Mequoda Pioneers New Website Membership Marketing Systems for Publishers

BOSTON - March 20, 2019 - PRLog -- Mequoda announces the launch of The Old Farmer's Almanac 1792 Society, the latest Mequoda partner to take a legacy publishing brand and line of products and create a value-centric and engaging membership.

With The Old Farmer's Almanac—the oldest periodical in North America, first published in 1792—this new membership offering combines current print periodicals and calendars with digital periodicals and a searchable online all-access library of content.

And with this latest launch, Mequoda Systems now manages the technology and marketing for 72 unique and diverse membership marketing systems for its publishing partners—and with 7 more launches planned for 2019.

Long known for its expertise with audience development and subscription and direct marketing, Mequoda has ramped up its membership marketing systems for publishers over the last two years to transform Mequoda from a fee-for-service company with clients to a firm with revenue-sharing partner relationships.

Mequoda Founder and CEO Don Nicholas says, "We're thrilled to get back to our direct-marketing roots with these new partner relationships. And thanks to mega-brands like Amazon and Netflix, consumers have become accustomed to paying for valued content with a membership, making online clubs the hottest new way for publishers to leverage existing content and to maximize revenue, profits, and customer retention. And the proof really is in the pudding!"

Select Mequoda partners that launched membership marketing programs over the last two years have seen revenues double, even triple, within 12 months. In addition to The Old Farmer's Almanac, Mequoda publishing partners include Harvard University, Hearst Magazines, and Yankee Publishing.

Mequoda helps its publishing partners launch new membership marketing systems with a proprietary seven-strategy approach known as CAROTME (Content, Audience, Revenue, Organization, Technology, Measurement, Economics):

• Content Strategy: Mequoda develops a plan that leverages existing partner content, strategizes new content, schedules content publishing, and optimizes member contact frequency. Strategy includes clear identification of content purposing to serve both basic (free) members and premium (paid) members.
• Audience Strategy: Mequoda develops plan for acquiring basic and premium members for partner that also leverages existing databases and other media assets. Strategy includes Google keyword research and website navigational taxonomy development to support membership programs.
• Revenue Strategy: Mequoda reviews partner products and pricing and develops 12-month price, offer, and incentive testing plan to be executed with Six Sigma Marketing discipline. Strategy includes conversion and renewal pricing plan, membership positioning, copywriting plan, and member-retention tactics.
• Organizational Strategy: Mequoda reviews partner organizational structure and identifies roles and responsibilities for integrating partner and Mequoda teams, in support of successful membership marketing systems. Strategy includes leveraging existing structure and resources to optimize performance.
• Technology Strategy: Mequoda leverages for partners its proprietary state-of-the-art Haven Content Management System (CMS) in connection with Mequoda's Customer Experience Management System (CXMS) that has the ability to integrate all web, email, social media, and fulfillment activities—including third-party systems. Strategy includes development, maintenance, and upgrade plans for new membership marketing systems and shared resources that make Mequoda's platform a cost-effective choice for publishers of all sizes.
• Measurement Strategy: Mequoda identifies partner key performance metrics, used to both track and forecast performance of new membership marketing systems. Strategy includes industry and system benchmarking, variance reporting, in-depth analysis, and recommendations and action plans for optimizing audience, revenue, and profits.
• Economic Strategy: Mequoda develops for partners a 5-year financial model that combines key metrics, marketplace trends, and partner-specific situations to provide a forward forecast of basic membership, premium membership, revenue, costs, and margin.

To accomplish Mequoda's transformation, Nicholas says, "We made some heavy investments in technology and human resources to boost our capabilities and help launch and manage powerful membership programs for our partners."

Mequoda Systems partners with publishers to develop content-driven programs that maximize audience development, customer engagement, and revenues and profits—and Mequoda is seeking additional partners with valuable content and strong databases to launch new membership programs in 2019.

To schedule a meeting to talk with Don Nicholas and other Mequoda executive team staff about a membership marketing program for your organization, please visit Mequoda.com or contact Kim Mateus at Kim@Mequoda.com.