London, Ontario is the home to the very popular FIVE Magazine. It’s a magazine about London, Ontario for London, Ontario. FIVE Magazine celebrates London’s Style, Home, Culture, Retirement and Wellness.
I had an opportunity to sit down with Barbara Hunter, Publisher of Your Magazines Canada Inc. FIVE Magazine is their flagship publication. Since its inception in 2007, Your Magazines Canada’s Inc. has seen tremendous success in the London market due to two important factors; they listen to what readers want and the continued and valued support of the business owners in London who recognize the worthy market contribution their magazines make in the community. Barbara is today’s guest Q&A.
Tell us about FIVE Magazine
FIVE is London’s upscale Living magazine filled with the best content and advertisers our community has to offer. We tell the stories of Londoners – their accomplishments and successes that inspire, encourage and inform us. Those of us at FIVE Magazine are very proud of a five things:
1 – FIVE Magazine offers competitive advertising rates for the largest and most upscale magazine in London.
2 – Our intention to make the readers’ experience interesting and thoughtful has resulted in FIVE Magazine remaining on coffee tables for longer periods of time. The results? FIVE Magazine is a repetitive experience with your advertisement viewed many more times over a longer period of time than any other London magazine.
3- Advertising revenues spent with Your Magazines Canada Inc. stay in London. We’re a London-based publishing company operating every facet of our business right here. We are not located out-of-town, not a franchise nor a subsidiary of a mega-media conglomerate. We ARE part of this community.
4 – We don’t believe advertising with us is strictly a financial transaction. We work with our advertisers to consult on full media plans; we participate with our advertisers in community functions and we’re here to support our customers in any way we can. It’s about working together!
5 – We know our advertisers’ ads are being seen and acted upon. Our carefully designed magazine affords every ad the opportunity to be seen because readers tell us they spend a lot of time turning the pages. Ask to see our testimonials!
Where do you find ideas for articles?
Because FIVE Magazine is the compilation of five former magazine titles, Your Magazines Canada Inc. endeavours to include at least two stories from each area (home, fashion, wellness, culture and retirement) in each issue. Extensive surveys with readers allow us to direct our editorial commitment towards what readers want – all with a London focus. Editor-in-Chief Ryan Ford and myself receive countless emails daily from groups, businesses and individuals who offer news and tidbits of interest to add to the lengthy list of story ideas.
How can we read your magazine? Is it by subscription or online?
Available at every UPS Store in London and St. Thomas, delivered to businesses, professionals offices, targeted affluent neighbourhoods and advertisers, as well as in digital format at www.fivemagazine.ca under “Digital Magazines”. One can purchase a subscription (4 issues for $40.00 + HST) by going online and choosing “Subscribe”.
FIVE Magazine utilizes Facebook and Twitter. How important is social media to the magazine?
Social media is VERY important. As we publish seasonally, many events, news stories and issues take place between publication dates. Having Facebook and Twitter allows us to stay in touch with our readers and advertisers on a daily basis.
What advice would you give other businesses that want to use social media and may be uncertain its value and Return on Investment?
Social Media is a powerful tool to communicate with customers. It DOES take time to garner communication channels but patience always pays off. More and more people turn to businesses with social media participation and it shows that you are progressive and keep in touch with the latest advancements in technology and social media options. Having an expert such as Social Dragon Marketing on our side gives us the extra cache of being the forward thinker. Jennifer is the social media expert and we value her advice and participation. She knows what she’s talking about and has used these skills to better FIVE Magazine’s social media participation.
The magazine now has its own APP. Can you tell us about it as many people may not know what an App is?
Now you can stay connected and take FIVE wherever you are on your iPhone, Blackberry or Android. We are also launching an App for Londoners and visitors to London called “This is London!” As social media trends are on the rise, we are offering this App to London businesses to come on board as a central, one-top directory individuals can carry with them everywhere as a free download to their phone. This easy-to-use, stylish app, scheduled to launch in November 2012, places the best of London right at your fingertips…just in time for visitors from all over the world when the World Figure Skating Championships arrive in March. What is unique about this App is it will work on ALL PLATFORMS; iPhones, iPads, Blackberry Phones, Playbooks and Android Phones.
About FIVE Magazine
FIVE Magazine is published by Your Magazines Canada Inc., a leading magazine company in London, Ontario where contributors, editors, photographers, designers, and ad executives work together to provide rich, superior magazines and media opportunities.
To read FIVE magazine online, please visit www.fivemagazine.ca, you can visit their Facebook page and Twitter to see what is happening in London, Ontario. To advertise in the This is London App, please contact Barbara at bhunter@yourmagazines.ca
