Why should you produce a magazine?
We know that the printed magazine used to rule supreme as a marketing tool. However, we also know that the once so mighty publishing industry is one that is in decline. So does it make sense for anyone to produce or advertise in a magazine anymore?
The answer is yes…maybe. You see, it depends on the product or service you’re promoting, who your target audience is and where your company stands within the market. Publishing is not so much in decline as in a process of adjustment. It had grown too big and there were too many different magazine titles competing with one another by the nineties and noughties, so just as the industry peaked the internet came along and changed the playing field. Today, it is online marketing that leads the way in a growing field with much growth potential still ahead of it, yet while the print world is downscaling and finding a new equilibrium level you would be wrong to think there is no longer a need for printed media.
Proactive marketing
Online marketing has become a necessity and a budget priority, but as it proliferates, people will start to look for other ways to stand out from the crowd. In a proto-digital age the dynamic is all about digitalising, but in a digital world the trend will be towards personal contact, ‘real’ tactile experiences and even a break from all things electronic and virtual. Magazines can play a part in this, and they have the advantage of being a proactive tool. Building a website is a little like opening a shop. You work hard to make it the best it can be and then do a lot of promotion to make it noticed and attract clients, but like a shop a website is a wonderful place waiting for someone to walk through the door – or in this case type in a keyword search.
A magazine – and here we assume that it does your brand proud – provides a useful platform for communicating your message. Moreover, it offers a means of reaching your target audience that is more proactive, enabling you to take the initiative and distribute the publication at points of contact for your target audience. In the case of property companies in Marbella, for example, this can mean distributing your publication in hotel rooms, rental properties, restaurants, waiting rooms and a host of other spots. Some also mail their magazines, but either way it is a representative, active form of marketing that says a lot about your company/product/service and also serves as a point of distinction, as not everyone has the resources to produce a well-crafted promotional publication.
Manifesto Design is a specialist in producing branded magazines, brochures, lifestyle publications and other printed media forms as well as being an expert in online marketing and content provision, so in the next article I will focus on how to make a publication that communicates your message accurately and maximises your marketing reach and impact.
