Archive for the ‘content’ Category
What media owners can learn from the hospitality industry
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010I’ve long believed that a specialist media owners’ greatest asset is not their content but their audience’s attention. Once you have built a community of interest it is much easier to find new products and services to sell to them, and even find ways to get them to pay to contact each other. Miles Galliford of Subhub has long been a proponent of this view, and a discussion he started on the Specialist Media Network on Linked-in moved in some interesting directions - read on to discover what a media business can learn from the hospitality industry, and the importance of valuing and entertaining your audience… (more…)
Tags: audience, Colin Bradshaw, content, entertaining visitors, events, hosting an event, Miles Galliford, networking, Penmaen Media, Specialist Media Network
Posted in b2b, business strategy, consumer, content, events
Online subscriptions secrets of a media pioneer
Sunday, July 11th, 2010Developing a content-based online subscription business is the holy grail for many specialist publishers. The latest winner of the Media Pioneers awards, organised by the Specialist Media Show to recognise innovative and entrepreneurial media businesses, has quietly established a community of paying subscribers who visit her site at least weekly. Read on to discover her experiences and learn tips for your own subscription business… (more…)
Tags: content, databases, Jancis Robinson, Media Pioneers, online subscriptions, paid-for content, specialist media show
Posted in business strategy, consumer, content
What makes a compelling consumer online membership package?
Sunday, July 4th, 2010Many media businesses who publish content online for free are investigating subscription or membership packages as a way to drive revenue from their online content. It’s a bit easier for b2b publishers who can build research reports or databases or workflow tools, and are also dealing with businesses with a defined budget for information, research or lead generation. So is anyone succeeding in consumer markets? I’ve found a few examples, and identified five key elements that appear to be adding value to membership packages. What unites them is that online content alone is not enough. And discounts on products and services are expected to be offered as part of the deal. So here’s some ideas for how to add real value to the package: (more…)
Tags: archive, consumers, content, customised content, databases, members forums, mobile alerts, online subscriptions, paid-for content
Posted in business strategy, consumer, content, marketing
Bright future for specialist media: build audiences; develop many revenue streams
Sunday, June 20th, 2010What is it that unites specialist media businesses, whether they serve consumer or professional audiences, in print, events or digital or some combination of the three? Listening to the speakers in the “future of specialist media” session at the Specialist Media Show conference, I’d say the common thread is building a specialist audience, with particular interests and information needs, then finding many ways to create revenue streams around that audience, from supplying content, facilitating connections online or at events, and creating opportunities for advertisers to reach that audience. Here are the highlights of the presentations from Phil Redwood of Fusion Communciations, Miles Galliford of Subhub and Riva Elliott of PMA media training: (more…)
Tags: content, digital editions, editorial team, Fusion Communications, Miles Galliford, paid-for content, Phil Redwood, PMA Media training, revenue sources, Riva Elliott, specialist media show, Subhub
Posted in b2b, business strategy, consumer, content, events
How publishers can make digital media pay: digital editions, mobile, ipad, video
Wednesday, June 16th, 2010In the last year, the opportunities for specialist publishers to place their content in new formats has exploded. Instead of just web content, there are now multiple opportunities to package content in different ways, using video, links, and interaction to engage readers. Smartphones and e-readers are making these more portable, eroding a key differentiator between PC and print. But how on earth can content publishers make these new digital media pay, when the cost to create and distribute on new channels is still high? At the Specialist Media Show conference last month, delegates heard from four specialist media owners who believe they have found ways to profit from digital media: the Spectator, Circle, Advanstar and Factory - here are their top insights: (more…)
Tags: Advanstar, Circle Publishing, content, digital editions, Factory Media, mobile apps, Specialist Media Network, specialist media show, Spectator
Posted in b2b, business strategy, consumer, content
Bring your brand to life - events insights for media businesses
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010Traditional media businesses are increasingly taking their brands into live events - whether big consumer shows at the NEC or niche conferences. But this requires a whole new set of skills to acquire. I recently brought together a group of events organisers and publishers who are making print, events and digital work together - they are the speakers for the events session at the Specialist Media Show on 25 May at Exec Peterborough. Here are some of the insights from Trevor Foley of tfconnect, Claire Jenkinson of RBI conferences, Peter Harris of Centaur, Mark Elliott of Time Out and Andrew Mercer of Exec Peterborough. (more…)
Tags: Centaur, conferences, databases, digital integration, event launches, events, Exec Peterborough, RBI, specialist media show, tfconnect, Time Out
Posted in b2b, consumer, content, events
How publishers can profit from digital media
Monday, May 3rd, 2010Digital editions, e-readers, ipads, mobile, video…for print-based publishers are they all a way to get sucked into creating expensive content for a small audience that is reluctant to pay? Or have some pioneering publishers found a clever route through the hype to drive real value? I chaired a meeting earlier this week with a cross-section of specialist media owners and digital media gurus that made me think there were some potentially profitable options available. I was planning the “profiting from digital media” session at the Specialist Media Show conference. Our host was Ben Greenish, MD of the Spectator, and we were joined by Graeme Gourlay, MD of Circle Publishing, Peter Houston of Advanstar, Mark Stubbs of Pixel Mags, Graham Duffill of the Digital Publishing Company, and Fiona Ryder of Stream Exchange. You can hear them all speak at greater length at the Specialist Media Show on 25 May 2010, and even question them youself, but here’s a taste of how they feel small specialist media owners can use digital media to advantage: (more…)
Tags: content, digital editions, ipad magazines, online subscriptions, online video, paid-for content, publishers, specialist media show
Posted in b2b, business strategy, consumer, content, marketing