2024 OX7 Idea Exchange: Preview

Let's dig into the agenda of the OX7 Idea Exchange to get a sense of the critical issues affecting how audience development currently drives value for high-traffic websites. If you want to meet up at OX7, please get in touch! hello@flexpress.ai. 

We were really excited when we learned ~two months that James Capo was promoted to CEO of Omeda. We've worked with James for a while, and he's well deserving of the opportunity. We're most excited this year to see how James helms Omeda's signature event (nb: Omeda will turn 50 in 2028!): the Ox7 Idea Exchange.

Looking at this year's agenda, here are some of our impressions of the critical topics and themes affecting how high-traffic websites create revenue via audience development.

To get a copy of our conference ebook or presentation slides, please do so here: Fresh Ideas to Grow Revenue for high-traffic websites.

#1: Audience development mindset for ROI

Still need tickets to Ox7? Get them here. The 2024 OX7 Idea Exchange is May 15-17 2024 in Chicago, IL at the Loews Downtown Chicago Hotel.

Bootcamp is Omeda's pre-conference product walkthrough. Two quick insights that jumped out at me looking at the schedule of topics:

#1: In 2024, you need to advance your segmentation slash segmentation strategy:

Omeda's topics "Supercharge Your Audience Strategy" and "Advanced Audience Segmentation" suggest a focus on refining audience understanding and targeting. For high-traffic websites, implementing advanced segmentation leads to more personalized content delivery, improved user engagement, and increased conversions. Critically in 2024, look-alike-modeling and AI can tailor content and marketing messaging to hyper-specific audience segments, so agility through A/B testing matters a lot — your team needs a mindset of learning (and probably help with GA4).   

#2: Leveraging Technology for Enhanced User Experience:

Omeda's sessions "How Omeda Uses Its Own Platform" along with "The Power of Form Builder" and "Issue Builder for Beginners/Advanced Users" highlight the importance of utilizing robust tools and platforms to enhance the functionality and user experience across email, social, web, mobile, video, etc. etc. etc. These tools benefit revenue by streamlining content creation, layout design, and subscriber management.

#2: Flipping through the Ox7 speakers:

James Capo's recent promotion to CEO and his keynote on leading Omeda into its fifth decade can offer attendees a rare glimpse into managing transformation within a legacy company in a high-tech era. His perspective I think will be especially crucial for those navigating any challenges of digital transformation, or balancing tradition with innovation.

Adam Ryan’s discussion on incorporating experts into overall media strategy is timely. Given his diverse background with companies like The Hustle and Under Armour, and his experience at LightShed venture groups, his talk can help make attendees increasingly relevant in a media environment that values content more when presented with insider credibility and niche expertise.

Amanda Landsaw's focus on creating effective audience teams through a culture of experimentation and A/B testing is particularly pertinent as companies seek to understand increasingly complex audience behaviors. Her experience and strategies can help attendees learn how to build and manage teams that are agile, data-driven, and creatively inclined towards discovering what resonates with audiences. 

Jacob Donnelly's role as an organizer of the AMO Summit and his history with Morning Brew provide a unique standpoint on curating content and experiences that engage industry professionals. His insights can help attendees understand the behind-the-scenes of event organization in the media industry, which is particularly valuable for those looking to enhance their own events or community-building efforts.

Other Speakers: 

Craig Fuller discusses the aggressive expansion of Firecrown Media, illustrating how media assets can be strategically used to amplify brand influence across industries. Fuller's narrative on acquiring numerous brands and forming a new SaaS division underlines the strategic use of media for business growth and diversification, offering insights into aggressive growth strategies and brand consolidation. Craig bought Flying Magazine in July 2021, and has since added AvBuyer, Airline Geeks, Sky Allies Capital, and others to their portfolio. 

Nikki Smith from BNP Media will share insights from the company's drastic 90-day digital transformation strategy. This session is particularly relevant for businesses currently navigating or considering a swift pivot from traditional to digital-first models. 

