazines a year to one. I'm not sure how alumni will respond yet. Too Soon No

• 1

We are currently in the process of reducing the number of printed issues by one, so we do not yet know the response. Too Soon No

• 2

The change is recent, so we have yet to receive much feedback from readers. However, development officers have voiced concerns about prospects--such as older alumni and parents--being less receptive to an online magazine. Colleagues also liked using the magazine as a "leave behind" on donor visits.

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Have you taken steps to address reader concerns?

59% No 41% Yes

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Have you decided to re-instate some

• f the issues that were eliminated?

If yes, by how many?

67% 33% 0% 0%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

1 2 3 4

No 90% Yes 10%

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Class Notes

• nline via

Scope Monthly e-magazine Printed Class Notes newsletter; mailed to alumni who graduated prior to 1970

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What Are the Take-Aways?

• Know your volunteers and various alumni constituencies.

What is their relationship with class notes?

• Be proactive; conduct survey/focus groups; a continuation of

branding process

• Be objective. What is the ROI on the printed magazine compared

with other key brand identifiers/engagement efforts with a similar price tag?

• Involve primary volunteer manager and front-line staff in

assessment/decision making process from the beginning

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• Develop a comprehensive plan for restructuring all

communications platforms, not just printed magazine, so that each reinforces and strengthens the others.

• Include roll-out strategy; share well in advance with key staff and

stakeholders, especially class leaders.

• “One platform does not fit all or one person all of the time.” Not a

binary choice

• Find the balance for your institutional culture.

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• Prepare, guide and affirm class secretary volunteers.
• Include talking points - consistent messaging across Advancement

and throughout the institution.

• Accept that it will take a few years before new structure “takes.”

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Questions or ideas? Contact me at mmonigan@skidmore.edu

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