Raise your productivity; know the difference between online publishing and online marketing
I was talking with our Editor and Publisher Kim Mateus the other day and an interesting question came up: What is the difference between online marketing and online publishing?
The difference is blurred for many of us, especially the publishers that are on the front lines of our websites’ marketing campaigns.
After some deep thought, we came up with the following criteria, which could help you more clearly define your business goals.
Online Marketing Defined
Online marketers buy inventory or website traffic and use it to sell their products.
That includes everything from using Google Adwords to buying banner ads. If you spend time and money getting people outside your organization to help sell your products online, you’re an online marketer.
If this description fits you, and you never really considered yourself a marketer, this should serve as a wakeup call. It’s time to start selecting proven online marketing campaigns and hitting them hard, regardless of what your official title is.
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Online Publishing Defined
Online Publishers have several criteria to meet.
- You have a name plated website that probably has an email, RSS component or some form of mass delivery
- You create original content and distribute it from your branded website or email server
- You are monetizing this website and content
When you are a genuine online publisher, your goal is to generate page views and readership, which translates into your sellable inventory.
You can monetize that inventory in three ways:
- Sell third party advertising
- Sell your products through it
- A hybrid of the first two
The line between online publishing and online marketing is inherently blurry, and it’s good if you can make it as clear as possible. Keeping a clear notion of your responsibilities is vital.
Every Online Publisher is also an Online Marketer
With that said, you’re still going to cross between both titles as an online publisher. You’ll start developing online marketing skills——it’s inevitable.
But knowing when you need to focus on publishing rather than marketing, and visa versa, is important——that’s why you should keep them as separate positions with separate goals, even if only in your mind.
Adam T. Sutton contributed to this article.
