Hope for Print

Gregg Hano of the Popular Science Media Group said, "I believe the dimes and quarters will add up." He was talking about micropayments and how they will (hopefully) monetize emerging and existing digital media. His analogies were clear--people spend a lot more money without much thought on stuff that is far less valuable than content that can help people with their daily lives.

His advice was also clear. The process has to be "spontaneously easy." People won't run upstairs to grab their credit cards to pay 99 cents for an article. The payment process must accommodate impulse.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Digital Magazine Strategies

What's in the future for digital magazine editions, from Gregg Hano of Popular Science Media Group:

* Digital readers are the future. Prepare to optimize content for things like Kindle now.

* Then figure out how to monetize it. Micropayments are a likely option. Digital readers from Sony, Samsung, Plastic Logic will need carriers. Content payments can be added to bills.

* Work with advertisers to develop metrics for success. Make sure both parties are on the same page.

* E-ink readers are only 3-5 years away.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

WSJ.com Growth Strategy

Key points on the growth strategy of the Wall Street Journal Digital Network from President Gordon McLeod:

* Audience growth is linked to free and paid content working together. Not one or the other but both.

* Move users through a funnel - web visitor to registered user to subscriber to premium subscriber.

* Free, unique content feeds the funnel.

* Make web registration simple, quick. Offer additional benefits to registrants. These users are more valuable to advertisers and are more likely to move through the funnel.

* Be transparent about what is free and what is paid content.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Social Media Ideas

Ideas related to social media's integration with traditional media from Brendan Monaghan of Slate and Stephen Wellman of Ziff-Davis:
* Make it easy for people to comment o articles. Don't assume that it is.

* Content is your chief marketing tool. Editorial and marketing should be sharing info all the time.

* Should we build web pages based on where people are coming to the site from? Digg-optimized pages, for example.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Good Content Sells

(From the Audience Development Conference) Brian Wolfe of Time Inc. said strong editorial content still sells magazines. Consumers need a break from the frenetic pace and they need information organized and analyzed, he added. Content testing should be done whenever possible as long as it brings ROI. Other highlights from Wolfe:

* Respond to consumer needs like companies such as Netflix, Sirius and iTunes have done. Compare their actions to what traditional media have done for consumers (next to nothing, I say).

* Commit to training your staff, even in these down times.

* Make sure your best people are working on your best products.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Coverage of Audience Development Conference

In my job as editorial manager for the PTA national organization, I will be attending the Audience Development Conference and Expo, June 7-9 in Chicago. I will be blogging from the conference. I'll also be using Twitter (@readership101) to send updates.

 

One of the sessions I'm most looking forward to is "Digital Edition Strategies for the Next Five Years" with Gregg Hano of Popular Science Media Group. There is some buzz about digital magazines and their possibilities. I am hopeful the case studies can be useful springboards for innovation.

 

That's kind of the point of going to this conference...it's about audience. Sure, there is an emphasis on magazine (it is sponsored by Folio), but it's not about one media in particular. Sessions address the most effective ways of reaching people. Newspapers, trade publications, radio, TV, social media, etc., can all benefit from these ideas. I will try to bring some of the best back to this blog.