English as a second language

For people in the media business, word choices are our stock in trade.

Being fully immersed in digital media, however, means that our very language is moving around.

And then there is the issue, when writing about vendors and technology partners, which is which? The word "vendor" or "supplier" implies a kind of hierarchical relationship that is no longer applicable. Besides, the definition of vendor is closely linked to someone peddling in the street "example: An ice cream vendor" or someone "whose principal product lines are office supplies and equipment."  

I don't know any intra- or entrepreneur who thinks of the software they use as an office supply.

But "technology partners" is too long to fit in a headline (or a nav bar in the case of this site). Besides, some fee-based services act more like partners, while some revenue share partnerships do not.

For the sake of brevity, in this week's report, I put twelve recommended "vendors" from JRC in the headline, though I don't like it.  I just have not found a better word.

My favorite "no-brainer" recommendation on the list, TruMeasure, enhances the value of banner ad campaigns by providing post-click activity reports. This is a fantastic way to provide measurable results to advertisers.

But it's not like buying a new copy machine that can collate, too. The bizdev contact is an owner who answers her own phone and is fully invested in helping local media use the service to validate campaign results. At $10 a month per ad, the she needs resellers to use the tools successfully so they will buy more.

In general, this week I was pleasantly surprised at how articulate technology suppliers were in explaining the tech tools and services that had been recommended by Journal Register Company.

Too often, trying to get vendors or technology partners, whatever you call them, to tell you about their software often goes like this:

"So, what exactly is this?"

"Its a solution that enhances the value of classifieds."

By now I understand the code enough to know that this probably means either more aggregated ads, or some kind of cool digital only feature like background checks on renters, so I ask the next question:

"So what exactly is it?"

"Enhanced SEO marketing."

Ok, uhm, well, that's code for directory list, or reputation management or...? So I develop a series of test questions. But I still get answers like:

"It helps you increase the revenues and value of your marketplaces."

You get the drift.

But trying to describe technology is now everyone's problem, because now you have to sell it to small businesses. And that means you have to talk about it.

Recently I've been working with a local media company on the launch of a mobile coupon site. Because of the robust capabilities - customer loyalty, locational features, and so on - we find ourselves working hard just to create a key " What Is it statement" followed by a core benefit.

Sometimes we had to refer to something similar, like Groupon, the name of a competitor, as a short cut. Ouch.

Think having to say, "We are the largest newspaper in Nebraska" or "Our station has the Number One news broadcast in Wisconsin" while also explaining what is a newspaper and what is a station.

And, if its a mobile coupon site that also resides as a channel on the media platform, should it be described as digital coupon site that is mobile enabled?

At the end of the day we are all relearning how to talk about what we do. And being able to describe exactly what it is, and why it is beneficial takes hours of work, and experimentation in the field. So it's up to us to be as diligent as possible in observing how our best reps articulate our business propositions, and sharing the language across the company.

After a long day that included training, a key executive came up to me and asked, "Are you going to be training?"

No, I said, confused.  It was after 5 p.m. Then he explained he meant to ask whether or not I was taking the train.

Many thanks this week to Adam Burnham, VP, Local Sales at JRC for sharing his recommendations with us, and to Terre Pruitt, for providing additional research.