Just one click - Editor's Note - Editorial

Communications News,  May, 2002  by Ken Anderberg

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One of the enduring symbols of trade magazine publishing has been the reader service card, which provides readers with an opportunity to request more information from an advertiser or about a product mentioned in the magazine. Also called bingo cards, due to all the numbers printed on them, these cards were introduced decades ago to help readers gather more information and to provide advertisers with sales leads.

Reader service cards, however, are on their last legs. Actually, 20 years ago I thought they would go the way of the dodo bird, when companies first started using 800 phone numbers, and included those numbers in their ads. Who, after all, would take the time to fill out a card and mail it when he had access to a free, long-distance number that would provide much quicker access to the information being sought?

Wrong. Those darned cards have hung around, even as total responses declined over the years due to those 800 numbers and, now, the Web.

As any reader of Communications News knows, we include vendor Web addresses with every article and product mention, in addition to "circle numbers" to use with the reader service cards. What you probably do not know (but at least suspected) is that 80% of our readers who want more information about products or features use the Web address we provide rather than filling out a reader service card.

No surprise there. Going to a company's website is quicker and less hassle than using the card approach. We are talking minutes vs. days or weeks to get the information a reader wants. The problem for readers, however, is that going to a company's home page is only the beginning of their search. Often, a Web visitor has to wade through page after page before finding information on a specific product. Almost always, numerous clicks are needed to find the right Web page.

This topic has been the subject of numerous discussions at this magazine in the last two years. Now, we have a solution.

Beginning this month, readers can use our new, and exclusive, RSLeads service. The system is simple, quick and effective. With ONE click, readers will be directed to the appropriate page for the information they need. No more wading through a company's website. No more filling out bingo cards and waiting for weeks to get a brochure or a sales call. Click, and you are where you need to be.

At the end of every feature and product write-up, you will find an "RSLeads" URL address to enter into your Web browser. These addresses are coded by issue date (205 for May 2002) and a reader service number (the last three digits). Those last three numbers can still be used with the reader service card located in the back of the magazine. Advertisements, for the time being, will continue to carry reader service numbers for use with the cards.

My expectation of 20 years ago has not quite been fulfilled--we haven't completely eliminated the bingo cards--but this new, proprietary service, available only from Communications News, will provide you with information far faster than the old standby of snail mail. Let me know what you think.

Ken Anderberg kena@comnews.com

COPYRIGHT 2002 Nelson Publishing
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group