You would think that digital has started to slowly strangle print. But, digital could well be its saviour. This article explains why this might be the case.
QR codes and 2D Data Matrix come to the rescue of print | printweek.com | http://ow.ly/pWus
XML - Heaven or Hell?
Last week was eye-opening in several ways. I attended two conferences in London. The second one I attended was about online PR and reputation management. If you ever wonder or care about what people are saying about you, your company, your brand or your products, and how that affects the future of them all, then the lessons from this seminar are something about which you should learn.
On Wednesday, I went to the ‘StartWithXML‘ conference which might sound like a tedious affair but it was quite the contrary. This three letter acronym (XML) signifies how the publishing industry is changing from a printed world which has, to a large degree, an attitude of “We publish and sell books” to a digital publishing world whose attitude is “We are distributors of information”.
To quickly explain the benefits of XML, if a publisher starts the book publishing process when they receive a manuscript from an author in Microsoft Word or as an XML document, the ability for the publisher to efficiently turn that into not just a printed book but other products like an eBook, or an online reference tool (if it is guide, for example), is greatly increased. Not only that, the publisher can make the book searchable so that potential customers can find it and read about it in more detail before they buy it.
The benefits of starting the publishing process with a book in XML format are not only good for the publisher, they are good for the customers and the authors. Customers will buy more products and authors will get more royalties.
Most of the large publishing houses are fully aware of the benefits of XML to their businesses. They are in the process of getting their production teams skilled in XML and digital publishing. But it’s the smaller publishers that really need XML. By starting their publishing process with their manuscripts in XML, they can become extremely efficient and competitive in a crowded market.
For example, Snowbooks is a “feisty” publisher made up of three people. They produce all of their books using XML which are held on a database. Each book has all of the information about the title held in XML as well as the book in digital format so that, literally, at the click of a button, they can produce 48-page catalogues about their lists, feed their web site and make versions of each book in different formats. Anyone who has ever tried to put together a catalogue in a conventional way will know that it can take weeks and weeks to do this.
So, if you are in publishing and in production and you don’t know about XML, then you might be thinking it sounds like hell. But, if you do know about XML and its benefits then you could be about to secure your job. You role may well move from the production team into the IT team but, as they say, “if you don’t like change, then see how you feel about irrelevance”.
For more details from the StartwithXML conference, you can see the slide decks used by the speakers here.
Hull Digital Live
Jon Moss from Hull Digital is a man who has found a seam of digital excellence in an area of the country which is often overshadowed by the larger cities in the UK where it is incorrectly believed that the majority of the country’s digital talent is held. Hull and the surrounding area is seen as a deprived trouble spot.
But, the reality could not be more different. Far from being a backwater or a black hole for digital talent, Hull is a vibrant place with a collection of companies and individuals with a rich range of skills and experience in the world of digital technology.
Jon started a networking group where, each month, he invites the local people from the digital talent pool to meet, share ideas and create new business opportunities. From its outset, the networking group called ‘Hull Digital’ has had an attendance of 45 to 50 people at each session. Jon invites two speakers to stand up and talk about aspects of the digital industry in which they are involved or passionate.
This has now developed into what one might call a ‘digital movement’ in the city and Jon has launched Hull’s first digital conference on 14th October called ‘Hull Digital Live‘. Jon is a man with connections and he has managed to attract some of the UK’s digital royalty to speak at the event, including Rory Cellan-Jones from the BBC.
Rory Cellan-Jones writes reports and blogs about a wide range of digital news and manages to make complex digital subjects approachable. Rory is the main speaker for the day long conference.
There are still ‘early-bird’ tickets available and if you want to know how you and your business or organisation can benefit from the digital revolution then you should make yourself available for the conference that Jon is organising.
Digital and technology in the UK today See Rory Cellan-Jones speak here http://ow.ly/lx7O
Focus on the outcome
Several years ago when working for one of the world’s largest software companies, I was having a conversation with a colleague whose background was software development but who was now in marketing. He was extolling the virtues of the latest version of the company’s software development tools.
It was interesting to a point, and I pointed out that I was probably not the best person to try and excite about the details because I was far more interested in what the tools did rather than how they did it. He was shocked at my attitude. I remember the look on his face. His expression looked as though I had just blasphemed. How could I work in that company and not be interested in the nuts and bolts of the ‘how’ of the software rather than the ‘what’ of the results of using the software?
The advertisements of the time for that product had a theme of moon landings and a line which went something like “Just imagine what could have been done in 1969 when getting those now famous Americans onto the moon if they had this product“.
