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Our friends at TheCodeCo say that, even if your first website made you what you are today, this doesn't mean that it will always work. This post is reproduced under the terms of permission. check out the original article here.
Your trusty publishing platform have been through many experiences together. It's a bond that is deeply bonded. It makes sense that you'd like to do every trick to revive the glory of the good old days.
However, just because your initial customized website helped you become an accomplished author currently, that doesn't mean it's going to carry you to the next level. As with all relationships that last for a long time, breaking up is hard to break up. Yet don't allow sentimentality to stop you from making advancement.
Is it time to break off from your site?
Sometimes, you just need to confront the truth. You've changed. The market has changed. It's time to move on. In your heart, you recognize this. However, you feel more comfortable scrambling around the old creaky CMS, hoping for some alternative, button, or magic that will help you get out of the never-ending chaotic.
Why? Because it involves a tech project. The majority of people (even digital publishers) do not like their relationship with technology. Actually, a study conducted by Chapman University revealed that technology was Americans their second-leading reason for fear. That's right, technological disruptions are more frightening than death (and is only slightly less terrifying than experiencing an earthquake). If you're looking to get ahead as a modern media operator, it's time to face your fears and review your relationship with the people you care about most.
Signs your tech stack is hindering your progress
Are any of these scenarios look familiar?
- Your editorial team is constantly overwhelmed by admin tasks for your website and other processes.
- You're spending huge sums for seemingly simple tasks.
- The majority of your budget for tech is gone just keeping your website's lights on
- The developers you've hired have informed you that something can't be done "because of how the system is constructed"
- Your audience is growing but the profit is flat.
- Advertising agencies are asking for audience insights/data that you're not able to deliver
- You're running low on advertising stock or are having the nagging feeling that you're missing out on revenue opportunities
- The way you conduct business has changed significantly since you first launched
If you're in agreement with any of these statements, it is time to seriously look into a tech change. Any publisher that has overgrown their site Replatforming can be the most effective way of bringing about significant and lasting changes. This can be a way to see outcomes in a matter of minutes.
The reason why publishers are afraid of tech-related projects
To be fair, there's more than just fear of technology that's holding your back. The real issue is the fear of technology getting wrong. For most digital publishers, their reluctance to invent is based on one (or more) of these "nightmare situations':
- The blow-out cost
- Never-ending projects
- The incorrect agency
This is completely understandable. You're already leading a digital organisation during one of the largest periods of disruption the world has ever experienced. That's why you're less than enthusiastic at the possibility of a massive website reconstruction. However, the wait-and-see approach is no route to success in the current McKinsey research on 'Digital Strategies in the Age of Crisis' demonstrates.
"Early the adoption of digital technology at an early stage and on a large scale, combined with a heavy allocation of resources against digital projects, as well as M&A are strongly associated with creating value" MCKINSEY, 'DIGITAL Strategy in a Time of Crisis'
Which technology do publishers need to invest in?
Although now is the perfect right time to start investing in the field of technology, it is important not to over invest. Tech debt is very easy to accumulate, yet more difficult to get rid of. Publishers are increasingly overwhelmed by technology alternatives. That's why each project begins with the extensive discovery. This gives media owners an opportunity to explore their options, set goals and stay clear of costly mistakes.
The art of succeeding as a media entrepreneur is knowing what technology to put your money into. According to Steve Jobs famously acknowledged, technology is just tools to help facilitate the work of great people. It's the actions you take when using the tool which makes all the difference
The truth is, technology should not be overwhelming or complicated.
When introducing a new tool or technology, you should think about "how can this help me streamline my business?' If the answer is no, then you're just adding to the mess. In working with the media companies, our model has always been 'anti-complexity'. We must be able to provide an impactful and profitable business outcome with the least effort? In avoiding distractions like blinking lights and unnecessary equipment, we can ensure the budgets of clients are used only when is truly needed. Thus, when your project is completed with no surprises and the nightmare scenarios are avoided.
The most powerful transformations are usually simply a result of changes that are executed with care and linked seamlessly to core business objectives.
The reason why traditional publishing goals are wrong
The initial step in deciding the technology requirements you require is to determine your company's objectives. This is the kind of thing that publishers typically tell us are their objectives:
- More traffic
- More advertising
- Time to get it done
In the past, these would have been sensible balls to pursue. The advent of the digital revolution has transformed the publishing game.
Align technology to your goals for publishing
Focusing on traffic isn't the route to scaling your digital publishing site. Advertisers don't really care how many people visit your website. They'd like to be aware of who visits, how they engage with content and how valuable they are to their particular brand.
With the ever-growing data-driven client base the vanity metrics such as traffic are barely scratching the top of the iceberg. Now is the time to stop selling advertising and instead focus on ways to harness technology to create mutually beneficial relationships with brands. If you can get your stack right, you'll automatically have more time.
Here's what your goals should be:
Goal 1: Better understanding of your audience The more you know about your target audience, the more you can optimize and enhance your content. This can lead to greater engagement (see Goal 2) and gives you the ammunition to create exciting opportunities for clients (see Goal 3)
Objective 2: More involvement of audience members: An engaged audience is an important audience. It's the reason why it's the perfect time to be an independent publisher. Being part of a smaller, vibrant group of readers is where the best potential lies for the media companies.
