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Six things publishers should focus on by P. Zollman

I wondered. “If I had to launch a new interactive-media product today, what six things wouldI focus on to be successful?”.

Reviewing tons of Web sites each month, I’m struck by a simple fact: Too many are trying to be “all things to all people.” There’s local, there’s national. There’s weather, there’s sports. There are directories and classifieds. There are entertainment guides, video clips, scrolling headlines and widgets and gidgets and gadgets.

You may note I didn’t say “launch a new Web site.” I started to, in fact. But if you’re launching a new “Web site,” you’re already behind the curve. Read on.

What’s most important?

1.  “The conversation.” Don’t do anything that doesn’t engage people, that doesn’t get them involved, or doesn’t promote their views (and content) as well as your own. These are two-way media, and they need participation to work. Involvement. Make sure comments are visible on your home page, or your mobile screen. Get people Twittering and referring your site to others. Make “the conversation” integral to your home page, and every page. Don’t hide it at the bottom. As for getting people involved, focus on content that people are passionate about. At a local newspaper, that may be zoning or education, taxes or traffic. Or all of the above. In recruitment, it’s salaries and openings and the latest hiring trends. Real estate? Prices and rates and “the beautiful homes.” Focus on things that matter. People will respond.

2.  “The bargains.” On a local site, people want local bargains. Not just from advertisers. Promote a “deal of the day” to get users engaged. Sell services at 50 percent off; that brings ‘em in. Even on something like a recruitment site, there are “bargains” of a different sort. Great jobs, salary calculators, cost-of-living info. People want a deal. Give it to them.

 3. “The breaking news.” Again, this isn’t just for newspaper or even news sites. Some real estate sites certainly include “breaking news.” Auto sites, recruitment sites, entertainment sites – all  can and must be up-to-the-minute, fresh, and lively.

 4. “The faces.” Remember the maxim I learned when I was a beginning editor: “You never go wrong with kids and animals.” Ever. Or faces. Pictures. Video clips. People want to see themselves, and their friends and neighbors. They want to see the beautiful people, and the ridiculous people doing stupid things. Show them. Lots of them. And don’t make faces microscopic, or hide them. Make them a big box on your home page or on your mobile screen.

 5. “The movies.” People want to see and hear things moving. Text on a screen is so passive, and so passé. Susan Boyle generated how many views, how fast, of her brilliant singing? She topped 100 million views on YouTube in less than a week. “United breaks guitars” brought new fame to a small country-music group from Halifax, N.S., within hours. It wouldn’t have gone anywhere as text in a box, or as an audio clip. It moved, and it was funny.

 6. “The top cars / homes / jobs / stuff.” People may not be looking for “classifieds,” but they’re always interested in what someone else’s home is selling for, or what kinds of jobs are out there, or what someone else is selling (or buying). The right “top homes / jobs / cars / stuff” spark conversation, too, not just sit there as ads on a screen. Showcase what’s going on in your community for your users. And that doesn’t have to be a geographic community; it can be an “interest” community as well.

As I reread my list, I realized this isn’t just about interactive media. They’re about PC screens and mobile screens, but frankly, these things work on newsprint, too. Okay, not “the movies” part. Even “the conversations” work on paper, although they’re tougher there – but anyone who’s edited or read a lively editorial page knows they, too, can get people engaged, thinking, passionate, even angry. It’s not about the delivery platform – newsprint, PC screen, mobile device – so much as it is about remembering what matters.

Don’t forget mobile. It’s the “next big thing.” If all of this works on your Web site, but your Web site doesn’t work on mobile devices, you’re facing failure. Soon.
Part of “what matters,” of course, is revenue. But if you can get the hang of the six things I’ve listed above, and you train a strong sales team to sell, sell, sell, you’ll have a product that gets everyone involved – audience(s), advertisers, your team. And that will make it successful.

Peter M. Zollman is founding principal of the Advanced Interactive Media Group / Classified Intelligence, a consulting group that works with media companies to help develop profitable interactive media services. He can be reached at peterz@aimgroup.com, 1-407-788-2780

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