Marketing Plan

By Adrienne Siegenthaler

Catalpa Magazine Project

for use by the Magazine Advisor, English Department, UTC

2017 - 2018
Introduction
Catalpa is an annual publication based out of the English graduate program at
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The magazine seeks to explore curious
perspectives rooted in the South: the unexpected, unconventional, and unorthodox.
The magazine is aimed first toward a local audience, but also toward a wider audience in
the southeast and beyond.
This magazine fills a specific gap for Chattanooga readers. While Chattanooga is
home to local publications such as City Scope, and, as a university town, is also home to
UTC campus publications such as Sequoya Review and The University Echo, there is no
publication situated between genres that appeals to a broad swath of Chattanoogans.
This is where Catalpa finds its niche. As a magazine between the genre of literary
journal, newspaper, and local lifestyle magazine, Catalpa is similar to publications like
Oxford American and The Sun. Catalpa ideally would appeal to all those in Chattanooga
who like to read good writing and think about local issues. This appeal would cross lines
of age, race, ethnicity, and class, as Catalpa strives meticulously to include the multiple
voices of the region.
Marketing Catalpa successfully involves a knowledge of the magazines financial
needs, professional financial partnerships with local businesses and institutions,
relationships with local writers and educational institutions, and productive methods of
distribution.

Target Market
Catalpas ideal readership can first be described as diverse. As a magazine
situated in and originating from a southern city, Catalpa seeks to be broadly inclusive.
No subculture or group should feel underrepresented in Catalpa, as the history and
culture of the South is created by its spectacular variety of voices and perspectives.
Therefore, Catalpas ideal reader cannot be described in terms of class, race, age, or
ethnicity. Our readership will, however, have one two things in commonappreciation
for quality writing and open-mindedness.
Catalpa is not a magazine that will publish local fluff pieces. Our readership will
need the patience and interest necessary to read lengthy articles. Also, our ideal readers
will be excited to inhabit other perspectives through reading. In Catalpa, a poem about
life in a predominantly-Latino Chattanooga neighborhood will sit beside an essay about
white southern womanhood. Realistically, our readership will grow first out of our home
at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Since we publish writers from outside of
our institution, however, we hope that our readership will spread through these people,
which include writers, artists, and photographers at other local colleges and those who
are simply independent writers involved in the community.
Social media would be one of the most effective tools for engaging our audience.
Particularly Facebook, which is a social media platform used by people of all ages,
Catalpa could promote itself, and announce everything from calls for submissions to
issue release parties. On Facebook we could also post links to articles on Catalpas
website, encouraging people to stay engaged with the magazine. Using Chattanoogas
coffee shop culture to Catalpas advantage could also be key to reaching a wide
readership. If print copies of the magazine could be sold at the many coffee shops of
Chattanooga, knowledge of the magazine would spread rapidly.

Market Analysis
Catalpa currently fills its own specific niche among Chattanooga publications.
Unlike Sequoya Review, The University Echo, The Chattanooga Times Free Press, The
Pulse, CityScope, Blush Magazine, or Nooga.com, Catalpa is situated between the
genres of literary magazine, newspaper, and local lifestyle magazine. Catalpa would
ideally distribute content in both print and online channels, which would provide
maximum accessibility to readers.
An issue that could arise is creating demand for a print version of the magazine
when a free online version exists at catalpamag.com. To make a print version possible,
the magazine would likely need to sell advertisement space. This should be done in a
tasteful way that reflects the ethos of the magazine, emphasizing local businesses and
prioritizing editorial space over advertisement space.

Marketing Objectives
In considering the number of print copies made for distribution, this plan will
consider two different numbers: first, the numbers for the first year of publication, and
second, the estimated numbers for later years when the magazine is well-established.
For the first year, the staff will only print 50 copies of the magazine to distribute among
the staff and to specific faculty and staff at UTC. In later years (of course depending on
selling advertisements, receiving funding, and charging for magazine copies), the staff
could print around 400 copies to sell at local coffee shops and businesses and around
the city.
To read our magazine in print, we need to have it available in places where people
might take some time to sit down and read. In Chattanooga, this place is the local coffee
shop. Also, we need to build anticipation before an issue is released. Some tactics for
this would be hosting launch parties for each annual issue, making announcements on
social media, and releasing one or two articles online before the issue is distributed.

