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The Fulfillment Management Association Presentation to MTAC – “Celebrating 60+ Years” April 29, 2009

The Fulfillment Management Association Presentation to MTAC – “Celebrating 60+ Years” April 29, 2009. About the FMA. For over 60 years, the FMA has been providing a forum for education and networking for circulation and fulfillment professionals within the magazine publishing industry.

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The Fulfillment Management Association Presentation to MTAC – “Celebrating 60+ Years” April 29, 2009

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  1. The Fulfillment Management AssociationPresentation to MTAC –“Celebrating 60+ Years”April 29, 2009

  2. About the FMA For over 60 years, the FMA has been providing a forum for education and networking for circulation and fulfillment professionals within the magazine publishing industry. Devoted to excellence through education in the fulfillment and circulation industries. The FMA Mission Statement: The FMA is an all-volunteer organization that primarily serves publishers of consumer oriented magazines.

  3. FMA History • Founded in 1948, and known as Subscription Fulfillment Mangers Association • To offer our members in the fields of fulfillment, subscription marketing (aka consumer marketing) and subscriber services (aka customer relations) a unique opportunity to come together for the mutual exchange of ideas. (social networking) • Drafted by-laws in September 1957 • Incorporated as the national chapter in the state of New York in 1979 • Changed name from SFMA to FMA • Other chapters existed in DC, Mid-West and West Coast

  4. What is fulfillment? FULFILLMENT -- Maintaining complete magazine subscriber information files including new subscribers, renewals, address changes and cancellation, contact history, mailing preferences, demographics and more... The file is then used to • produce mailing labels for the magazine issue • produce invoice efforts • produce renewal efforts • generate additional revenue • by renting the names • by promoting ancillary products, events, etc. The fulfillment vendor (or internal system) also provides detailed reports about subscriber activity and revenue

  5. How the FMA supportsthe magazine industry • Constantly contributing to the periodical publishing field by providing • educational initiatives • Scholarship programs • Provides training to the young professionals entering the business along with continuing to inform the senior level executives • Continuous presence throughout the year • Luncheon programs • Timely seminars • Webinars • Open communication with other organizations and key partners in order to provide insight to the industry and formulate strategies

  6. FMA Membership – Who are our members? • Magazine publishers • Circulation professionals/Audience development professionals • Fulfillment managers • And companies that provide support services to them. • Fulfillment companies • Subscription agents • Audit bureaus (ABC/BPA) • Circulation and fulfillment consultants • Printing/lettershop companies • Marketing companies • Freelance copy writers and DM designers • Telemarketing firms • List rental companies

  7. FMA Membership – Who are our members? • Paid membership is currently about 200 • Membership is individual, not by company • Mailing list of about 2,500 • 24 annual sponsors (plus monthly event sponsors) • Monthly events attended by 40-80 (members and non-members) • Annual FMA Day (September) and Holiday Party (December) have attendance over 200.

  8. Sister/similar organizations • National Trade Circulation Foundation •  Business to business or trade magazines www.ntcfi.org • Western Fulfillment Management Association www.wfma.org • Magazine Publishers Association www.magazine.org • Direct Marketing Association www.the-dma.org • Specialized Information Publishing Association www.newsletters.org • Mailing & Fulfillment Service Association www.mfsanet.org and more…..

  9. FMA Membership – What do our members mail? • Direct mail offers -- Looking for new magazine subscribers • Letters • Post cards • Invoices • First class • Renewals • Standard mail • Magazines • Periodicals class Invoices and renewals are almost always are mailed by the fulfillment vendor.

  10. FMA Membership – What mail do we receive? • Direct mail offer responses • New orders with payment or without payment • Renewals (with or without payment) • BREs, CREs • Insert cards from magazines • Payments • General letters • White mail

  11. How does the FMA its inform members in general? • Monthly events – typically a lunch program • Networking • Announcements • Speakers/presentations • Direct Mail • E-mail • Website • LinkedIn notices

  12. FMA Schedule of Events • September – FMA Day – All day educational and networking event • November – TBD • December – Annual FMA Holiday Luncheon • Networking, door prizes, fun! • January –“Fulfillment Presidents Panel” • February - March – April -- TBD • May – “State of the Industry” • Three Webinars this year *Marketing 101 * Fulfillment 101 * Circulation 101 *

  13. How does the organization inform its members about MTAC issues changes? Representatives to MTAC – The FMA sponsors two of its members to the Mailers Technical Advisory Committee. • Jim Schemmel, CDS-Global • Rich Bobic, Palm Coast Data They attend meetings and file reports to the FMA board.

  14. How does the organization inform its members about MTAC issues changes? FMA Web site: MTAC updates

  15. How does the organization inform its members about MTAC issues changes? LinkedIn and LinkedIn Events: MTAC:

  16. What most concerns our members? • Cost to mail magazines, invoices, renewals and, especially, direct mail for new subs • Keeping up with changing requirements • All fulfillment vendors have Postal experts on staff • Poor economy • Ad dollars are shrinking. • Magazine subscription numbers are shrinking • A generation that reads on the Web

  17. How are we responding? • Cost cutting measures • Might mean we mail less often • Definitely means we mail more carefully • Change mail-piece design – paper, color, offer, text… • Target audience more narrowly • Mailing to a clean list helps us cut costs too (NCOA, CASS, eliminate duplicates, ACS, Move Update) • Commingle with others to get better rates • Trying to do the same or more with smaller staff

  18. How are we responding? • Doing more business on the Web • Sell subscriptions • Handle customer care • Accept renewals, payments, gift orders and address changes • Reaching out via e-mail • Promotions • E-renewals • E-invoicing • E-mail notifications • Offering digital options • Digital editions of the magazine (the “green” appeal) • E-content (permission based, monetized) • E-newsletters (often just to gather e-mail addresses)

  19. What does the future look like? • Magazines must re-invent themselves and revise the way they do business • Create community • Sell more to fewer people • Run a leaner operation • But they won’t stop mailing! • Whenever there is something to talk about, magazines will be involved in the discussion….

  20. What does the future look like? • In spite some well-known magazines folding –Wooden Horse (www.woodenhorsepub.com) announced 19 new magazines launches in January, 16 in February, 12 in March, and 18 in April 2009. • Samir Hosni (www.mrmagazine.com) shows new launches in the first quarter of 2009 to be higher than either 2008 or 2007

  21. Thank You!

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