Digital Buzz
In the old fashioned paper pages of the publishing industry trade magazines, the digital buzz is humming ever louder. No matter how much you try to ignore it, no matter how much you close your ears, eventually you will succumb. The noise is just too deafening. Digital magazines are not a flash in the pan; they are revolutionizing the publishing industry. And the clamour digital magazines are causing is being debated by industry experts across the world. International delegates at a conference hosted by The International Federation of the Periodical Press (FIPP) earlier this year all agreed the magazine industry will never be the same again.
Digital Magazines – Succeeding on the Web
The action at the FIPP Magazine Media 2.0 conference was reported in the April 2007 edition of Magazine World. And it was clear that digital magazines were in the thoughts of head honchos from France, Germany, Turkey, the UK and America. Didier Quillot, CEO of Lagardere Active Media in France, told delegates: "Our industry has strong assets to succeed on the web: reader communities, trusted brands, in-depth content, specific segment expertise and unique relationships with advertisers. The internet allows us to leverage those assets, extend or stretch our brand and generate revenue."
Digital Platforms
It's a no-brainer. If you have a paper and glue magazine in the real world, a digital platform can only extend your readership, build on your brand and attract advertisers. But, according to the CEO of Psychologies Magazine, Arnaud de Saint Simon, digital magazines only work if you do it properly. He told Magazine World that if you want to commit to digital magazines, you need to really commit, not just get the person who knows most about all things net-related to have a fiddle around online. You need to get the digital magazine experts on board, and you need to move fast to keep up with the shape-shifting world of Google.
Enhance your Brand
One of the biggest fears is that having a website will kill the magazine – who will buy it if it's available online? But evidence points to the fact that if you do a good job, digital magazines will in fact enhance the brand. And it isn't just the media giants who benefit. Although it's hard to avoid the publicity for the recent launch of the new online magazine version of Heat magazine, small, specialist magazines also have much to gain from quality digital magazines. Not only can the quality be enhanced, but the audience is potentially unfathomably huge. No longer are magazines victim to the market whims of supermarkets and newsagent chains, battling for shelf space. Online, the world is your oyster; a Fishing Today magazine produced and distributed in the UK might reach a small, targeted audience, but the digital magazine version could reach fishermen from Florida to France.
Digital magazines – Amenable to Sales
Niche publishers can sidestep the power of supermarkets and enjoy a new audience through digital replicas of their print editions. Digital magazines are not just more accessible, they are more amenable to sales as they are more clickable – with instant email addresses and phone numbers.
Webmags – New Business models
The online digital magazine service provided by Webmags, part of the Web Marketing Group, proves that print editions can work exactly in the same way online as they do in print, but with the additional benefits of a digital platform. Webmags now publishes online digital editions of a huge variety of magazines, including niche publications like World Textile Publications. There's no doubt that the internet has opened up the traditional print publishing trade to new business models and opportunities. Small-scale publishers can afford to go online, avoid the tyranny of supermarkets, beat the rise in postal prices and reach new audiences. Digital magazines can also boost the ABC circulation of printed magazines, attracting major new advertisers.
Figures quoted in the Guardian newspaper state that custom magazines have experienced 300% growth in turnover and ad revenue in the past decade, according to market analysts Mintel. And there's no doubt that the future will continue to see considerable change as the traditional print publishers start succumbing to the growing buzz of the digital platform.
Talk to The Web Marketing Group about digital magazines - click here or call 0845 555 5040
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