Before landing at Annex, my media career included years on the consumer and community newspaper side. While much of the experience is transferrable, there are also striking differences. The two most glaring involve focus and investment.
Firstly, B2B media allows us to dive deep into specialized industries and cater to the unique needs of our clients and audience. We can create strong, meaningful connections, become experts in our fields, and deliver tailored content, expert opinions, and experiences to our audiences. These are advantages that each of you nurture every day in your brands. They have also driven Annex’s growth for years.
While B2C media casts a wide audience net (being in the Aqua group, the fish pun is entirely intended), they suffer from not understanding who precisely is receiving their message. Nor have they found a solution that satisfies savvy and increasingly discerning advertisers. The result has been instability for decades.
With our more focused and specialized audiences, we offer highly targeted messaging and personalized campaigns. A recent Demand Gen Report reveals that 62% of B2B buyers agree that personalizing messaging has a greater influence on their purchasing decisions. We offer that advantage, and it’s a monumental one over all other media.
Secondly, with stability comes the ability to invest in the future and people. The proactive approach Annex takes with acquisitions and launches on the business side, and professional development and growth opportunities on the talent side surpasses anything I’ve seen or heard of elsewhere. Just to name a few, there are investments in simplifying processes, The Working Mind, annual development days for virtually every department, and the latest investment in the FranklinCovey learning platform, the world leader in employee development. As said by the late Jack Welch, former Chair and CEO of General Electric, “An organization’s ability to learn and rapidly translate that learning into action is the ultimate competitive advantage.”
It’s my belief that can be said about individuals too. I’m excited to have the opportunity to grow and develop, while gaining the competitive advantage over others in the industry. I’m not alone in that. According to a Forbes survey, 94% of millennials reported making personal improvement commitments and said they would be willing to spend nearly $300 a month on them.
From my B2C experience, those kinds of investments are most often an afterthought. The difference I’ve found here is that continuous learning is placed at the forefront of moving into the future. It’s an Annex advantage that I’m grateful to be offered. It’s also part of what encourages us to do good work and be good to work with.
Anne Beswick, Group Publisher
abeswick@annexbusinessmedia.com; mobile: 416-277-8428
Virtual Trolls
For more Cyber Gnomes, visit
The Wall.
To Mujeeb Qazi, for Seeing the Job Through
From Adam R. – “One of our largest projects in finance this year depends on something very simple - a new server in Simcoe. And that server is installed now all thanks to the work of one man, who had to overcome supply chain constraints, backed up vendors, and then actually doing the installation outside business hours. Thank you Mujeeb for seeing this through!”
To Maria Church, for Going Beyond
From Anne – “Over the last couple of weeks, Maria has been covering CFI while Jennifer was on vacation and now that Jennifer is back, Maria is covering for Sukanya's vacation for the next two weeks. Thank you, Maria for being an amazing team member and we know the brands are in great hands while other forestry editors enjoy their time off.”
What's Working
On-Site’s Sales Innovation
The On-Site team is responding to a call from advertisers, who are expressing an interest in getting their marketing messages out before the end of the summer. In the innovative Annex way, the team used already-completed industry reports to create a 24-page special supplement for August. David Skene has confirmed several advertisers, with more than $50k already booked into this special edition.
Annex IT Security Enhancements
Some of you have recently taken a few minutes with Mujeeb or David to install multi-factor authentication (MFA) apps on your computer. MFA adds extra layers of security to your accounts to block outside sources from accessing them. If you haven’t had this update installed yet, Mujeeb or David will be reaching out to you in the coming weeks.
Boosting Omnichannel Audiences
Paul G. is working with the team at Big Clic to build stronger and more targeted audiences for our Omnichannel clients through the geofencing of industry events. Our sales teams are working on providing Martin and Paul with event listings throughout the remainder of 2023 and into next year, so we can capture trade show attendees for eventual use in Omnichannel campaigns. If you have yet to submit your industry event list to Paul, it’s not too late: deadline is July 15.
My Annex Facts
Do you know that Stacy has built an entire
Enews 4.0 resources page on My Annex? It’s true, and it includes such gems as an ad unit chart that lets you know which have leads and which are best for what client needs; enews stats averages; a listicle on why enews ads work; Themed Enews examples; Floodlight benefits; Enews sales FAQs; and editorial resources and FAQs. Surf
My Annex for even more.
Michelle’s Open DialogueMichelle’s Open Dialogue
If you have not used Dialogue because you’ve been afraid to use it, were not sure how to navigate the program or couldn’t figure out how to connect with someone once you were logged in, rest easy – that is what the Care Team is there for. When you log in to your Dialogue account, the Care Team will pop up on the left side of your screen (or on the home screen of the app) ready to chat. This team is made up of Care Coordinators who’s primary role is to welcome you, clearly establish what your needs are and connect you with the right person to take care of you.
The Care Coordinator will see you from start to finish and follow up after with resources or to simply to check in. The article;
Care Coordinators - Healthcare Concierges at your Fingertips! highlights all the tasks a Care Coordinator is responsible for. Ultimately, they are your guide and will make sure you are in the right hands based on your needs. Instead of Google – use a Care Coordinator to find the right resource or care practitioner.
Don’t Google it, Dialogue it.
