When it comes to digital presence, publishers are often aiming at a moving target. The expectations for online offerings are rapidly changing. It wasn鈥檛 that long ago many publishers slapped a PDF on their website, called it good, and the customer was happy. Now, this outdated style will have website visitors laughing (at you, not with you).
As the battle for reader attention continues, content hubs are becoming a necessary one-stop-shop. Andrew Shackelford, a 抖荫短视频 sales representative, is an experienced business development and marketing leader. He defines a content hub as 鈥渁n online brand presence that leverages the value of content to achieve organizational marketing goals.鈥
It doesn鈥檛 hold all the extras of a website 鈥 content hubs are focused specifically on end use. Everything on your content hub should be relevant to that audience.
The most important part of a content hub is good content 鈥 you won鈥檛 be successful without it. This is especially true for niche publishers.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all about content, because you鈥檙e a publisher,鈥 Shackelford said. 鈥淵ou are the undisputed expert of that content.鈥
Check out magazine as a good example. They use timely content to keep their brand in the forefront of the reader鈥檚 mind 鈥 delivered via email and their website. And they have reason to take pride in their website; a redesign helped them meet circulation goals in one quarter.
Constantly coming up with new content can be exhausting. It鈥檚 OK for publishers to disaggregate and combine existing material, as Don Peschke explained at the 10th annual Niche media conference. Everything you鈥檝e created has 鈥渘uggets鈥 of information. You can pull these pieces out of the original content and share them on your content hub.
Over time, you鈥檒l collect an enormous amount of this information. It can be combined in new ways to create something completely different.
A publisher鈥檚 content hub will have two sides to that content. The first is what is available to the public. This can be curated and commented, custom or user-submitted via options like ratings and polls.
The second is members-only. Here is where you can provide archived information and paid content. Obviously, putting information behind a paywall causes engagement to drop. Still, it鈥檚 frequently a good idea to have something reserved for members.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 want to give away all of your content for free,鈥 Shackelford said. But you still need something to draw in readers in the first place. 鈥淕ive just enough of it away.鈥
The percentage of content available behind the paywall should really depend on your publication. If you provide a lot of specific knowledge, drawn from experts, put it behind a paywall. If it鈥檚 something readers could easily find elsewhere for free, leave it out in the open.
Marketing is a major component of a niche publisher鈥檚 content hub. It can be divided into three major groupings: product sales, subscription sales and advertising. Each of these carries its own value, and it varies depending on the sales model.
If you鈥檙e using product sales, would your content hub benefit from private-label products or advertiser products? Most likely it鈥檚 a combination of the two, but your sales model will determine what鈥檚 right for you.
You also want your content hub to drive subscription sales.
Ideally, you鈥檒l be able to quickly capture email addresses as a means of lead generation. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 adding to your product sales funnel, that鈥檚 adding to your ad sales funnel, or your circulation sales funnel, depending on what they鈥檙e looking for,鈥 Shackelford said.
There are a few ways to get visitors to hand over their email address through a value proposition. You could offer a new member package kit consisting of advertiser samples. Another option is a drawing for a high-value giveaway.
Advertising should be done carefully. You build relationships with your audience, sponsors and advertisers. Label your advertising, and remember you are allowed to turn down sponsored content. Shackelford warned not to sacrifice your content hub鈥檚 perceived trustworthiness over a dollar. If you鈥檙e not sure how much of your content hub should be made up of advertising, survey readers.
Drive people to your content hub with various tools.
Shackelford is a big fan of mobile publishing apps.
鈥淎pps are a great way to aggregate all the content into one location. I love apps because they keep the reader as a captive audience.鈥
Once a reader is on the app, they have to quit it to visit anything else. However, on the website it鈥檚 easier to move on to something new. Apps are a great way to increase engagement and serve as an additional platform to publish content. They also give you another platform with which to sell.
Shackelford said to think of your app as an ultra-engagement tool. For example, he is a fervent Michigan State sports fan. He has an app with content published by three different newspapers.
鈥淚 bet you I鈥檓 on that app five times a day,鈥 he said. The appeal comes from ease of use and ease of access. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot easier on a smartphone, which is where everyone is consuming content.鈥
Once your content hub is established, build an app that will draw in readers.
Shackelford鈥檚 advice for social media: 鈥淧ublish teasers to the content on a regular basis.鈥
There鈥檚 an enormous variety of social media available, with vastly different users. Facebook is king for the general public, but each form has its own .
It鈥檚 not difficult to decide which is right for your publication 鈥 ask your audience which platform they prefer.