Magazine Launch

Student Guide Magazine

The changeover from middle school to high school can be overwhelming especially if one does not know what to expect in the new environment. For some, the surroundings may feel familiar, but the academics are a little challenging and the expectations are much higher. There will be new teachers, students, classes, and often an entirely new environment to navigate. While most high schools offer freshman orientation before the school starts, these may not be enough.  Thus, the Student Guide Magazine aims at providing helpful tips on how to make new friends, figure out where the lecture halls are, how to access learning materials from the library, and the general activities of the school environment.

Why the Student Guide Magazine?

My first year in high school was daunting, albeit the orientation. I worried about everything from what I would wear to how I would find my classes. Although the feelings were normal, there are things that a student would wish to have a guide on. As such, the magazine acts as a long-term orientation program that students can refer to every time they are stuck while in the school environment.

Features

The Student Guide Magazine will be an online and print media that will help students survive their first year in high school. It will give essential advice that will be beneficial to freshmen. Firstly, it will comprise tips from societies to student clubs on how to simplify the first year in high school from societies to student clubs. Secondly, the guide will help students understand the best student music, film, and school culture. Thirdly, students need to look good when in school. Thus, the magazine will include relevant information about student beauty and grooming. Fourthly, the publication will contain what a student should know about education, careers, finances, accommodation, and food and drinks. Lastly, the magazine will also feature the latest technological advances, gadgets, social media updates, among other issues.  

The Audience

In the process of writing, it is easy to forget that a message is intended for someone else (Sharp, 2015). It is also easy to forget about analyzing the type of audience that the information is planned for. Things such as gender balance language, student cultures, ethnicity, race, and religion are critical to consider. In essence, it is important to be sensitive to students’ behavior, attitudes, values, beliefs, and religious heritage. I have thought of these issues consciously, and I understand that the audience will consist of first-year high school students with different priorities and personalities. 

Funding

 In this era, the appetite for information is avid, and the entrepreneurial spirit continues soaring higher. However, according to Woodward (2006), the path to a successful launch is not without hitches. In fact, 9 out of 10 magazines fail. Usually, funding is one of the main factors that kill most small publications (Williams, 2004). Unfortunately, in magazine publications, printing and advertisement are some of the significant expenses that are typically paid in advance without surety that the venture will be profitable. In my case, I plan to manage my printing and advertisement bills for the first year with the starting capital. By way of shielding myself from running out of business, I will stick with one printer during this period to nurture a relationship that will lead to more lenient credit terms in future. Printers assist startup magazines, but publishers do not realize the need to cultivate a trust with their printer. Moreover, the magazine will be sold to the students at a fair price, but still, maintain a good profit margin. As such, in the case that the starting capital is exhausted I will use the money I will have saved from the sales.

Target Advertisers

High school students are a unique marketing audience that has the potential to boost your sales or completely ruin you. With the current technological revolution, almost all students are connected to the web. From connecting with their friends through social networks, such as Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, or WhatsApp, students always know what is trending via the internet. The internet, therefore, offers an excellent platform for potential advertisers who wish to market their products and services. In line with this, the Student Guide Magazine will target stationery suppliers, colleges, and universities. Virtually, after high school students need to continue their education; colleges and universities will be more than willing to place their ads to try to attract potential students to their institutions. Similarly, the higher institutions are likely to afford the ads, making them the best target advertisers. On the other hand, students require stationeries, which include things such as writing materials, pens, and books. For a high turnover, the sales team will individually approach the school administrations and convince them to advertise on the magazine. Besides the two advertisers, the magazine will also be open for other relevant advertisers who wish to work with us. 

Type of Medium

Student Guide Magazine will use both print and digital media format. Regarding business promotion, print media gives a personal and physical presence to the magazine, whereas an online format is transient (Pavlik, 2008). People are likely to forget something they read online, or get bored trying to search for it. On the other hand, the printed magazine will most probably be lying in a room, and students can quickly grab the copy to verify any information they may need, making it the most convenient way for long-term passage of information. However, that does not mean that digital format is useless as information can be accessed in real time as soon as it is updated.  

Future Success

According to Mackey and Sisodia (2013), maintaining a competitive edge is critical for long-term business success. While there is a broad range of factors to consider, I understand that the key components to competitive success should reign. They include business planning, which is essential to keep the organization focused in the right direction. The other factor that I will take into account is value creation and maintenance, which will ensure that the magazine is above industry standards. Similarly, I understand that trends keep on evolving. In response, and to make sure that my competitors do not outsmart me, I will provide a consistent development priority in marketing with the latest innovations. Besides, I will enhance effective customer management. As it is, maintaining high school students’ loyalty is a hard task and requires the most satisfying customer experience.  Lastly, I understand that managing my finances wisely will go a long way in helping me achieve my long-term goals. As of now my only source of income is the $100,000, this means that I will need to build my credit reputation through disciplined debt repayment which is essential for the success of my investment. 

Before starting on the launch, planning is key to a better chance of survival. The common mistake most entrepreneurs make is assuming that some ink on paper can create a magazine. However, it calls for a lot more than that. In essence, it needs a lot work hard and determination to develop and maintain a healthy relationship between the parties involved, and especially the editorial and the advertising department. 

References

Mackey, J., & Sisodia, R. (2013). Conscious capitalism: Liberating the heroic spirit of business. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press.

Pavlik, J. V. (2008). Media in the digital age. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.

Sharp, D. (2015). Garage band theory: Tools the pros use to play by ear. Gallatin Gateway, MT: Cowboy Heaven Publishing. 

Williams, T. A. (2004). Publish your own magazine, guidebook, or weekly newspaper: How to start, manage, and profit from a home-based publishing company. Boulder, CO: Sentient Publications.Woodard, C. (2001). Starting & running a successful newsletter or magazine. Berkeley, CA: Nolo Press