The problem with that campaign was that most people who would be using the software were not trying to get astronauts to the moon. Most software developers wanted to do far more basic things in their daily work lives and do them slightly faster than previously possible. The launch of that version of the product was a flop and it took them another two to three years with the launch of a new version and more down to earth ambitions for the product to take off (if you’ll excuse the pun).
This story is commonplace in businesses which have technical products. Often, the technical people become wrapped up in splendid details and features but become detached from why their customers would benefit from them. That’s basic sales and marketing knowledge but it is surprising just how much it continues to happen.
Last night I ran a presentation at the Hull Digital networking event about 2-D codes which is a technology that enables people to scan a code on, say, a poster using their mobile phone which then might take them to a mobile web site, or which will dial a number for them, or send a text message.
This is all very well, but I focused on the opportunity that the technology represents rather than the technology itself in my presentation. 2-D codes happen to be good at connecting offline marketing (e.g. an ad in a magazine) to online resources (e.g. a mobile web site). But the opportunity which is more interesting is, for example, that of enabling two different companies with different specialisations in marketing to work together in partnership to offer clients new solutions.
This is approach is far easier for people to comprehend than an approach which talks about features. I know you need people who are good at understanding the features of a product or service. I couldn’t do my job without a team of expert web developers who know how it works. But clients don’t care too much about the ins and outs of a product. They just want to know if you can help, what the outcome will look like and when you can do it by.
It’s simple to understand, but often people forget to do it and end up losing opportunities to help their clients and to gain new ones.
Renting books for students could become the norm
Publishers are looking at new ways to provide choice to students to buy their textbooks. Rental is a trend growing in popularity which provides a discount off the purchase price for the student and which also appears to provide the author with opportunities to earn more royalties too.
Textbook Publisher to Rent to College Students – NYTimes.com http://ow.ly/k3ON
Digital skills gap in publishing is critical
This is an interesting article in The Bookseller which highlights the skills gap challenge within the publishing industry. The understanding within experienced, middle management about the possibilities and strategies on how to use digital technology are weak and the creative skills to turn that into fresh, effective and tactical realities are often not there because higher paying sectors make publishing less attractive to enter.
Digital skills gap now ‘critical’ for publishers | theBookseller.com http://ow.ly/k2nA
Listen to Will talking with @mrwilliam in his tech slot today. Cloud Computing & online jobs – scroll to 2hrs 30mins http://ow.ly/jC8e
Will speaking on BBC Radio – self publishing and photo stitching.mp3 (11897 KB)
Posted via email from Digi-business.co.uk
Print on Demand is not a new initiative. It has been around for a number of years. But recent news that more new titles are being printed through Print on Demand (PoD) than through traditional printing methods shows how the PoD industry has come of age. It allows out of print books to become available again. It allows authors of new books to publish them themselves without risk and for custom books to be printed quickly to respond to demand.
Digital photography is prolific and free software enables people to create panoramas and 3-D worlds easily by stitching their photographs together quickly and easily.
Will was recently on BBC Radio Lincolnshire with William Wright talking about these technologies. To listen to the show, you can play or download the podcast by clicking the link above.
Getting leads does not have to be costly
All businesses need sales. It’s probably the most important activity to keep a business alive. With profitable sales, cash flow is the next most important aspect to get right. Most large businesses (e.g. Microsoft and HP) I have worked in have the luxury of being able to test marketing initiatives and they have vast armies of sales and marketing people to develop, test and refine them, along with the budget to do it.
In a small business, you don’t have such luxuries unless you happen to be swimming in cash. Most people start their own business with plenty of determination, some cash to keep themselves afloat, a great idea and the experience to be able to help other people with it, and, perhaps, a list of contacts who they can approach who might want to buy their product or service. Resources for sales and marketing are limited so every penny has to count towards getting sales.
Learning how to sell can often be the hardest part of starting your own business. The fear of rejection. The fear of failure. These are all common anxieties that occur when you are about to either pick up the phone to speak to a prospect, run your first show stand or talk to people at an event who you don’t already know. But you can break these fears and anxieties down by following simple steps in your business planning and not be tempted into sales and marketing activities that don’t fit into your plans.
When it comes to marketing, I hear plenty of worrying stories about business owners who have been recommended to get a web site for their business to bring in sales which, in the end, brings in no leads and, of course, no sales but takes vital cash out of their business. Also, people are often tempted to buy lists of names who are supposed to be qualified prospects in their target market at great expense but which can often be found for free on the internet using business networking sites like LinkedIn.
