There are many advantages of digital publishing over tradition methods. While traditional methods are still used widely, and still have their place as they sometimes bring a nostalgic feel to the audience, or are a physical presence in the hand of the audience – something the reader can actually hold in their hands; the costs per revenue outcome can be high, and the impact of traditional methods can in many ways be heavily outweighed by new digital publishing.
Audience reach and diversity
I feel the main advantage of digital publishing is the audience reach. Digital publishing has the ability to make the product or content available globally by actively leveraging the internet and social media - as it increases distribution on a global scale. Marketing a product via digital publishing also means that content can be delivered across multiple platforms and devices seamlessly. This widens the range of audiences that can be targeted with the same campaign/messaging and also means that people who would otherwise not engage with, or be aware of your product would have the opportunity to have visibility of it, could interact with it, and this massively enhances the power of the product potential in terms of driving awareness and ultimately sales.
Using different platforms of digital media publishing allows targeted messaging to be tailored to different and specific population demographics. Because digital publishing methods can touch a wider range of audience in significant higher volumes, the diversity of audiences can be harnessed to ensure messaging is focused and effective.
Access convenience
Digital marketing output is often more convenient to access for the general population, especially for more economically developed countries – where a very high proportion of the population have access to the internet; though PC’s, Laptops, Tablets and Smartphones. Publishing content to websites, or through download apps allows users to access content wherever and whenever they want to, not being constrained by needing to travel to a store to purchase a magazine or newspaper, or needing to be somewhere in order to pick up a flyer or see an advertisement.
Some social media sites use audience demographic targeting. Facebook for example targets certain demographics of its members with adverts or digital media publishing for certain brands that it knows relate to the audience lifestyle or preferences. This can be an advantage to the audience member as they can be exposed to new products that relate to their known lifestyle. This increases the potential positive impact of the advert, and reduces ‘waste’ associated with paying for advertising space which targets audiences who would never be interested in your product. This method of digital media marketing is convenient for users as it will highlight products that relate to their points of interest, or trends of social media – i.e. it is very convenient for them. It is also convenient for the company behind the marketing, as they will know content will only published to a targeted audience who express and interest in similar products, or are navigating to similar products.
Digital production content can be so much more than just pushing a message – it can invite the reader to interact with it thus providing a more immersive experience of the brand. It can also enable the audience to embark on an online journey – for example, it may allow the audience to click through to purchase the product for home delivery almost instantly. This makes the audience interaction far more convenient than access via traditional (printed) methods. Use of the digital ‘click-through’ concept is far more powerful than a printed advert which may entice the audience to think about going to a physical shop to purchase a product if and when they are next in a location where a retail outlet exists. Due to this, the revenue earning potential, leveraging the “instant access” effect, is far more powerful and has far more scale than traditional methods.
Production Costs
Production costs for digital marketing can often be cheaper. Digital marketing audiences are typically much larger than for traditional methods, so the costs for media publishing can be spread over a greater audience – making the investment more cost effective.
Changing digital content is relatively easy and cost effective across multiple platforms. Such changes have minimal production costs – making digital media publishing more efficient than traditional methods of hardcopy production.
Digital media content production could be considered far more environmentally friendly than traditional printing methods, which would require physical production of an end product (i.e. printing onto paper for magazines, flyers, newspapers). These more traditional methods also include significant costs for distribution, as well as to sales outlets who take commission for stocking the hardcopy media format. These traditional methods have costs associated with waste product that needs to be scrapped, discarded or recycled. Recycling incurs transportation costs, as well as costs associated with the energy needed to run the recycling process – this also has an environmental impact. None of these costs impact digital marketing methods.
Depending on publication output sites, there is the potential to generate new revenue streams by selling advertising space in, or as part of your publication. If a retailer has an online magazine whose primary purpose is to advertise and publicise their own products, they may be able to earn additional revenues from selling ‘pop-up’ advertising space for products from other companies. This increases the return on any cost investments they may make in media publishing.
Dynamic Information updates
Content can be updated actively, to change and adapt to current market conditions and audience dynamics. For example if there was a world news event content could be updated quickly to inform the readers, or in a situation where some published content became inappropriate it could be immediately changed or removed. The marketing team could also strengthen digital marketing messaging to support or align to a “hot topic” of news.
Alternatively if a competitor product was brought to market, or price changed, then the information in the published media about your product could be changed to overcome any advantage the competitor may gain; or the price be changed to compete more effectively. Marks & Spencer for example might choose to change the content of a digitally published advert to stress the benefits of their organic bread over a rival product from Sainsbury’s. Equally Tesco might choose to immediately change the published price of a basket of groceries to ensure it was cheaper than Sainsbury’s in an online advert, or even on advertising banners on their website. This may need to change daily as market prices for different products change so frequently.
User portability
A significant volume of media publishing content is now created with smartphone or tablet access specifically in mind. Understanding that its audience is ‘on the move’ and demands easy, quick access to content in a way that suits mobile screen format is critical for appropriate marketing. Making content available to save or download is also important to allow users to continue to access content wherever they are, even if they don’t have a Wi-Fi connection.
Use of Social media platforms to get your messages/products ‘trending’ can have a significant global impact on the success of a marketing campaign or product – both in a positive or negative way. The ability to tap into the social media ‘buzz’ and positively influence a company’s product can massively impact the outcome of a digital campaign, in a way that could never be achieved with traditional methods. Primary successful social media platforms (such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) are targeted at portable devices, which give the user access globally.
Real life application – Topshop online magazine
The Topshop online magazine gives the reader/user more than just a shopping experience – it is not just a catalogue or online store. It provides the reader with interesting fashion tips, hints supported by short articles and headline statements conveying the latest in high street fashion and style.
Bold images allow the reader to visualize the latest fashion trends, but the fact this format is online and dynamic allows the user to ‘hover’ over the pictures to reveal more information about the products displayed – i.e. price and fuller description. The content also includes possibility to navigate to view embedded interactive video’s which convey the lifestyle, and also covers celebrities discussing and promoting the brand as well as ‘Unique’ which is a Topshop fashion show. The whole experience is far more immersive and interactive than a standard online store or traditional product catalogue.
The magazine allows the user to click though to directly add products they wish to purchase to their ‘basket’ – which provides a seamless link to the more traditional digital online store experience; this will boost sales for Topshop without making the user feel like they are on an online store. It is a casual, enjoyable, easy online purchasing experience. Following purchase, or add to basket the site allows the user to easily navigate back to the Magazine content.
