Recent Publishing Executive articles provide some answers for multiplatform media companies with questions
Finding the right formula as a multiplatform media publisher means experimenting with methodologies while maintaining a disciplined approach to content. In other words, rotating tactics around a solid strategic core.
Sometimes, this is easier said than done, so it helps to know that a) other companies are dealing with the same issues and b) trade magazines like Publishing Executive are on your side. Let’s take a look at three of its recent articles for some tips on responding to multiplatform media trends.
Where Does Social Fit Into Your Multiplatform Media Plans?
Publishing Executive‘s Ellen Harvey recently interviewed Grow Socially CEO John Foley about social strategy for multiplatform media companies. Among other questions, Harvey asked Foley how to define a social media strategy and what social goals publishers should be setting.
“There are two major components to a social media strategy; the strategic overview, and then the daily/weekly/monthly tactical plans. The strategic overview should cover the goals that your business wants to achieve by using social media. The tactical plan is the actual nuts and bolts, but you compare that plan to those goals to be sure that you are on track. This probably sounds simple, but it isn’t always the case,” Foley tells Publishing Executive.
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“There is no easy answer for this, for a few reasons. First of all, you’re all going to have some variation of your overall goals. Second, each social channel needs its own goals because the way we interact in the various social networks is so different, as is the content we post. To generalize, however, I’d say that most of you are going to have some or all of the following: brand awareness, website traffic, repeat visitors, sentiment (positive/neutral/negative), sales inquiries and leads, and finally, conversions.”
Why Is Mobile So Challenging for Some Publishers?
For one, writes Stephen Masiclat of Syracuse University’s New Media Management program, publishers are wrestling with a new kind of audience engagement. Swiping through articles and scrolling through headlines and sports scores fuels large consumption segments.
We couldn’t agree more. As Don wrote in a recent post about how digital publishing will save the industry, “If you’re not producing content someone can read while they wait for their spouse in the store, or while they’re casually ignoring a boring date, then what are you doing?”
But Masiclat says this can make revenue generation difficult via traditional advertising models, and the advertising options that are available are non-standardized to the point of being both overwhelming and underwhelming for marketers.
The key word there is “traditional.” As viewability, video, and app technology evolve, we’re confident that mobile monetization for multiplatform media companies will, too.
Masiclat also mentions how publishers must develop a better relationship with data in order to build better mobile products, and we agree. He stresses experimentation and cites the new Pangaea Alliance, a publisher-formed programmatic ad exchange, as an example of creativity and tech coming together.
What Are the Top 5 Digital Magazine Trends to Watch Out For?
According to Publishing Executive’s Ron Matejko, they are:
1. The Magazine App as Mobile Content Hub
2. Native vs. Newsstand
3. Phablets
4. Video
5. Innovation, in the Form of the Apple Watch, Analytics, and Even Holograms
We like Ron’s style!
Do you have any questions about developing a multiplatform media plan? Download our free Multiplatform Publishing Strategy Handbook today and contact us for more help!
To read more about multiplatform media industry trends, visit Publishing Executive.
