Once considered the stepchild of the publishing industry, custom publishing now claims a legitimate slice of the B-to-B MarCom pie.
Custom magazines, newsletters and sponsored supplements are becoming an
increasingly integral part of the overall marketing program. Recent studies by the
Custom Publishing Council and Publications Management show leading U.S.
companies spending about 25% of their marketing budgets on custom publishing
endeavors, compared with 13% just three years ago.
Smart companies employ custom publishing tactics in their B-to-B marketing
programs to enable them to reach highly targeted buying Audiences. A major
software developer, for example, developed a sponsored supplement (or
“advertorial”) featuring articles about data management challenges faced by
hospitals as a means of raising its profile with an important marketplace. The 32-
page advertorial, which also contained house ads for the company’s new data
processing software, was inserted into a magazine read by major hospital data
managers nationwide. In this case, it was more cost-effective than buying a series of
ads in the publication because the developer’s exact message was delivered exactly
where the company wanted it delivered.
But strategic custom publishing efforts are not limited to magazines. One leading
foodservice equipment and supplies distributor has a staff of 12 dedicated to
producing internal newsletters for suppliers and employees. These publications let
suppliers know what’s going on with the company’s business and make employees
aware of changes in human resources policies. They also serve as an internal
promotional tool.
Other successful B-to-B custom publishing initiatives include: Priority, a bi-monthly
magazine from Pitney Bowes that targets 750,000 small business owners; Cano
Energy Pipeline magazine, which targets investors in domestic oil and gas limited
partnerships; and Tellabs Emerge, Tellabs Inc.’s quarterly magazine reaching
15,000 telecom engineers in North America who make purchasing decisions for
their companies.
Another trend noted by the CPC is that a majority of companies still handle
production chores for their custom publishing efforts in-house, spending the bulk
of the $29 billion that goes toward such efforts on internal staff. But that may be
changing, given bottom-line pressures. According to Publications Management, a
trade newsletter, 40% of U.S. companies that pursue custom publishing strategies
currently avoid the hassle and expense of adding staff by outsourcing production of
their publications. It may also change as varying types of electronic B-to-B
marketing efforts, such as websites, e-postcards and e-newsletters, are further
integrated into marketing strategies.
Whatever the goal, launching a custom publication as part of a B-to-B marketing
campaign needs to be handled within the context of a medium and long-term
strategy in support of overall business objectives. And placing a company’s
message and brand before the target Audience should always be the goal of any
custom publication as questions about the concept’s legitimacy continue to wane.
Chris Scott heads Hodge Media Group, the custom publishing arm of Hodge
Communications, Inc. Hodge specializes in strategic public relations and marketing
communications for businesses, entrepreneurs and professional associations.
Formerly an award-winning journalist, he brings over 20 years of experience to
client engagements. Subscribe today to Communic@te! our free bimonthly e-
newsletter and get a free special report: “Using Buzz To Create a Groundswell For
Your Business.”
Visit http://www.hodgecommunications.com
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