3. More engaging marketing opportunities for clients: If you've achieved Goals 1 and 2, Goal 3 is likely to happen naturally. If you're able to provide intelligent, customized marketing options to clients, you're suddenly a far more attractive prospect.
The game-changing technology of publishing
Once you've set your objectives, it's time to begin looking over the technology you have in your collection. In the case of digital publishers that are trying to grow this is the initial game-changers we tackle:
Content Management System
Your business is based on content, which is why it's not difficult for an expert to appreciate the importance of your Content Management System (CMS). A superior CMS serves as the core of any successful digital publisher. It's (or it should be) your single source of information, and should it should be able to adapt to all your editorial and advertising requirements.
If you're a growing media provider, you shouldn't go past WordPress. Well you might, but you'll regret it pretty soon. Numerous other platforms have tried to take on WordPress, but nothing could ever even come close to its flexibility, reliability and integration capabilities.
READ MORE: Drupal and. WordPress: What's best for digital publisher?
Even if you're a large-scale publishing company, there's an excuse not to develop the platform of your choice. Proprietary CMS's are rigid, prohibitively expensive and threaten to leave you behind If (or even more likely, if) technology develops in the current speed.
Many people don't realize is the fact that WordPress is able to be optimized for complicated workflows. We are doing it every day. Publishing platforms are complex beasts and it is rare to come across developers with the capacity (or time) to fully answer your specific brief. And so, through a series of workarounds, you end up with a complicated publishing structure.
What about SaaS publishing platforms like Substack or Medium?
If you're a writer or trying your hand at the business that is publishing SaaS platforms are great. But plug-and-play tech stacks can be a huge red flag for serious publishers. Do you really want the entire company to rely on a $50 plugin? A large part of our work with The Code Company involves 'rescue operations' with publishers that have learned this through the process of trial and error.
READ MORE: The three biggest errors that publishers make when creating or replatforming their websites
Hosting Platforms
A website that is slow is the most effective way of losing audiences and even advertisers. It's the reason why selecting the best hosting infrastructure is so important. If you are choosing a server you basically have two options:
- Hosting that is self-managed
- Platforms for managed hosting
In the past, because of the difficulty of what they needed, most enterprise publishers opted to build their own hosting system. However, managed hosting platforms have grown in such a way that nearly all of the key needs of publishers growing are being met.
Read More: What is the most effective hosting option for digital publishing? Managed hosting options are particularly straightforward if you're using WordPress. If it's about safety, reliability backups, caching, backups and updates, the options of hosting platforms such as WP Engine and WordPress VIP are second to none. You'll probably make money. We were reminded of the merits of hosting platforms when we worked with a brand new client for publishing. Just by changing them to managed services they saved more than $200,000 a year!
AdTech
The team we work with recently had a meeting with a niche publisher that had created such an active audience that brands were banging down their door to advertise. A publishing dream come true? You'd think. There was however a issue. They had run out of stocks. They had a shortage of ad units on their website to accommodate client requests. The company's profit margin was declining, and yet, they turned customers away.
The first thing we did to turn this unfortunate scenario around was call in the AdOps team to correctly set up Google Ad Manager and build an efficient WordPress Integration. This gave editorial and advertising departments full control over the management of campaigns and their targeting. And crucially, it led to a rapid ROI as well as the possibility of a significant increase in revenue.
Publishing's focus has been shifting rapidly from traffic to targeting and focusing on the right customers will require more complex strategies for advertising. In order to maximize future revenue opportunities, now is now the best time to plan your AdTech to be successful.
Data Collection Tools
Are you sitting on a goldmine of data? Probably. Most digital publishers are, yet few realise this. And even fewer know what they can do with it to increase their revenue. WPP AUNZ CEO Jens Monsees made this point at the 2020 Mumbrella 360 when he likened digital information to high school sexuality.
"Everybody is talking about it, but very few actually do it but nobody is doing it properly. There is more than talk it is important to comprehend the subject. What data is it sitting in? How do I make it accessible and make sense of it in real time? How many clients have a decent data strategy as well as the IT infrastructure underneath it to collect and extract meaning out of their information?"
With the right technology you can gain profound behavioural insights that show that you how your audience is performing for a long period of time. The best place to begin is to set up your email service provider (email service provider) to get a better understanding of what content categories an users click on. This will enable you to customize your visitor's experience as well as provide highly targeted information and marketing opportunities to clients.
"Behaviorally targeted advertisements have twice the valuable and twice as effective than non-targeted ads on the internet"
Google Tag Manager (GTM) should be also on your radar. Like the name implies, GTM allows you to control tags on your site. This has been a game changer for webmasters because it gives you more control over the tags you use on your website as well as ensuring that you're not continuously involving programmers in making minor changes. It's the GTM Tracking tool is a powerful way to track events. Tracking tool can be a very effective method to monitor interactions between visitors and specific elements/features on your website.
READ MORE Tags for Server Side in Google Ad Manager What does it mean to advertisers
A few thoughts on the way forward
If you're a digital publishing company You're in a long-term connection with the world of technology. But is your current website giving you everything you need to succeed? Are you restraining yourself from making changes due to the fact that it's comfortable and familiar? Keep in mind that no major achievements could be achieved within a comfort zone.
However, innovation doesn't need to be stressful. With the right technology partnership and a non-complexity mentality both you and your publishing system could be happily ever after.