Putting together a directory can be a herculean feat. It requires organized datasets, attention to detail and time-consuming reviews. Whether it’s your first directory or your 10th, compiling directory information and cohesive edits is stressful. But there are ways to alleviate this. Below are best practices to ensure your directory is a more stress-free success.
Gather Your Data
Your first reaction might be panic when you get our four-week directory content reminder. Even if you’ve been maintaining your membership database all year, there might be last-minute updates. We recommend getting that updated information as soon as possible to minimize the amount of edits to your directory during production.
When you receive the four-week reminder, send out a request to all of your members to check that their data is accurate and up to date. Let them know that if you haven’t heard from them by “X” date, then their information will be run as-is. Giving a concrete deadline should minimize last-minute wrangling.
Now that you have all of the membership data, it’s time to organize. Having data that is clear and consistent makes proofing and exporting more seamless for us, which means fewer edits for you. Make a copy of your data and then take a look at your association’s previous directory. Which information was included? Are members organized into different sections? Do you have membership categories? Were phone numbers, websites, etc. included? Our team will ensure that formatting and editing is consistent throughout the directory and ask if any fields included or omitted don’t match last year. You can help us prevent delays if you send a clean spreadsheet from the jump and let us know of any information on the spreadsheet that won’t be included. For example, if your spreadsheet includes fax numbers but last year’s directory doesn’t, let us know. If you’ve decided to omit a field from last year, let us know that as well — just one field added or removed from each entry can cause a huge change in page count.
Time to Proof
You’ve just received the first proof of your directory. Now what? First, take a look at any of the questions or flags that your Innovative editor has sent. Gather answers to those questions.
Next, it’s time to review the proof. We recommend checking sections against the data you have on file. Check that everything is accurate and up to date. If you’ve gotten any new members since sending us your original files, make a list of those, including where they need to be added. If any members have left, that can be included in your edits, as well.
When sending edits, it’s always best to send everything together. Sending edits piecemeal can increase the risk of something getting overlooked. We recommend putting everything into a Word document or utilizing Adobe comments. If you opt for the former, be specific about where the edits are — include the section, page number and member’s name. Specify if a change should only be made in one area, or if it should be made throughout. For example, if you’re marking to delete a member from an Associates section, but they appear in another section, indicate if they should be removed there, as well. A good practice is to make edits so clear that someone who has no prior knowledge of your association or the directory could follow them.
We’re flexible with how you prefer to send edits. The only method we’d advise against? Sending all-new spreadsheets. A new spreadsheet means we have to start over from the very beginning, which causes delays and is subject to additional costs.
It’s common to go through two to three rounds of edits to a directory. But because membership changes are ongoing, it can be difficult to know when to give the go to print. Keeping major edits to the first proof, such as member removals or additions, can help. If everything looks accurate and correct by proof 3, we recommend approving for press. You can always include a disclaimer that membership data was updated as of “X” date. This helps if there are any membership changes after approval for press.
From there, we recommend sending a brand-new mailing list. It could be tempting to just have us use the original directory files, but that information has likely changed during your review. Sending a new mailing list ensures we’re using the most up-to-date information.
Concluding Thoughts
Following the above can eliminate the overwhelming process of directory production. Keeping your database organized and updated throughout the year can decrease the work needed once it’s directory time. As always, our team of editors is here to help. If you have questions about best practices for sending spreadsheets or compiling edits, we’re just an email or phone call away.
Jessica Sears is senior writer and content coordinator at Innovative Publishing. She can be reached at jessica@innovativepublishing.com.
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