Covering Taunton's back...

The host of my internship is the Taunton Press, in Newtown, CT (the photo on the right is actually the rear of the building, the only place there's any external identification). You may remember Peter Chapman, one of their book editors, from his appearance at our August ’05 residency. Taunton publishes an array of books and magazines ranging from cooking and sewing to woodworking and home construction. Among their magazine offerings is Fine Homebuilding (FHB), an attractive, pricey ($7.99 per issue), bimonthly glossy with a circulation averaging 300,000. It covers a broad spectrum of topics ranging from circular saw comparison tests to examples of ingenious home architecture solutions. I’ll be working on Fine Homebuilding one day a week, under the wing of Editor Kevin Ireton.

I originally met Kevin while interviewing at Taunton for a full-time job a bit over two years ago. I didn’t land the job because (my rationale follows…) I lacked their requisite “passion for construction.” I did like the people I met, however, and thought of Taunton when the internship requirement loomed. Kevin remembered me – “You built a deck behind your house, didn’t you?” – and was ready to overlook my misplaced passions in light of my offer to work gratis. After the better part of a month, during which Taunton HR established that they could, in fact, allow someone to work for free on their premises, I was in. Clearly, this is a new arrangement, for all concerned.

What I know about magazine publishing comes from my stint as an intern at WCSU’s Communique (the official campus newsletter, contrasted with Echo, the necessarily subversive student rag), which I undertook to research TEP. I have no illusions that the vastly different publications, FHB and Communique, have similar levels of editorial complexity, but I assume that a number of functions are common to both: content generation, content acquisition, iterative editing, creative (drawing, photography) input, page layout and submission to print. I want to observe all of these functions, to understand the totality. Based on my background and interests, I want to participate in content generation, editing, and photography, to learn how it’s done in this particular environment, which is (hopefully) representative of magazines, in general.

What I don’t know about the field is the practical application of my normally standalone skills, when they’re applied in an interactive, deadline-driven group. Editing articles submitted by architects who are literate, but not always engaging, will require learning (and practicing) sensitivity required by the FHB culture. Creation of original content will require learning the voice (or voices) used in the various departments in the magazine. Photography of home interiors and exteriors will entail angles, lighting, and work with creative services that are all new to me. Unfortunately, Taunton doesn’t use fascinating textures and geometrics when showcasing a homebuilt circular staircase, so my photographic instincts need to be redirected. All of the educational points are adaptations/extensions of my technical and people skills, but their application in a commercial publishing environment should be illuminating.

I’m hoping to get a good look at the magazine industry for future career choices. Come next May, I might be looking at Taunton as an employer (if I grow passionate about construction), or I might be using them as a line on my resume.

Marketing the M.F.A.

I discovered the M.F.A. in Professional Writing program at WestCONN in a search for writing programs while ‘surfing the net.’ Soon after this online discovery, I started noticing the print ads in writing trade magazines as well. My mother, who was a WestCONN student at the time, was envious. She thought ‘my program’ was much more organized than her program. She was impressed by the color ads in magazines and the promotional materials she saw around WestCONN. But she’s not a minority, and she’s not employed by ‘Corporate America.’ She’s not a poet either. Somehow, it seems, we are not getting the word out to these groups of people. Either that, or they’re not convinced that our program will suit their needs.

So, as an intern with our very own MFA in Professional Writing program, it is my job this semester to reach these target markets: minorities, poets, and corporate workers. Reach them with what message? With a message that will convince them that our program offers what they’re looking for. What are they looking for? Well, that’s my first step. Get into the minds of these target market groups. Any ideas from matriculated students is welcomed and invited. My main question is: where do I begin?

My guess is that because we are a ‘low-residency’online program, individuals apt to enroll in such a program are already members of online communities. If not, they are most likely internet users. For this reason, online marketing will be the first approach I use this term. What I know about online marketing: opportunities for getting the word out are opening up every minute. There are marketing opportunities available in many forms utilizing e-mail, newsgroups, listserves, and online publications of all sorts. Of course a website is also a logical starting place for online marketing. The web site, in fact, is essential, because it is the virtual salesperson for the product or service. If someone receives an e-mail about our MFA program, for example, the e-mail is merely a hook. He or she then needs to be directed somewhere else to acquire more in depth information. Most often, the directing is done by a ‘link,’ that takes the person to a website, or virtual salesperson.

I have several ideas about how to direct individuals to our website. These include: sending ‘viral’ marketing messages through e-mail and publishing essays, articles and interviews about our program in various locations on the net (including a byline by a WestConn MFA student with a link to our website—anyone interested?). Once individuals are directed to our website, however, will they find what they’re looking for? If we are making an effort to direct people to our site, we must also make sure our site is a good virtual salesperson. While our website is very good, it could be better. I will be working to improve the website this semester as well. Again, I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas. What’s missing? What might be improved upon? What should not change?

As for traditional marketing techniques, I have fewer ideas, less knowledge, and less interest. I feel that traditional marketing is costly and often misguided. I’m sure there are some redeeming qualities to traditional marketing, however, and I will be finding out what they are this semester and utilizing them in some way. Any ideas here are welcomed as well.

I will be working with Brian Clements and John Briggs. Due to the fact that I do not live near WestCONN, we will meet by telephone periodically throughout the semester. We do not have a specific meeting day and time set up at this time. As I understand it, my assignments will be given during these phone meetings and follow-up will take place online. I will send my marketing copy (writing) to them, and they will make suggestions for revision and connect me to resource people who might be able to help me focus this copy to specific target audiences.

What I don’t know and hope to learn this semester is what a marketing campaign looks like from start to finish. My first exposure to marketing and the world of business in general was last semester. I read many books and worked on a marketing plan for my writing class, but still feel like I need to ‘connect the dots’ and put theory into action by creating a plan and following through with it. I look forward to the opportunity to do real marketing instead of writing for class purposes only, and hope to further define the goals for this semester with Brian and John so I can imagine the ‘big picture’ and work backwards from there.

What do I hope to gain from this semester?

1. A better understanding of how traditional and non-traditional marketing can work together to create a unified campaign

2. Research skills that enable me to get into the mind and desires of target market audiences

3. Techniques on how to write marketing copy that addresses the needs and desires of specific target markets

4. Writing and research skills that will help me market myself as a writing group leader and a professional writer