Livonia, MI

Matt Sharp describes how he intends to maintain the Michigan Business Review in a thought leadership role.

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Filed under: Finding Gaps | Livonia, MI | Matt Sharp | Michigan Business Review | Publishing | Twelve Month Goals

In this final two and a half minute segment (download iPod compatible, 13MB), Matt Sharp lays out an agenda for continuing thought leadership at the Michigan Business Review. He wants the publication to part of the solution to Michigan's current economic woes. To this end, the Review is working on a series on Rebranding Michigan that aims to change the rust belt image of the state.

In terms of the business model, Matt targets reader interests. As select, high value readership grows, advertising and other revenue sources take care of themselves.

Matt Sharp's strategy is to maintain as many points of contact as he can with his audience.

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Filed under: Finding Gaps | Livonia, MI | Matt Sharp | Michigan Business Review | Publishing

In this eleven and a half minute segment (download iPod compatible, 58MB), Matt Sharp describes the synergy between the Michigan Business Review's print and online businesses. They complement each other both in terms of advertising and content.

For advertising, Matt likes to think in terms of an ecosystem in which the advertiser tries to achieve as many touches as possible with the reader. There are opportunities in the print publication, events, and online. The distinct feature of online is that it is actionable right then and there.

The Michigan Business Review is actively evolving how it deals with online content. Like Alyssa Martina, Matt does not see much point in replicating the printed publication online. Rather, he views it as the continuation of a conversation, perhaps begun in the print publication, where the author includes additional material and resources.

An interesting development in the online space is the development of a new, online-only publication for the Tri-Cities area: Midland, Saginaw, and Bay City. The decision whether to eventually launch a print publication will depend on reader demand, advertising potential, and whether there is sufficient content to maintain it. In essence, the online medium is allowing the Michigan Business Review to test this new market.

Matt Sharp describes the Michigan Business Review's growth as well as its distribution and business models.

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Filed under: Finding Gaps | Livonia, MI | Matt Sharp | Michigan Business Review | Publishing

In this 9 minute segment (download iPod compatible, 46MB), Matt Sharp describes how the Michigan Business Review has grown since the founding of the Western Michigan Business Review in 1996. The main impetus for growth has been the desire of the market place for business news at the ground level. Sixty percent of the readership consists of presidents, CEOs, and firm owners.

In all three of its current markets (Western Michigan, Ann Arbor, and Oakland County), the Michigan Business Journal operates mainly on a paid subscriber circulation model with advertising driving profitability. Advertisers like paid subscriber circulation because it speaks to reader engagement.

Much of the Michigan Business Journal's advertisers have become more focused on ROI as business conditions in Michigan have tightened. For call-to-action advertising, these advertisers typically measure conversion based on web hits to addresses they specify in the ads or calls to specific numbers.

Matt Sharp, publisher of the Michigan Business Review, describes how his publication covers over 130,000 businesses in three distinct markets.

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Filed under: Finding Gaps | Livonia, MI | Matt Sharp | Michigan Business Review | Publishing

In this 5 and a half minute segment (download iPod compatible, 29MB), Matt Sharp, Publisher of the Michigan Business Review, describes his business and coverage area. The Michigan Business Review is actually a family of publications including the Western Michigan Business Review, the Ann Arbor Business Review, and the Oakland Business Review. Both the publications and the regions they cover are unique. Matt outlines them as follows:

• The Western Michigan Business Review (founded in 1996) covers twelve counties in Western Michigan with offices in Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids, the hub of the Western Michigan economy. The region comprises about 55,000 businesses with an estimated 35–40% of those in manufacturing (based on subscriber figures). The Western Michigan Business Review is the first business specialized publication focused on this region.
• The Ann Arbor Business Review (started in 2002) covers 10,000 to 12,000 businesses in the Ann Arbor area with an estimated 20% of those in manufacturing (based on subscriber figures). Sixty-five hundred to seven thousand of these are micro-businesses employing three people or less.
• The Oakland Business review (started in 2004) covers 60,000 businesses in Oakland County with and estimated 35–40% of those in manufacturing (based on subscriber figures). Businesses in Oakland County tend to be larger than those in Ann Arbor.

This interview continues our publishing series and will add a new perspective on how print publications are coping and even thriving in the digital age.