Posts Tagged ‘archive’
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
Search engine optimisation made easy
Thursday, May 14th, 2009Whether you’re a small business optimising your own site for search engines in your spare time, or a larger business wondering whether to spend a small fortune with an SEO agency, it’s easy to get bewildered by the options available. Here’s a simple starter kit of tips for basic search engine optimisation, inspired by an ex-colleague of mine, Simon Penson, who learnt his craft on the website of Todays Golfer Magazine, and now works with a range of clients on SEO research and copywriting. The Emap specialist interest sites we launched together grew their traffic almost entirely through content-driven SEO and spent very little on paid marketing. My own view on SEO is that it helps enormously if you are either a wordsmith yourself, or know a good journalist, so you can incorporate your keywords without distorting the copy. (more…)
Tags: archive, blogging, content, keywords, linking, search engine optimisation, SEO, traffic
Posted in SME digital marketing, content, marketing, news
Five warning signs for magazine publishers
Tuesday, April 7th, 2009Yesterday two more established print titles closed; Dennis’ Maxim is now online-only (see Brand Republic)and the ex-journalist’s bible UK Press Gazette has closed completely, as its publisher can’t find a way to make money on the web (see Paid content). Meanwhile newspapers over in the US are closing and one blogger is mapping their decline. This sort of news no doubt puts a shiver down the spine of many traditional publishers. Here I list five warning signs that your publication could be on the danger list, and suggest what you could do now to avert disaster. (more…)
Tags: advertising, archive, Arena, content, magazine closures, market position, Maxim, media brand, online strategy, paid-for content, Press Gazette, proposition, subscriptions, US newspaper closures
Posted in advertising, b2b, business strategy, consumer, content
How to drive value from a digital archive
Thursday, March 19th, 2009Print publishers are often sitting on an unexploited asset - their archive. If they have been the authority in a particular field for decades, they will have built up a fabulous collection of images, reviews, comment and news that is of interest to enthusiasts and researchers. But it’s often languishing in boxes due to the imagined high cost of digitising it. There are now an increasing number of services for putting print or PDFs online in a low cost, and importantly searchable format. Here are five ideas for how you can monetise your archive to help you justify the investment. (more…)
Tags: archive, content, data, digital editions, paid-for content, publishing, subscriptions, top tips
Posted in business strategy, consumer, content
When can you charge for content
Tuesday, February 24th, 2009With the current decline in advertising continuing, many publishers have been re-examining where and how they can charge for online content. One extreme position is that of the Guardian, whose MD Tim Brooks has categorically said they will never charge for content.(see my recent blog on their web strategy). Other publishers, notably the FT, have tried to make a subscription model work. At the other end of the spectrum, many specialist publishers have long developed print subscriptions as a big revenue earner. Here are some ideas on how you can identify the areas where you can potentially charge for content: (more…)
Tags: archive, content, digests, games, paid-for content, product reviews, tuition
Posted in business strategy, consumer, content, opinions