Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight

...What small and large digital publishers ought to learn from these figures is that the public is moving so quickly to mobile consumption of news and social sharing that they need to take action.

In this kind of environment that requires rapid shifts in tactics and strategy, small news organizations that live only on the web have an advantage. They can move faster without having to worry about generating revenue to service debt or other legacy costs.

The rise of mobile and the rise of social media sharing represent a huge opportunity for those who are ready for it. And a huge missed one for those who are not.

On top of the shifts in time spent with media and the fragmentation of audience engagement, media companies are also challenged with shifts in revenue. More traditional media companies like newspapers, radio, local TV stations, direct mail, and directories experienced a total decline in revenue ranging from $25 million to $1.7 billion from 2012 to 2013 according to Borrell Associates 2013 Local Advertising Outlook.

All of these factors are taking a big toll on media companies, forcing leaders at media companies to face their challenges head on. As I speak with more and more consultants, General Managers, VPs of Sales, and Directors of Marketing they tell me that if their companies don’t adapt to accommodate their audience and their advertisers, they’re going to fall behind. Here are the top challenges these media companies have shared with me, and how we believe inbound marketing can help them meet and defeat those obstacles....

Ebooks have become a high priority for both consumers and the authors of the latest publications. Authors, publishing houses, and consumers alike are all beginning to choose the digital copy ... ...

Many of these publishers are getting started with a number of controversial titles to draw attention to themselves. Though they may not be able to draw the big name authors, quite yet, these small mcommerce companies are including controversial titles among their offerings in order to help to help to build recognition.

For instance, one of the latest ebook launches that was meant to attract attention includes one written about Anne Hathaway, the actress, and how her popularity has generated considerable “hatred”. This was released by Entertainment Concepts Press.

Many of these publishers, including the one mentioned in the above example, are focusing exclusively on mcommerce. These books will not be published on paper, but will instead be sold over mcommerce as ebooks that can be read on ereaders, tablets, and even the occasional smartphone or laptop screen. All of the major bookstores that sell online are jumping on the digital bandwagon and have built up an extensive list of downloadable offerings. This is especially popular for the bookstores that have their own ereaders and tablets to sell, as well.

According to Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon, when discussing the topic of ebooks over mcommerce, “We’re now seeing the transition we’ve been expecting.” This was a statement that was made in late December 2012. He added that “After five years, ebooks is a multi-billion dollar category for us and growing fast — up approximately 70 percent last year. In contrast, our physical book sales experienced the lowest December growth rate in our 17 years as a book seller, up just 5 percent.”...