Often this comes down to a lack of experience in sales and marketing, which is understandable when these are not your main skills. But, when you start your business, you have to become good at sales and marketing to survive and get yourself into a position to grow your business and make profits.
When you have limited or near-zero marketing funds, then you need to be laser targeted in how you use them to bring you fruitful leads which convert into sales. You need to be clear about the objectives for your marketing. You need to be clear about your sales objectives too. Once you have determined your sales and marketing objectives, then you can begin to work on your sales and marketing strategies.
Sales objectives might sound like this: “To cover my costs each month and to pay myself a living wage, I need to bring in £5,000 of sales per month”. And it might follow on like this: “In order to bring in £5,000 of sales per month, I need to sell two of my widgets per month”.
Sales strategies might sound like this: “To sell two widgets per month, I need to send ten quotes out per month”. Sales tactics might sound like this: “To send out ten quotes per month, I need to make fifty contacts with new prospects or customers per month“.
Marketing objectives might sound like this: “I want to become the first choice when clients need an HR consultant in my local town within two years”.
Marketing strategies might sound like this: “I want to meet one new prospect a week who is in my target market”. A marketing tactic for this strategy might be “To meet one new prospect per week I am going to join my local business networking group”.
Only when you have planned your sales & marketing objectives and strategies, can you start to decide on the right tactics to achieve them. This is where many people starting up their own business start. They start with sales tactics and marketing tactics without fully understanding how they support their strategies and objectives.
For instance, you might say I want to build a web site to sell to new customers. But do your customers buy your type of product or service through the web? This is where your precious resources can be wasted in an instant.
So, before you spend anything, ask yourself how sure am I that I will get any business from this? If, for instance, you are buying a list, check on the web to see if your potential clients can be found for free. Before you build your web site, make sure it supports your strategies.
In my experience in owning and running small businesses, you should keep everything simple, focus on what you do best and learn how to sell. You need two types of lead generating tactics to get you sales. Tactics which can offer you quick access to prospects (e.g. your existing contact list or contact details from tools like LinkedIn), and tactics which can offer you an opportunity to build long term networks of leads (e.g. networking at events or business clubs).
These two are the cheapest and most secure ways to get leads and sales into your business and they are based upon relationships. You need to convince people that you are trustworthy. With short term tactics, it is good to have a nice logo and a well designed web site. They instill confidence in prospects that you are serious.
But, you should not spend more than you can afford until you have enough money to develop them into more sophisticated tools. Keep it simple. Use the great tools which are out there on the web to help you connect to customers which are free and adapt them cheaply. Keep the cash in your business for as long as you can.
You don’t need to spend lots of money on marketing at first. You need to spend lots of time finding prospects and working with existing clients. Always ask yourself how sure you about the return you will get from your sales and marketing investment and whether it supports your plans. Trust your instincts and be firm about how you invest your resources.
If you keep these principles in mind, you can generate good business without spending lots of money.
If you would like to contact me for further consultancy on how you can get leads to your business at low cost, then please email me: will@digitalbusinessblog.co.uk
Arnie wants books digitised in schools
Recent news from California about Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger seeking to move all of the States school textbooks from printed versions to digital versions to save $350 million came as no surprise this week. The State has practical reasons behind it. Namely, a $24.3 billion debt in their finances.
It then comes as no surprise to hear that Amazon will launch its new ebook device, the Kindle DX, this year which has a bigger screen and is aimed at the academic market which needs more ‘space’ on the screen to accommodate the richer nature of school text books than novels. That’s good timing.
There are people who doubt whether there will be demand for ebooks, as illustrated in today’s article in The Bookseller, when novelist, Nick Hornby, voiced his opinion that people only buy books for reading on summer holidays. Hornby made sense but this is only one part of the market, of course.
Publishers continue to see the rise in sales of their digital products, such as ebooks and audiobooks. They are not yet in double digits as a percentage but they are growing and at a pace. Schwarzenegger’s announcement depressed Pearson’s share price and when 42% of the publisher’s sales come from the education market, it’s time for them to stop sucking the cash cow dry and switch to digital.
There are concerns over the price of some of the ebook reading devices, but when you consider that an academic textbook can cost between £40 and £55, and a reader device costs £300 to £400, local education authorities will soon be better off by providing digital versions of books, even if they are downloaded onto existing laptops or PC’s.
