When starting EdmondActive Magazine, it was originally meant to be a sports coverage magazine to which business owner’s had no interest in supporting, while at the same time, we had a competitor’s ad sales gal telling business owners our magazine was a health and fitness magazine. I couldn’t figure out why no business owner’s were interested in speaking to me about my publication.
For four months before we printed our first print issue of EdmondActive, I had been publishing Around Edmond, the magazine’s weekly online blog at Edmondactive.com, and at Facebook and Twitter, I had already been discussing with our readers topics of interest. This seemed to indicate local resident’s liked what we were doing, after removing publishing politics, so I persevered in my pursuit of my vision for EdmondActive.
When I was out one day in late 2009, I discovered the same local competitor that had tagged us as a health and fitness magazine had been acquiring advertising under the name of my blog (this lasted only one issue) and it had really upset one particular long time business owner, because she had thought she was advertising with EdmondActive (but she knew me by my blog’s name - Around Edmond).
It was important to this advertiser to support this early adoption of community connection, not just for print ads, but to achieve actual feet in her door and engagement opportunities with local residents. Before leaving the retail sphere, this business advertised with EdmondActive for five years, to which we can’t say how appreciative we are for their support.
Since then, EdmondActive has represented hundreds of businesses, online, in print and through our social media network.
My observation after I had been visiting retailers weekly and in my conversations with them, and with our reader’s on Facebook, well before businesses took Facebook seriously and before Instagram, is that EdmondActive’s why was clear.
I understood, only after I had conducted my very first interview, that Edmond had no publication that discussed what was happening around Edmond as a community or covering events happening in our town besides providing coverage of affluent events or events that only affluent residents participated in, and nothing that covered any community wide events with more than one photo and 150 words.
This surprised me due to the fact that most of Edmond, as a Census counted number, makes a median annual income of approximately $77,000, per the most current census. The local events that most of Edmond participated in were not receiving any pre notice promotion or post event coverage.
Since the start of EdmondActive, I have been driven to create an online and social network that is inclusive of everyone regardless of their income, residential, or age demographic. I believed then and I still believe that we all have more in common than we are different, regardless of income or social status.
We all live in the same 90 mile radius, and that is what I wanted to eventually reflect, that Edmond is genuinely inclusive, and not as described in some other cities, as a snobby city.
My goal for EdmondActive moving forward into 2020 is to continue to reflect the inclusive community that we all live in, the amazing community oriented events, along with more features on our community’s hard working small business owners, as well as promote our city, events and its residents, as we have for a decade to all residents who are interested in being a part of the community conversation.
We are not an exclusive aspirational magazine but a socially active community magazine, nor are we a magazine only.
Our magazine has become added value to our social network of over 34,000 local residents and it’s difference is that we discuss social media driven conversations in print as well as cover what is happening outside of the social sphere.
If you are a new resident, welcome and we hope we can help you navigate all of the amazing positive changes happening around Edmond!
If you’ve lived here for your entire life, I hope you enjoy the information we provide as you don’t need a guide to get around town.
If you are a local business owner, I hope you will consider supporting our magazine and social networks so that we may continue to pursue stories about the community you serve, and promote your business in a positive light!
Join the conversation with us.
Thanks for taking a minute to find out how we got here, why we exist and how to get involved with EdmondActive!
Sherri Hultner
In Print.
Online @ http://www.EdmondActive.com/
Social @ http://www.Facebook.com/EdmondActive
Social @ http://www.Instagram.com/EdmondActive
Social @ http://www.Twitter.com/EdmondActive
Social @ http://www.Pinterest.com/EdmondActive
405-315-7325 Advertising & Editorial
