Posts Tagged ‘specialist media’
Sunday, December 18th, 2011
Independent publishers face the same challenges as larger media organisations: how to make money from their content on the web, smartphones and tablet, but on far smaller resources. Recently I attended the PPA’s Independent publisher conference, and heard about recent developments in using social media, charging for content and innovation in print. Here’s my take on the top themes: (more…)
Tags: indpendent publishers. PPA, paywalls, QR codes, social media, specialist media, tablet magazines, watermarking
Posted in b2b, business strategy, consumer, content, marketing, news
5 Comments »
Sunday, November 20th, 2011
Last 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
15 Comments »
Sunday, July 3rd, 2011
Business to business publishers have arguably had even more of a baptism of fire from digital than their consumer colleagues. Just this week New Media Age ceased its weekly print edition and Emap has been talking about phasing out many of its print weeklies and moving almost entirely online. At the Specialist Media Conference in May, delegates heard some radical ideas and practical tips from two digital-only b2b publishers, two who have migrated from print to digital, and two who maintain both print and digital forms of their content. Here’s the highlights of their presentations, showing their metamorphosis from news sources to providers of data and analysis that support daily decision-making for their readers, requiring new skills and processes. (more…)
Tags: Advanstar, Andy Cook, Ben Heald, business to business media, Jeremy Phillips, Jeska Harrington Gould, Peter Houston, premium online paid content, Research Ltd, Sift, site licences, specialist media, Strategy Eye, VRL Financial
Posted in b2b, business strategy, content
1 Comment »
Sunday, January 16th, 2011
Over the last year, through my consultancy work, and running the Specialist Media Show, I’ve spoken to many specialist publishing businesses who are rapidly taking their publications into digital, events and other new businesses. There seems to be a new mood of optimism, of engagement with the new opportunities, and many who experimented in 2010 are now seeing their reach and revenues expand. So here are my top five tips for ambitious consumer specialist or business to business publishers, who have big plans for 2011. (more…)
Tags: advertisers, media brand, social media, specialist media, Specialist Media Network, subscriptions
Posted in advertising, b2b, business strategy, consumer, content, events, marketing
2 Comments »
Saturday, December 11th, 2010
It’s been a helter skelter ride this year for publishers working out their digital strategy. Apps have come from nowhere to a core part of the publishing toolkit in just a year. Murdoch finally implemented his paywall and had some sort of success with it. Digital editions are being reborn with the ipad and other tablets. And social media has made editors think again about how they broadcast their content and manage contributions from their readers. Joakim Ditlev of Zmags asked me to come up with some predictions for 2011; these are inevitably biased towards specialist publishers as my main constituency. Be interesting to review them in twelve months time… (more…)
Tags: digital magazines, local content, mobile subs, social media for publishers, specialist media
Posted in b2b, business strategy, consumer, content, marketing, opinions
1 Comment »
Sunday, October 24th, 2010
As commercial pressures increase on media businesses, editors are being urged to get more involved in supporting ad teams. This can be fraught with difficulties. Many “old school” editors struggle to fully understand and work within commercial constraints. As advertisers increasingly seek ways to get more involved in editorial content there is a risk they will subtly influence editorial content to suit their own marketing objectives, to the detriment of providing independent advice to readers. However, my experience of working in more specialist consumer and b2b markets shows that a commercially-minded editor with a strong specialist knowledge can dramatically improve the success of a media business across print, digital and events: (more…)
Tags: commercial partnerships, editorial integrity, editors, industry expertise, specialist media, Specialist Media Network
Posted in b2b, consumer, content, people and culture
4 Comments »
Saturday, August 21st, 2010
Media giant IPC are in the process of disposing of around 28 niche titles - like Guitar and The Railway - and reportedly are selling to several small publishers rather than as a job lot. This set me thinking about specialist media businesses and whether they actually do better under independent ownership than as part of a large media organisation. At Emap I disposed of several niche specialist magazines that were deemed to be uneconomic. They moved to independent publishers, where they were nurtured and started growing again. Here’s my thoughts on why niche media businesses can actually do better when independently owned: (more…)
Tags: Emap, independent publishers, IPC, Media Pioneers, niche titles, specialist magazines, specialist media, specialist media show
Posted in b2b, business strategy, consumer, news, opinions, people and culture
10 Comments »
Friday, January 29th, 2010
While 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
1 Comment »
Tuesday, October 6th, 2009
Most specialist media owners are well aware that consumers’ purchase journeys often start with their product reviews. It’s all too easy though for users to browse reviews online, then go to search retail sites, and the publisher gets no benefit from their content. So many specialist media owners are experimenting with ways to take a share of e-commerce revenues, without having to get involved in handling stock, taking money, despatch or returns.. There’s no perfect solution as yet, especially if you don’t have the funds or skills to develop an in-house e-commerce engine. Here are some examples of different approaches, that might provide you with some tips: (more…)
Tags: Add new tag, affiliates, e-commerce, skimlinks, specialist media, vertical search, widgets
Posted in b2b, commerce, consumer
No Comments »
