Archive for the ‘business strategy’ Category
Twelve tips for 2012 for specialist publishers
Sunday, January 15th, 2012The speed of technology change in media is accelerating, and consumers are adapting their behaviour and expectations. Whilst apparently daunting for the niche, independent consumer or b2b publisher, the reality is that there are now more opportunities than ever before to publish content on many channels worldwide and make money.
And the development of low-cost services, revenue share agreements and cloud based software are making new channels accessible to smaller media owners. Plus the good news is that niche audiences are far more loyal, want to connect with each other, and are willing to spend on their personal or professional interests.
This creates a fabulous opportunity for nimble, innovative media businesses to experiment and reach new audiences, long before the media leviathans have got round to calling a board meeting.
I’ve been lucky enough to meet some very inspiring specialist publishers this year, as clients, members of the Specialist Media Network I run on LinkedIn, or speakers at the Specialist Media Conference. I recently published a version of this article on the Specialist Media Show site: my twelve tips for budding Media Pioneers in 2012. (more…)
Tags: content management systems, ecommerce, specialist communities, tablet magazines
Posted in b2b, business strategy, consumer, content, marketing
Revolutionary ideas for digital publishing strategy
Sunday, November 27th, 2011Traditional (ie print) consumer and b2b publishers have embraced online publishing, but are now having to get to grips with mobile devices and managing readers and subscribers over multiple digital channels. This week I attended an event hosted by eZpublish and spoke at the PPA Content Managers Forum on mobile publishing. The two discussions raised some radical ideas for publishers aiming to integrate their various media channels: (more…)
Tags: Circdata, digital publishing, eZpublish, online subscriptions, personalised content, PPA, retail, Specialist Media Network
Posted in b2b, business strategy, consumer, content, marketing
How to prioritise which digital media channels to publish on
Sunday, November 20th, 2011Last week I ran a Digital Publishing Masterclass for a small group of niche publishers, who knew they needed a digital strategy but felt overwhelmed by the sheer range of opportunities available. Not only did they need to plan their web content and select what was free and what should be paid-for, but they also had to select the right mix of mobile channels, across iOs, Android, Kindle and other smartphone app stores. Plus there’s the task of co-ordinating social media and managing and extending an email database. We spent all day reviewing the options, but if you want a quick steer, here’s a set of four criteria which should help identify the top priorities: (more…)
Tags: digital publishing, iPad apps, Kindle, niche publishers, online subscriptions, specialist media
Posted in b2b, business strategy, consumer
How a niche publisher migrated a print title to ipad
Sunday, October 2nd, 2011Niche magazine publishers are experimenting with tablet and iPad editions all over the place, but most are consumer specialist and are considering their tablet magazine as an additional revenue stream to their print subscriptions. I was quite impressed, therefore, to find an independent b2b publisher that not only had launched a free b2b app that was wholly ad-funded, but was seriously considering moving completely to that channel and dropping print. Oh, and he developed the app in-house. You can read more about Sam Spurdens and LOOP digital media in this article about the 2012 Media Pioneers. But in this article I wanted to analyse why this move works for him - and could be worth consideration by other niche publishers. (more…)
Tags: digital publishing, iPad edition, LOOP digital media, Media Pioneers, P1 magazine, Specialist Media Network
Posted in b2b, business strategy, content
Ten reasons for niche publishers to experiment on iPad
Sunday, September 25th, 2011Independent publishers in specialist markets could be forgiven for thinking that there is no way they can access tablet publishing, but there are increasing numbers of suppliers offering low-cost routes for niche publishers to test this channel. Larger companies may sneer at replica apps, but if you suspect there is an international audience for your content, they are a simple way to test the market. Here’s ten good reasons you should consider testing iPad publishing: (more…)
Tags: Apple newsstand, digital publishing, ipad, ipad subscriptions, magazine apps, specialist publishers
Posted in b2b, business strategy, consumer, content, marketing
5 reasons specialist publishers should experiment with Kindle
Monday, September 19th, 2011Niche publishers are understandably focussed on iPad and tablet opportunities, but it’s worth taking time to explore the Amazon Kindle platform as it provides some interesting and potentially lucrative digital publishing options, all at a much lower development and production cost than apps. Here’s five reasons you should experiment with Kindle. (more…)
Tags: Amazon, digital subscriptions, Kindle, Kindle for periodicals, Kindle singles, Singletrack, specialist publishers, Spectator
Posted in business strategy, content, marketing
Mobile publishing in specialist markets: a practical guide
Sunday, June 19th, 2011Mobile devices are growing explosively, so even niche publishers have to look at the opportunity for mobile publishing. Where, though, do you start? I’ve developed a practical approach, based on case studies presented at the Mobile Media Strategies conference on June 14.
Why can’t publishers ignore mobile? Because the numbers are growing so fast. According to Screeen Digest, in the UK there are already 12m users of iOS, including ipod touch, iphone and ipad; within 3 years this will reach 18m. Across Europe the Apple App store dominates with 82.5% of total revenues of 1.6bn euros. Android is growing its share of smartphones, although the tablet market is still 97% Apple. And everyone is using mobile more and more for business email, social media, research, shopping - and pure entertainment.
So here’s a practical approach for niche publishers to develop a mobile publishing strategy: (more…)
Tags: app data collection, app pricing, app production, app subscriptions, Bonnier Magplus, Economist app, Good Food app, ipad editions, mobile apps, mobile editions, mobile publishing, mobile web-sites, Specialist Media Network, Telegraph app
Posted in b2b, business strategy, consumer, content