Trends That Fellow Publishers See Coming Your Way
Ten SIPA members spotlight a trend or path that they see a need to lock onto in the coming months.
1. Lucretia Lyons, President, Business Valuation Resources, LLC
Expand our definition of marketing. This means embracing the “new” such as social media, etc., but also—and I would say just as importantly—reconsidering channels such as direct mail, press releases, glossy sales packages, brochures and white papers (that’s one in between new and old). We’ve been primarily dependent on email marketing and must diversify. We’re getting aggressive about segmenting our database more effectively as well; we want to transform the “blast everyone” effort into three of four more targeted messages about even one product. Our goal is to make this SOP with our 30,000 name core marketing file.
2. Bob Coleman, Publisher, Coleman Publishing
I think we need to produce a daily live Internet streaming show next year.
3. Florin Campeanu, General Manager, Rentrop & Straton
What we discovered this year was a decrease of the interest in loose-leafs. Nearly everything which means long-term subscription (12, 24 months) is rejected. We tripled the number of new products because we need “guns. Lots of guns,” as Keanu Reeves said [in The Matrix].
Note: Lyons, Coleman and Campeanu will all be part of the Best Ideas session panel at the Nov. 10-12 SIPA Marketing Conference in Miami.
4. Stephanie Eidelman, Publisher, Kaulkin Media
I really believe that over the coming years we will not be able to rely so much on email and on the written word. People are so bombarded with information choices, and with so much SPAM, that they are becoming numb. Also, younger people just don’t use email the way “we” do. (I recognize there is a wide range in SIPA of who “we” are). We are trying to think ahead about how we can create and deliver information in new ways.
5. Dave Garrett, President and CEO, gantthead.com
Online or off, I think there are definite trends based on audience demands and expectations that we all have to be mindful of.
– An expectation of deeper engagement, higher value experiences—whether that’s online via video, events, etc., or offline through higher-touch, more interactive events. Anything flat will be in decline.
– “Don’t waste my time” is another trend I’ve seen. This means smaller chunks of content, writing with economy and purpose, and making benefits very clear to the reader or end user.
6. Lisa Getter, Editorial Director, UCG
Subscribers want information that is precisely responsive to a specific challenge they’re facing. This means more emphasis on building searchable knowledge-bases that allow targeted and timely delivery of content. We are also viewing our competitors much more broadly than in years past. The next niche publisher might not be as big a competitor as the government, blogs and other free content providers. Readers don’t need us for news; what they need is smart, instructional and analytical content and proprietary data.
7. Ed Coburn, Publishing Director, Harvard Health Publications
As I mentioned in my President’s address in June, I believe the iPad ushers in a new era in publishing on a scale that is comparable to the Gutenberg press 400 years ago. Developing mobile publishing strategies that make effective use of the technologies AND meets the evolving information consumption preferences of our customers is a critical step to future success.
8. Michael McLarney, Managing Director, NRHA Canada, Editor & President, Hardlines Inc.
Our company slogan or tagline has nothing to do with news or publishing. It’s “Connecting the Home Improvement Industry.” In this era of email, voicemail and Facebook, we continue to find ways to connect the industry, whether through our conference, executive breakfasts or our international buyer forums.
9. Anne Holland, Publisher, Anne Holland Ventures Inc.
I think it’s a great time for M&As. There are SIPA publishers who are ready to sell either because maybe they’ve reached retirement age and they’d like someone good to take on their baby, or because they aren’t sure how to grow their publications in the Internet age, and they’d rather have someone else take on the challenge. Publishers like myself see a lot of opportunities.
10. Amir A. Khosrodad, President, Cranium Softworks
– Search: Everything on the publisher’s website must be open to Google search. The content delivery engine must allow Google to index password-protected pages and then give visitors only a preview. Andrew Madden from Google discussed this at the SIPA conference last June and now it’s becoming a reality.
– eLearning: Your corporate subscribers want the metrics to confirm that they are getting value from the publisher’s website.
– Mobile: Just as the publishing industry is starting to understand and manage challenges and opportunities in the age of the Internet, a new wave is about to hit. The onslaught of mobile devices is simply inevitable, and it’s going to re-shape how people consume content.
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Want to hear more important trends that you need to lock onto?
SIPA has two Chapter networking events coming up in October
that you should definitely attend:
Thursday, October 14th, 6:30 p.m.
A Networking Dinner With SIPA President Guy Cecala
Presented by the SIPA Northern California Chapter
An informal forum where you can share, learn and meet with fellow publishers,
and Guy Cecala, CEO of Inside Mortgage Finance Publications, Inc.
Il Fornaio, 1265 Battery Street
Levi’s Plaza, San Francisco
Tuesday, October 19, 8-9:30 a.m.
Capital Content Network Breakfast
The Outlook of the Information Industry for 2011
Speaker: Anthea Stratigos, Co-founder, Outsell, Inc.
The Kiplinger Building
1729 H Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
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