A look at digital publishing changes and a glimpse into the future
This summer alone has seen some major changes that can affect the digital publishing industry. Although some of these changes won’t directly impact digital publishers, these changes may certainly change the way they operate by putting a focus on the Internet community. Let’s take a look at some of these changes.
Digital publishing change #1: Facebook bought Instagram for $1 billion. At face value, it seems very surprising. However, Facebook owning Instagram gives the social media giant a major advantage in photograph content. And since the Instragram app is popular for the iPhone, and just recently released for Android, Facebook will have a major impact with mobile users.
Digital publishing change #2: Pinterest continues to impress. If you haven’t heard, Pinterest has become the third most-popular social network, behind only Facebook and Twitter. Pinterest received nearly 20 million more visits in March than LinkedIn, which came in fourth on the most-popular list. According to Experian Marketing Services, the majority of Pinterest users are female (60%). However, compared to older data, the amount of male users has grown.
Digital publishing change #3: The Internet is more social than ever, as 91% of online adults use social media. Every demographic is engaged in social media, even the 65+ age group. If online businesses neglected social media thus far, they need to reconsider their positioning, as social media can lead to bigger, more-active audiences.
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Digital publishing change #4: Digital ad spending is expected to reach nearly 20% of global ad spend this year. It’s clear that digital advertising can lead to significant revenue generation. What kind of digital advertisements to you expect to see more of in 2012? Perhaps more digital spending will go towards social media marketing activities.
Digital publishing change #5: Google’s popularity soars, even among companies that aren’t closely aligned. Search is a social activity because people want information that they can share. Since Google informed their audience that too much SEO may get penalized in the future, the stage is set for Google’s focus to point heavily to social signals.
The future is social
More people are using social media. Social networks and apps have the chance to become extremely successful in short amounts of time; just ask Pinterest or Instragram.
Publishers need to understand which social networks are most relevant to them, and they need to develop a strategy that utilizes their archived content and attracts social interaction.
Social is clearly the direction we are headed. If you aren’t providing great content, and taking the time to communicate with your audience members, you will fail to reach the expectations of Internet users in modern times.
