Archive for the ‘news’ Category
Growing an online content business through building trust
Sunday, March 21st, 2010Traditional and digital publishers alike are grappling with how to build a profitable business around online content. But the old model of ad-funding isn’t enough anymore. I believe that specialist publishers can learn from the experience of small niche digital publishing entreprenueurs who have built businesses around online content. Miles Galliford, one of the founders of SubHub, an online platform for niche publishers, is currently writing a book on this subject called the Funnel of Trust. It details a step by step approach to building multiple online revenue streams that seems to work for a wide range of content entrepreneurs. I have read a pre-publication draft, as Miles is speaking at the Specialist Media Show on 25 May 2010, which I am organising, and he has kindly given permission for me to summarise his first chapter here. You can get a free PDF of the first chapter if you register to attend the Specialist Media Show. If you book a ticket to the conference you will get a copy of the final book on the day, hot off the press! Here are the key steps to profitable online content publishing: (more…)
Tags: content, e-commerce, events, marketing, Miles Galliford, online subscriptions, paid-for content, Penmaen Media, Subhub
Posted in b2b, business strategy, consumer, content, events, news
Creating an event cycle that drives content and community
Monday, March 15th, 2010Many media owners are branching out into live events - either putting forward their experts as speakers or organising their own paid events, conferences, seminars and networking sessions. Events complement online content well, especially on controversial topics where the gurus disagree, and the audience has specific questions. Participants also love to meet each other in person even if they have already made contact online. But the greatest value in events is created by planning the entire event cycle to maximise the event’s ability to create lasting content and stimulate discussion in the community well beyond the time and place of the physical event. Here are my tips on creating an event cycle: (more…)
Tags: Business Zone, community, content, event marketing, events, networking, Penmaen Media, Specialist Media Network, specialist media show
Posted in b2b, consumer, events, news
Creating a hard-working home page
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010How well does your home page sell your product or service? How many hard-won visitors do you lose by not communicating your benefits fast enough or making it easy to discover more? How can you grab the attention of the casual searcher? Here are some tips to force you to think harder about your home page, influenced by my background in magazine publishing. They are written from my experiences working with small businesses on their digital strategy, but I think the principles hold for bigger enterprises too. (more…)
Tags: homepage, landing page, SME websites
Posted in SME digital marketing, news
Innovation from specialist media pioneers
Friday, January 29th, 2010While mass media and newspapers struggle to find new business models, independent and specialist media are quietly innovating and finding new ways to beat the UK recession and expand internationally.
The Media Pioneers awards have just been launched by the organisers of the Specialist Media Show, to recognise and celebrate entrepreneurial thinking among independent and specialist media owners. Here are the stories of the first five award winners: I hope they inspire you. Get the updates on the latest award winners on the Specialist Media Network on Linked-in; they’ll also be published here and on the Specialist Media Show website. At the show the finalists will be judged. (more…)
Tags: Athletics Weekly, cricket world, Media Pioneers, myhobbystore, online subscriptions, publishers, Racing Post, specialist media, specialist media show, the french post
Posted in business strategy, consumer, news
Creating value from online video
Monday, October 12th, 2009Traditional TV broadcasters are rapidly migrating to online video. They are commissioning for online alongside TV, using the web to build audiences for broadcast shows, enhancing searchability using tags, and charging for archive access. But how can publishers create value from original video content when they lack the broadcast channel and often the production skills? How can they justify the upfront investment? At the AOP summit last week, publishers like Cnet showed that there is a way to create value from original video; here are some tips to get you started: (more…)
Tags: AOP, broadcasters, Cnet, content, inskin, video, videojug
Posted in consumer, content, marketing, news
Creating profitable communities from media brands
Monday, July 20th, 2009Media brands have always principally defined themselves in terms of the quality of the content they produce. However, an equally powerful asset is being able to create a community around a particular topic or point of view, especially a community that is appealing to advertisers. See my recent post on the media futures conference for more on the idea that media brands will be a meeting place for conversations to take place rather than just a collection of great content. So how can media owners develop profitable communities; in particular how can they create a “meeting place” that can charge an entrance fee? Media businesses will have to go far beyond the usual collection of savings, offers and discounts to create a valuable community. Here are some principles that may help you in your thinking: (more…)
Tags: access, Add new tag, belonging, contribution, exclusivity, influence, media brands, meeting place, networking, Penmaen Media, profitable communities, user content
Posted in news
