Publication planning is an essential part of your association’s overall marketing and communications strategy. Often, your print magazine is the only tangible product your members and customers receive. Many associations are faced with increased print costs and paper-sourcing difficulties, changing member demographics and declining ad revenues. This has led many publishers and associations to a conversation about reducing print production.
You may think quickly reducing your print issues will cut costs and have a fast financial impact, but the better approach is to develop a strategic plan and communication process for adjusting your publication schedule to prevent any unseen ramifications and account for factors such as lost revenue, alternative member engagement opportunities and staff time. Here are some key considerations and steps to get the process started.
1. Build your product line.
Reducing print frequency without building other product lines just means lost readers and lost revenue. It’s critical to build other product lines that meet the needs of your members and advertisers for ongoing engagement and revenue. The following questions should be addressed:
What is your digital content strategy?
Are your digital products strong enough to maintain reader engagement and support advertiser needs/expectations around digital ad spend? If not, how will you change and improve them over time?
What is the marketing plan that drives members and readers to the new product lines?
How will you consider strategic reallocation of staff time, resources and funds to improve other product lines?
2. Know your numbers.
Analyze the revenue of your current print issues and see which issues generate the most and least revenue. Are there additional print products, like a resource guide or special section, that support specific issues and generate more (or less) revenue?
You can also look at which advertisers are buying in all issues. Review the potential lost revenue for issues that may be reduced. Some ad revenue may be recaptured through other product lines.
3. Consider your ideal distribution cycle — and get feedback.
Think about whether there are certain times of the year when print communication is important from a content or brand perspective. Are there events with bonus distribution that need to be maintained? Are they the same time each year, or do they shift?
Also, consider if there are any issues that can be easily combined due to difficult publishing schedules. For example, does end-of-year schedule compression make it hard to publish multiple Q4 issues?
The next step is to get feedback from your readers and advertisers. They are key stakeholders in this process. Whether you send them a survey, host a focus group or use another method, getting their perspective on alternate publishing schedules before making final decisions is critical.
4. Create a communication plan to reach members when considering a schedule change or reduction.
How will this message be communicated to members? How will you continue to underscore the value of the print product as a communication channel with an issue change or reduction? Outline your key messages to your membership in advance and consider addressing any questions or concerns they might have.
You’ll also need to think about the lead time needed to prepare readers for this change and be transparent in what the reduction plan looks like. For example, will you go from 12 issues to 10 in one year, and then 10 to six the following? Be specific and clear in what your members should expect.
5. You will also need a communication plan for advertisers.
This plan should build on the member communication plan and underscore the ongoing value of the product as a marketing channel. Ideally, time the communication plan and schedule reduction with the advertising buying cycle. Most organizations plan their print media on a calendar year, so it’s ideal to communicate these changes before the new buying cycle. Support your advertisers through a consultative sales process that seeks to understand their needs, goals and objectives, and match those across your association product lines.
6. Develop a roll-out timeline.
Often, the process detailed above can take two years to work through. This process needs a team to champion the overall communication strategy and vision for long-term success. Build a schedule that outlines key milestones in the process and provides clarity on who owns specific tasks.
The decision to downscale your print publication is not an easy one, but developing a robust strategy that improves your other communication channels and prepares your readers and advertisers for the change will make the process more seamless and manageable.
Brittany Shoul is the senior vice president, Sales Solutions & Services, at MCI USA.
