Specialist Media Show * Exhibition * Workshops * Conference * Intelligence * Networking * 24 May 2012 ThinkTank Birmingham

The second Specialist Media Conference focussed on pioneering ideas in specialist media, with case studies from consumer and b2b.  The MDs and publishers attending could listen to first hand accounts of experimentation with digital media and events, question the speakers and pick up practical tips. 

What was notable was the openness of the speakers and their willingness to discuss what was working on their business.  Delegates found it an inspiring day, and welcomed the chance to talk honestly with their peers in practical round tables and in the breaks.  Here’s the highlights if you missed it:

GET OBSESSED WITH DATA ON YOUR CUSTOMERS

Ashley Friedlein of Econsultancy suggested publishers become as obsessed with data as etailers, and demonstrated live how he can identify exactly who is browsing which page on his site; how potentially valuable they are and even call them up.  Every publisher in the room instantly wanted their own “web”

USE CONTENT FROM EVERYWHERE AND PLAY GAMES WITH READERS

Ryan O Meara of Total Pet Publishing hates the waste in traditional print publishing and exhorted publishers to reuse their content as ebooks and web articles

Duncan Tickell of Magicalia introduced “gaming” to the outdoor market and saw a dramatic rise in forum posts and reader reviews

Ben Greenish of Spectator encouraged publishers to build relationships with Kindle and Apple to get better deals; Spectator makes 4x as much on Kindle as Apple

Miles Galliford shared how Preaching today charges members for a database of sermon ideas, many contributed by members - and even downloadable videos

The Consumer Media panel are still bullish about print – at least for the next 5 years…

FIT YOUR B2B MEDIA INTO PEOPLE'S WORK LIVES

Ben Heald of Sift said community was the heart and soul of Accounting web, and editors must be encouraged to write copy to engage rather than inform

Andy Cook of VRL Financial described their shift from print and news to data and charts online, and shared how he got editors to think in charts not words

Jeska Harrington Gould of Research explained how a site-licence business is different: sales people need to understand workflow and a good support team is essential

Jeremy Phillips of Strategy Eye showed how they tailor content to suit their audience and fit into their daily routine to develop high value subscriptions

Peter Houston of Advanstar reminded editors of the value of recycling & repackaging content for digital channels: it’s not a repeat if you haven’t already seen it

LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE FOR SPECIALIST MEDIA

Round table discussions on managing ad teams, mobile apps, paid content, digital editions and events were so animated people didn’t want to stop for tea.

Barrie Gunter of University of Leicester drew out the contrasts between b2b and b2c from the show’s research into 200 publishers and felt that adoption of mobile apps was now at a tipping point.

Jim Bilton of Wessenden showed that print is still core to revenues for many publishing businesses, although digital is growing faster and events are becoming more important.  Most consumers, annoyingly, want digital versions of titles bundled (free) with print; only a minority would be happy just with digital

The final panel felt the future was hard to predict, so experimentation was the best route, and media businesses had to work hard at engaging their own community before others got there first.

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Register free now to attend the 2012 Specialist Media Show for a day of practical workshops, expert 1-1 advice and a selection of innovative suppliers.