Jeff Stelmach and Kerry Smith will dive into how experiential marketing can transform audience engagement into long-term relationships for media companies. Their expertise with Fortune 500 companies provides a rich perspective on creating memorable events that not only capture attention but also convert one-time attendees into loyal subscribers

Alexi Khajavi and Rhonda Wunderlin of Questex exemplifies the power of integrating business and data teams to forge a robust go-to-market strategy. Their combined efforts in harnessing market insights and audience data to enhance segmentation and lead generation can serve as a model for other media companies aiming to optimize their market approaches through cross-departmental collaboration.

#3: Omeda Awards

I personally am really excited for the awards announcements / case studies of effective users of the Omeda product. Here's the list:

• Best Marketing Automation Program: highlights the importance of using automated tools to enhance marketing efficiency and effectiveness. The emphasis on automation suggests that the industry will continue to lean towards more technologically advanced solutions to manage customer relationships, personalize content, and streamline operations.

• Best Paid Subscription Campaign: underscores the growing importance of direct monetization strategies in the media industry. With the ongoing decline of ad revenues in many sectors, developing compelling subscription models is crucial. 

• Best Use of First-Party Audience Data: as privacy concerns continue to limit the use of third-party cookies, the ability to leverage first-party data becomes increasingly significant. This award points to the industry’s shift towards more privacy-compliant practices and the need for media companies to develop robust systems for collecting, analyzing, and activating data directly from their audiences. Effective use of this data can lead to more personalized and engaging content strategies, enhancing user satisfaction and loyalty.

• Dream Team - Best Revenue Campaign: recognizes collaborative efforts that result in outstanding revenue generation. It highlights the importance of cross-functional teams working together to drive revenue growth, reflecting a broader industry trend towards integrated approaches that leverage diverse skills and perspectives.

• Best Damn Idea: let's go! Enough said.

#4. Let's Party!

We don't know about you, but we're excited to hang out and enjoy ourselves. Spin Chicago and House of Blues here we come. If you'll be in Chicago and want to discuss strategies for growing revenue for high-traffic websites, please reach out: hello@flexpress.ai. 

Off the cuff, here are five ideas comes to grow revenue we can discuss:

1. Reach new readers and grow revenue through syndication.
2. Invest in affiliate product partnerships to serve readers while bolstering an additional revenue source.
3. Prioritize fast site speed, even while serving ads, for better site performance and to position your site well for search rankings.
4. Upgrade your E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust) with more options for author bios, which is even more relevant as AI-generated articles appear on competitor sites.
5. Execute quick, immersive redesigns to increase pageviews and time on site.

If you don't feel like partying, as maybe the latest algorithim update has you down, well then let's party anyway. We can discuss the latest excellent reporting that I saw on Futurism.com today: Meet AdVon, the AI-Powered Content Monster Infecting the Media Industry.

 #5. AI NOT for content creation

Speaking of AI, we still like these quotations from 

Nikkei Business Publications' Yasuo Metsugi and Yuko Tanaka, from Media Makers Meet:

• "Employees will need to understand AI and use it, and experience it. Then, they will need to change their mindset to consider the opportunities of AI, not the risks."
• "Eventually, there will be a split between cultures that can position AI as a colleague or a partner rather than just a tool, and those that cannot. The former will be more capable of survival in the AI age."

Bustle Digital Group editor-in-chief Charlotte Owen, in this Digiday piece:

• "We are mainly thinking about how it can just speed up internal processes at this point,” Owen said. Her teams aren’t working on any consumer-facing AI products yet.
• “We think about what we can be doing that AI can’t,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean we’re shoving our head in the sand.”

• So does Owen think generative AI will take writers’ jobs? “I bloody well hope not,” she said.

Interested in chatting more about the OX7 Idea Exchange, growing high-traffic website revenue, or superior digital experience for your audience? Please access our conference ebook and/or presentation slides at flexpress.ai/ox7docs.

You can also send us an email.