Photo by Kaitlyn Baker on Unsplash
Thought-leadership Web publishers naturally want the most-possible readers and financial success. For many facing the dynamics of marketplace-change, it’s challenging to become a frontrunner on the Internet.
Certainly, publishers need to strategize in order to grow their businesses. That includes these thought-leadership publishing goals — providing the most-relevant content, and staying current in business models.
But how is it possible to achieve such lofty goals?
To the rescue: Thomson Reuters.
The worldwide company with 55,000 employees in more than 100 countries published a white paper for scholarly publications – strategies for permanent process enhancements, and to achieve overall excellence.
The paper is entitled: “Top 5 best practices for advancing your editorial office.”
It seems to me that the white paper is beneficial. The recommended principles apply to micro-publishers and bloggers who publish significant thought-leadership content.
Bear with me. True, much of the white paper’s focus is online peer reviews for scholar-niche publishers. Thomson Reuters maintains that all scholarly publications use similar systems.
But premier publications harness the full potential from relationships with their providers.
“There is a significant difference between a software expert and an industry expert,” explained Keith Collier, vice president and general manager at Thomson Reuters. “When it comes to peer review management systems, it’s imperative to select a single vendor to act as both a provider and an advisor – one that can help you identify new ways to gain a competitive advantage instead of simply managing the administrative process.”
My sense is that Mr. Collier is right. Soliciting ideas from authoritative vendors is a productive approach for all thought-leadership sites. It’s called strategic partnering.
How Thompson Reuters’ five best practices are applicable:
- Be a champion for your authors and reviewers. Salient keys are creating and maintaining affinity with your contributors and vendors. Be loyal to the people who are good to you and your business.
- Tailor your system to fit your unique needs. Decide what features you want. Make certain you use the right tools for speed. Understand expectations of your competitive environment.
- Don’t waste time and money by simply replicating old procedures. Stay current on technology. Use only the most advanced technology that enhances your publication.
- Focus on improving your publication and your editorial strategy instead of managing a process. Ask yourself these five questions: What new topics are needed? What topics do we need to de-emphasize? Where should we research ideas? How are we faring against competitors? Are we meeting the needs of our site’s users?
- Select a trusted partner, not just a vendor. Make sure the partner is strategic – a person or firm with true industry expertise.
My sense is these best practices will keep you abreast of industry trends, serve as a continuing catalyst for efficiency, and they will enhance your position in the marketplace.
From the Coach’s Corner, here are three related resources:
11 Best Practices to Profit from Writing a Business White Paper — When you’re writing a case study for a client or you’re commissioned to write a white paper – there are best practices — then, there are only attempts at shameless promotion of a biased idea. You’ll want readers to perceive the former.
SEO and Other Strategies Primer for a No.1 Rated Blog— To own your blogging niche, you must understand the evolving process — important basics in search engine optimization (SEO) and other strategies. If you’ve been blogging for awhile, you know success doesn’t keep come automatically. Blogging is arduous work.
25 Best Practices for Better Business Writing — If you want to accelerate your career or turbo-charge your business, one of your priorities should be good communication. Good writing is necessary in a myriad of ways, including letters, advertising copy and presentations. A lack of writing skills will can hold you back or even hurt your career.
“A memorandum is not written to inform the reader but to protect the writer.”
-Dean Acheson
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