The E-mail Publishing Paradigm (486 words)

Answers that can help get the creative wheels rolling

The impact of the Internet on the publishing industry as a content delivery and distribution channel is unquestioned.

At first many editors believed content could be transferred directly from print to the Web with little editing. It was the sophisticates in the group who realized the medium required a new set of publishing rules.

In those halcyon days, page views were king. Publishers generated their Internet revenues by charging advertisers high CPMs to reach their audiences. Publishers reaped tremendous benefits by providing readers with many editorial routes. But readers found it challenging to sift through the maze of links to find the most useful information.

The scenario is different today. With the demise of the subscription agent channel, circulation managers are pressured to meet their rate-base challenges and reach revenue goals. Similarly, the advertising crash caused many marketers to adopt a “banner is dead” mentality. Publishers who previously staffed their ‘Net operations with dedicated editors to produce original content were finding the advertising marketplace had no appetite for double- or triple-digit advertising CPMs. This radical shift in Internet publishing caused many traditional publishers to pull the plug on their online operations.

In the midst of this volatility, others saw the rising importance of yet another distribution channel, one that finally would deliver the one-to-one communication promise of the Internet—e-mail publishing. Like the print publishing channel, e-mail provides content suppliers with a strong connection to interested readers. E-mail publishing allows suppliers to push relevant content to readers, increase overall reader loyalty and create more opportunities for transactions. Readers now give content providers a range of preferences, from the desired frequency of communication to the specific content needed. The ensuing e-mail dialogues open valuable conversations and encourage readers to interact with their information providers.

Marketing Opportunities

E-mail offers enormous opportunity not only for readers but for publishers, as well. As advertising budgets continue to face intense scrutiny, marketers need cost-efficient ways to reach prospects.

E-mail publishers can provide targeted opportunities to reach these prospects via e-mail newsletters, alerts, guides and bulletins. Sponsorship of these units may be more expensive than what marketers are used to paying for interactive banners, but because of its relevance, targeting and response rates, it’s unarguably an attractive opportunity.

Also, new technologies are advancing the production and distribution of more effective and relevant products in real time. Automation capabilities trigger and deliver specific messages based on an event (e.g., subscription sign-up), and dynamic content-assembly engines build messages on a true one-to-one basis. Furthermore, with relevancy being the watchword of all communication media today, e-mail delivers real-time reporting and analysis that measures the effectiveness of not only subject lines, but also the overall performance of each editorial element.

Publishers cannot afford to ignore the inherent strengths of e-mail.

Al DiGuido is CEO of e-mail communications firm Bigfoot Interactive. Reach him at adiguido@bigfootinteractive.com.