The Next Step Magazine, a college, career, and life-planning magazine for high school students, announced on October 24 the launch of nextstepmag.com (http://www.nextstepmag.com). The redesigned, more user-friendly site is positioned as a central location and comprehensive source for education-minded teens looking for the latest news, trends, and tips about college planning.
“When we decided to update the site, we polled students to find out exactly what they wanted,” said Chris Roberts, vice president of marketing and interactive programs for Next Step Publishing, Inc. “As a result, the new site offers a seamless online experience that marries the information students need for college planning with fun topics and message boards that will entice and engage them.”
Teen Community
A key element of the updated site is the “Next Stepper” membership program. This teen community offers numerous categories for students to sound off about, from extracurricular activities to financial aid to test preparation. To connect teens further with the brand, the Web site offers students that register opportunities to win scholarships and other prizes and to enter writing contests.
“By offering more user-generated content, we will enhance our relationship with current ‘Next Steppers,’ expand brand awareness to a broader teen audience, and importantly, provide more opportunities for students to offer advice and share stories with one another,” added Roberts.
In addition to providing objective content for students, the site has a section for parents and guidance counselors. The goal is to offer adults networking opportunities and help build relationships among all parties involved in the college planning process.
“Our research shows that teens are going both online and offline for information and want multiple platforms to receive content,” added Roberts. “The Web site and The Next Step Magazine will each have their own unique features, yet have synergy, driving traffic to one another.”
About The Next Step Magazine
The Next Step Magazine is distributed in more than 20,500 high schools and read by more than 900,000 students in 50 states. Next Step Publishing also produces higher-education planning guides for parents, transfer students, adults, and school counselors, and a bilingual Latino edition. The Next Step Magazine is headquartered in Rochester, New York, where the first issue was published in May 1995.
