For Electrical Contractor, third-party verification of media data is a long-standing part of how the publisher operates and presents itself to the market.
“Media audits have always been something our company believes in,” said Andrea Klee, publisher. “It’s important that our data is verified so that our advertisers know we’re actually delivering the issues we say we are.”
As media consumption continues to shift, Electrical Contractor has also taken steps to reflect its full audience footprint in its verified data. By auditing across channels — web, social media, print — the company presents a more complete picture of its audience’s reach.
The magazine is distributed free to qualified professionals. Verifying that subscribers belong to the industry it serves is critical to maintaining trust and value.
“Since our magazine is available to anybody who's qualified within our industry, verification is very important because we want to make sure that advertisers trust we’re reaching the industries they are targeting,” Klee said.
Electrical Contractor sees being audited as a differentiator in a competitive market where some publishers rely on self-reported data.
“Our advertisers tell us that they appreciate that we’re audited because they know their media investments are reaching real people,” Klee said.
Audited data also supports other aspects of Electrical Contractor’s business.
“The fact that we re-verify that every year holds a lot of weight with advertisers and our list rental business,” said Astra Hudson, business operations and audience manager. “Since we are one of the few magazines in our industry that participates in audits, our lists are preferred over companies that are not audited.”
This transparency also extends to how the company shares its data. The team actively promotes its AAM profile by including the link in email signatures to make sure advertisers and partners can easily access its verified cross-channel data and company information.
