Beyond magazines

When you hear the words “custom publications”, magazines is often the first kind to come to mind. Magazines are the most familiar type of custom publication on the market, but far from the only and not always the best one to serve the purpose at hand in print or digital formats. It’s key to identify the goal of the custom project and then suit the type of project to it. Here are a two other types of custom work that serve distinct purposes.

Books

A beautiful coffee table book cannot be replaced by any digital medium. The combination of world class photography, glossy thick paper and well presented words on a lot of white space makes a slick first impression. If the business has a lobby, a book could be the perfect method of delivering that extra upscale feel to the operation. In particular, if the product for sale is expensive (such as a house, car or boat), a nice hard cover book featuring the lifestyle and history of the company makes a memorable custom gift for special clients. E-books are a great option for those who want to disseminate a lot of information quickly and easily with less expense.

Advertorials

I seem to see these less these days, although they are a great way to make use of a full or double page ad buy. Done well, they can tell a story that captivates readers and has them spending much more time with your advertisement than they otherwise would. Plus, advertorials can be repackaged for online use, printed as part of a brochure and used as content on your website to maximize the text.

Print or digital, magazine or otherwise, it’s most important that the format serves the goal.

Print has a place in content marketing

“Print is on its way to the grave,” proclaim some publishers, influential and otherwise, as the internet and mobile technologies continue to innovate at mind blowing speeds. Print is not dead, nor suffering a terminal illness. In fact, statistics from the 2009 Power of Print conference in Barcelona show that print advertising still holds the largest share of global advertising revenues.

Print definitely has a role to play in a successful content marketing strategy.

What is content marketing?

Content marketing is the creation and distribution of content designed to engage current and prospective customers by delivering valuable and relevant information that prompts buying behavior. An effective content marketing strategy will integrate the strengths of the print and other mediums in one ongoing campaign.

The benefits of print

Print content marketing commonly takes the form of magazines, newsletters, whitepapers and books. People develop close bonds with their print companions. Magazines are a trusted friend that can be curled up on the couch with. They sit on the coffee table day after day and are flipped through more than once. Print’s relationship with its readers is intimate and loyal, the medium most like a marriage.

A 2009 study by Magazines Canada showed that magazines ranked number one over any other marketing medium when it came to providing ideas, being informative, containing important details, carrying the most helpful and trusted ads and being relevant.

As a business, you can brand your own print publication that creates this same relationship with readers if you keep it credible and truly useful. The sales aspect of content marketing should be somewhat subliminal and the editorial overtly valuable. Your genuine efforts to educate your client base will be rewarded in a more loyal and profitable following.