Tuesday, June 25, 2013

SIIA UK quickly yields actionable content and ideas

SIPAlert newsletter

Tuesday, June 25, 2013; Vol. 4, Issue 97
The Global View

Gleaning the best from publishers in the UK and beyond

Actionable learning from across the pond
By Ronn Levine

SIIA UK has accelerated quickly since its formation a few months ago. Carolyn Morgan, who ran the very well-respected Specialist Media Show, has done a wonderful job of putting content and conferences together. The first Digital Content and Media Summit will take place Sept. 23-25 in London. For North Americans, if you ever had designs on a trip to Europe, this would be the time to combine some business and pleasure. September is a perfect month to go - the weather is still good and airfares can cost much less than summer.

I spoke last week with Julian Turner, CEO of Electric Word, in London, and learned right away that many of the publishing issues here in the U.S. have the same impact in the U.K.: finding the right verticals (education, healthcare and sports business are Electric Word’s focus); managing staffs (Turner articulated the differences between large and small); subscriptions vs. site licenses and memberships (Electric Word has six hubs); and working out the details of tablets and mobile (Turner has found problems sending to hospitals but believes his mobility improves with each new vertical).

There will be an Issue Brief in London on July 3, on the topics of Monetizing Mobile Publishing with case studies on the British Journal of Photography, Fade to Black, PR Newswire, Lexis Nexis and CQ Rollcall. Stay tuned for reports from that day.

At the first SIIA UK Issue Brief earlier this month, attendees got an insider view on the latest subscription marketing techniques from Carola York of Jellyfish Publishing and Robin Crumby of Melcrum. Morgan reported on some of the main insights from the session:

1. Make print and digital choices clear. Keep the options for print and digital bundles simple, and maybe highlight the best offer, but allow readers to choose. And don’t assume people viewing your marketing on mobile devices want a digital subscription. Ask.

2. Follow your best prospects online – remarketing works. Many people don’t buy first time around, or abandon a basket part-way through. These are your best prospects, so don’t let them go. York explained how publishers can use Google Display network to follow prospects around the web with either text only or image based ads. Prospects can be offered a special deal, ideally with a time limit.

3. Make a compelling offer. Keep your subs landing page uncluttered, and apply a time limit to the offer if you can. Provide instant gratification such as a free article or report download as soon as the order is made.

4. Test social media channels. If you have an email list, you can use Facebook Custom audiences to serve very specific ads to these people within Facebook. This is small scale but has worked for Jellyfish clients. Integrating your Google + page into your PPA ads does grow click through rates. Youtube has also proven effective – you can have a short ad before targeted videos and only pay for those that are fully viewed. Works well for publishers with content rich videos plus offer at end.

5. How to sell high-value subscriptions online. Direct online marketing channels work well for subscriptions up to £250 ($386), but for higher ticket B2B subs, the role of online marketing shifts to lead generation. Crumby of Melcrum uses web content, SEO. PPC and social to create a large pool of prospects, then captures emails via webinars, e-letters and report downloads, and then those who complete an enquiry form are followed up by sales people. With good analytics you can track back to see which traffic driving activities ultimately deliver quality leads.

6. When selling corporate level subs, track the activity of all employees of that organization, to identify heavy users, and market to them, ideally enlisting a groundswell of support for a corporate subscription.

You’ll read much more from SIIA UK as the summer progresses, as more and more speakers sign on for the Digital Content and Media Summit.  Book by July 1 to save £300 ($463) on your registration. Plan a vacation - it’s a great deal.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Wednesday, July 3, London
Issue Brief on Making Key Decisions on Mobile

Wednesday, July 10
1 - 2:30 pm Eastern - Webinar
Book of Models Ch. 7 - Conferences and Exhibitions
Once you have learned the guidelines, in-person
events can be lucrative and audience-building.
Free for SIPA and SIIA members!
Register now!

Sept. 23-25, London
Digital Content and Media Summit
One Wimpole St., London
Come to SIIA's premier UK digital conference!
Check out the details!

Dec. 11-13, Las Vegas
SIPA Marketing Conference
Details to come!

 


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