Print Subscriptions - An All Access Pass!
Your Print Subscription Can Be an All-Access Pass to Exclusive and Essential Branded Content. Here’s How.
We live in a set-and-it-and-forget-it world.
But what you really want is your readers to set it and remember it. Be captivated by your publication. Eagerly anticipate its arrival.
How do you do that in a digital marketing space—and monetize it?
Through omnichannel marketing.
In essence, omnichannel marketing is an integrated brand experience across multiple online and offline channels. For a publication-based brand, those channels might include social media, an email newsletter, ebooks, a website or landing pages, online events, and of course the print products.
Omnichannel marketing is effective because a customer or reader who engages across multiple channels is more likely to spend money and share your content with others.
What differentiates omnichannel marketing from multi-channel marketing is an emphasis on brand cohesion, customer experience, and human connection. Over 35% of customers expect to be able to contact the same customer service representative on any channel. You need a well-developed brand identity and consistently impeccable customer service at each touchpoint.
Remember, content is king. That’s what you sell, so you’re already ahead of the game. Here are five ways to drive subscriptions to your publication through omnichannel marketing.
Teach teach teach.
If content is king, actionable insights are the keys to the castle. Give your readers more than they buy.
Keep your market research up to date. Deeply understand your readers, and speak to what they need. If you publish a catalog, include articles about how to use your products to solve consumer problems. If you publish a newspaper or magazine, write fresh, original content with a point of view and a strong voice. Use subject matter experts connected in the community or the industry.
To hook your reader, think outside the old structure. Put opinions and analysis upfront, news and features in the back.
Encourage personal branding.
Pay your writers and staff to develop their personal brands on company time. Don’t require it, but if your smart, interesting employees want to build a following on LinkedIn, TikTok, or Instagram—with your brand in their bio—encourage them to do it. Customers connect with people, not with companies, so let your people speak for you in an authentic and high-level way.
Developing this strategy takes a conscious focus within your organization’s culture and some light-touch monitoring, but the potential revenue is worth it.
Put yourself out there.
Newspapers and magazines have leveraged awards and events for years. Recognizing and celebrating people and projects in your core segments is a feel-good way to gather fans and increase engagement with your corresponding special publications.
But plan ahead, please. There’s nothing more demoralizing than begging people to buy tickets or nominate peers at the last minute. If events are going to be part of your omnichannel marketing strategy, choose productions that appeal to your customer base, integrate seamlessly with your publications, and have the potential to convert new customers.
Collect, update and utilize data.
At every touchpoint, collect email addresses, phone numbers, and mailing addresses. Use the data to segment your customers and offer tailored product offerings. Use variable data printing to customize publications to customer interests. Print QR codes on the front of your publication to drive readers to a landing page that can collect unique interest data for use in your future marketing efforts.
Don’t miss the opportunity to offer something of value when you request customer info. Give away freebies and exclusive information on your website in exchange for email addresses, demographics, and survey responses.
Put print in its place.
Your print publication should be at the center of an omnichannel subscription-based media strategy. First and foremost, your print product should be attractive and irresistible. Then take full advantage of low-cost, high potential touchpoints like social media, blogging, and personal brand to raise your publication’s profile. Create value-added products such as email newsletters, ebooks, and online courses.
Some copy from your print publication can and should be repurposed on other channels, but a good practice is to always be creating fresh content.
Journal Graphics offers fully interactive and dynamic online publications and customized mailing services for your subscriptions.
Offer a free subscription with every ebook sold, or give away a free ebook with every subscription.
Offer a subscription with each event ticket or a set of event tickets with each subscription.
Offer a weekly email newsletter with each app download if you have an app.
Come to think of it—develop an app, too!
Expand the definition of your subscription model. Think of it as an all-access pass to your exclusive and essential branded content. Companies with extremely strong omnichannel customer engagement see a 9.5% year-over-year increase in annual revenue, compared to 3.4% who do not incorporate enough channels. If you stay consistent with your quality, offerings, and customer experience, expect them to clamor for more and refer new readers for years to come.
Hit the presses at Journal Graphics to jumpstart your omnichannel marketing subscription service today.