BlackEnterprise.com
2/26/2009
By Lisa Larranaga
As a leading source for wealth creation in the African American community, BlackEnterprise.com has taken a rich approach to revamping its site.
"It's meant to be a portal to all the content we have across four of our major platforms - magazine, television, live events and of course, online," said Alfred Edmond Jr., senior vice president and editor in chief of the site.
The overhauled site connects readers to print content and also contains exclusive online features. According to Edmond Jr., CEO Earl Graves Jr. anticipated the digital trend and positioned the magazine to be more aggressive in digital space.
"Digital media is really ... the new center of the media universe," Edmond Jr. said. "For the latter of the 20th century, print and broadcast dominated and drove media. Those outlets will still continue to be important, but they will be important in relationship to how well those platforms harness digital media."
BlackEnterprise.com's original platform wasn't built for social media, so in response to the evolution of Internet technologies, the site was overhauled to create a seamless connection. The outlet also strives to build personal connections with readers through MySpace, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn use.
"I've personally been in social media since 1999, so now I get paid to hang out on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace and I'm doing work," Edmond Jr. said. “It's very exciting, it's challenging and frustrating because we really are on a frontier of an area of media where ... about 80 percent of people in this industry are still making it up as we go along.
It's so new, abilities are new, technology's changing rapidly, people are adopting it now in the mainstream - both in business and regular consumers - so you can't really relax. What worked this month may not work six months from now and you really try to stay on the bleeding edge of what's going on, not from the standpoint of technology, but on ‘how do you harness this medium to make sure it really does deliver content when and where people want it in a way that's profitable?’ I'm having a lot of fun but ... the learning curve is like a wall."
In response to the demand for timely news coverage, Black Enterprise eliminated the magazine's news section and now distributes news solely via the Web.
"Like most magazines that have a news section, we wrestled with making it viable," Edmond Jr. said. "It was hard enough with television, but with the Internet age it really was impossible."
He says the site's goal is to maintain 20 percent news-driven coverage with the rest of the content aimed at reader interaction and information for business owners and those seeking financial management and career development tools. In a few weeks, the site will launch a series of tools and calculators to help readers make decisions on buying and leasing cars, retirement, saving for college and more.
"The goal is to create a one-stop shop for people to manage their lives more effectively and to be more successful financially," Edmond Jr. said.
A White House section was recently added to provide specific coverage of news and programs from the Obama administration and over the course of the year, there are plans to grow the black business history section.
"It's very much a work in progress and we're very happy with the progress we've made," he said. "We still feel there's places we have to go and hopefully we'll have surprises up our sleeves. Our goal is to build a site not only for African Americans but for people all over the world to visit as a resource for understanding the black consumer market and doing business with black people."
Pitching Tips
When preparing pitches for BlackEnterprise.com, Edmond Jr. and Editorial Director Deborah Creighton Skinner have insider tips on sending materials.
Edmond Jr. says it's best to understand who's responsible for specific content, because those staff members are accountable for materials published online, in print and on Black Enterprise's television shows.
The magazine can be broken down into four topics: entrepreneurship, career development, investing in personal finance and lifestyle. These topics are the main areas BlackEnterprise.com is interested in, he says, and it's important to have measurable attributes when pitching an idea or story.
When a PR professional doesn't know who to contact, it's best to send materials to Creighton Skinner. She asks those submitting materials to understand Black Enterprise's audience. If you haven't heard back from her in a week, she deems it acceptable to send a follow up e-mail to check in on materials.
"I prefer follow ups because of all the things that are going on," she said. "If you're on the phone, I have to take notes and it's much better if you send me a flushed-out pitch. I'll get back to you; sometimes not as quickly as some people prefer, but I will get back to you."
She advises professionals not to get discouraged if a pitch isn't covered and says it’s key to be nice and gracious. If materials at a later date will be a resource to their readers, send them to her but tailor the information to BlackEnterprise.com’s audience.
"I don't mind getting these e-mails because it helps us," Creighton Skinner said. "If we have a relationship, it does help us. Don't send us PR the day before an event and expect it to be covered, but we're open to building a relationship."
Contact Information
130 5th Avenue
New York, NY 10011
212-242-8000
www.blackenterprise.com
Alfred Edmond Jr., senior vice president and web site editor in chief
edmonda@blackenterprise.com
Deborah Creighton Skinner, editorial director
skinnerd@blackenterprise.com