Convincing people to read the magazine online will be easier, since more and
more people are reading news and literature online. Like other magazines and
newspapers, we could allow a number of free articles to readers online per issue. After
those articles have been viewed, the reader will have to buy the issue online, allowing
full access to all articles.
Marketing Strategy
Catalpas brand is based in quality writing and interesting topics. We want to
build a reputation of engaging and dependable, research, reporting, and writing, as well
as contemporary, elegant, and accessible design. Catalpa is an online and print space
for the issues, events, concerns, problems, and triumphs of Chattanooga to be analyzed,
discussed, and celebrated.
To make the magazine work, we need a faculty adviser, editor, design editor, and
editorial staff. We also need a budget for advertising, printing, designing (software), and
paying staff.

Tactics:
Posters will be hung around local colleges, coffee shops, bookstores,
libraries, and businesses to announce calls for papers.
Emails will be sent to local partners and institutions to announce calls for
papers. This includes local colleges, non-profits, libraries, clubs, and
neighborhood emails.
Catalpamag.com will have a pop-up advertisement to announce calls for
papers.
Presentations will be put on at local colleges or libraries, or seminars will
be hosted at UTC. These will focus on how to be published in Catalpa.
Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter will be used to promote the magazine
year-round, announcing calls for papers, featured online articles, magazine
submissions, and release parties, and also profiling writers and staff members.

Marketing to Writers:
Partnering with local colleges will be key to finding writers. The way we
interact will depend on the institution, but options include making presentations
in a class, attending a writing club meeting, or hosting a seminar. These local
colleges include:
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Covenant College
Lee University
Chattanooga State Community College
Bryan College
Sewanee
Attracting local professional writers will be key to our success as well.
Since our primary target is not poetry or fiction, finding good creative non-fiction
writers is important. Mining the Catalpa staffs personal connections is
important, but building relationships with writers at The Chattanooga Times
Free Press, and Nooga.com would provide a steady flow of content for
publication.
Marketing Calendar
Plan launch party
Fully create Facebook page
Create launch party poster
Draft launch party email
Print launch party posters
Announce launch party on Facebook
Hang launch party posters
Send launch party emails
Create social media plan
Begin posting about magazine release

Finances
Technology:
Adobe Creative Cloud access: $30 per student
Website hosting fees: $90 per year (according to squarespace.com)

Printing:
$400 (estimated publication of 50 copies at around 50 pages each)*

Staff Compensation:
$3,500 GA stipend per student per semester (paid at $11.00/20 hrs)**
OR
$1,500 stipend per student per semester if not doing the work as a GA

Prizes/Writer Compensation:
Prize Money: $250 incentive for submission. One winner will be chosen
per
Issue.
Freelance Pay: $250 (up to $50 per article / average of 5 feature articles
per issue)

*Estimated according to printing costs of the literary magazine at my undergraduate

institution. 500 copies were printed for around $4000.
be included as course fee
**according to http://www.utc.edu/graduate-school/student-
resources/assistantships.php

Partnerships
While partnerships with other colleges and writers have been discussed, financial
partnerships with businesses and institutions are also important to the success of the
magazine. Beneficial partnerships would include the following businesses, institutions,
and departments:
UTC Library
UTC English Department
UTC Communications Department
Local business who buy advertising space
Local printing company

Retention
Keeping Catalpa going will most importantly involve keeping ENGL 5950 going
as a class for students to learn how to run a magazine, and specifically run Catalpa. The
class could remain a two semester sequence, and, especially if graduate assistantships
were added for editor and design editor, the magazine would have the support and
leadership necessary to stay afloat.
Catalpa is unique in that it will have a new editorial staff almost every year. To
maintain consistency, the staff should create a living document for successive editors
that includes all the information included in this document, as well as information on
previous issues, details on working with the printer, and information on partnerships
and grants. This will ensure that the magazine is run smoothly from year to year, and
that professional relationships are maintained as the staff changes.