Publishing, perhaps more than most industries, has had to continually reinvent the way their products are created, distributed, and marketed. It can feel like the moment we catch up with technology, the game changes yet again.
Looking Ahead for Publishing
So what's next for publishing in the digital age and beyond? And what strategies can a publisher employ to stay current and relevant, not to mention plan for an unknown future.
The rapid-fire pace of advancements has redefined the way publishers look at strategy. It's no longer enough to create a solution to a problem, or design a new product and implement a linear strategy to achieve a goal. These days, it's equally important to understand user behavior: the ability to understand and predict what readers want and how they want it.
How Publishers Can Stay Relevant
Publishing is a diverse and complex industry, and so the answer to understanding user behavior is also complex and diverse, but there are some key strategies publishers should consider:
HIRE PEOPLE WHO GET IT - Nobody is better equipped to understand what current and future generations want than those who are living it. Hiring practices should keep pace with evolving demographics and technologies. The publishers who are proactive about career development now, and who are actively building new skills, will be the most successful in 5-10 years.
PRINT PUBLISHING ISN’T GOING ANYWHERE.... BUT: there is little debate about whether digital publishing will continue to emerge and grow. What has been up for some debate is whether print publishing will survive and if it does, in what form. Understanding user behavior is vital to the survival of print publishing, HOW print publishers reach their audience will be as important as what they publish. Advertising and marketing channels are becoming all about visuals: social media, video, and other online promotional strategies are critical. It's vital to continuously seek new ways of reaching readers, like YouTube ads, user-based marketing, online influencers, and building a social media following. Print publishing has to be just as versatile with digital advertising as the eBook world.
DATA IS YOUR FRIEND – LEARN TO LOVE IT! - The collection and compilation of data is the backbone to understanding user behavior, and an advantage of being online is the accessibility of data. Who is coming to your website? What are they interested in? How is your email marketing performing (ARE you using email marketing)? Are you online followers growing? If so, where and why? These data points and many more are measurable, trackable indicators of what your readers want, and how they want it.
SOCIAL, SOCIAL AND MORE SOCIAL: These days it isn't enough to be online, or on social media, it's about engaging. There are communities of readers cropping up everywhere on content distribution platforms like Medium, Quora, and BlogLovin' and Audible to name a few. Podcasts are growing like crazy, and are a terrific platform for interviews and/or advertising. The up-and-coming generations don't want to be marketed to, they want to be communicated with. For them, it's about conversation, engagement, and sharing. Publishers need to be active in the digital communities where their readers are in order to stay relevant.
How Digital Content Creators Helps Publishers Keep Pace with Emerging Technology
Let us work with you on developing your publishing strategies for the future. Whether it’s digital conversion, audio/visual inter-activities, HTML 5 development, or whatever comes next, our experienced teams will be there on the “bleeding edge” of the newest trends in media and technology.