Case Study: Magazines are Here to Stay
How creating a magazine can help you spread your business values
Gabriel Ruiz
July 29, 2022
While the legacy of digital magazines remains to be seen, it can also be argued that their time is just beginning.
The first digital magazine editions date back to 2010, around the same time the world was introduced to tablets.
The demographics at that time were still small. According to studies, at the end of 2010, only 4% of the U.S. population had one. By 2013, this number had risen to 34%. In other words, the barriers for people to read E-magazines are falling. Also, the transformation of smartphones to devices with larger screens has helped.
In search of more unified markets, Statista conducted a study in Mexico to understand its relationship with magazines, both digital and print. While in 2018, only 8.4% stated that they read e-magazines, this number increased to 22.6% by 2021, marking an apparent increase yearly. Perfect timing to venture into this world.
How it Can Help my Business
Although the traditional printed magazine has a focus, let's remember that thanks to the electronic world, it has evolved to become a mixed media; while enjoying the structure of a magazine, it can become a more interactive media where you can watch videos without leaving the archive, audios, images with movement, or visit links quickly with the help of hyperlinks.
Knowing the numbers and factors in favor of e-magazines, let's discuss how they can help your business.
Gain More Brand Awareness
A study conducted by nngroup.com reveals that only 16%(!) of their users read their content word for word, a relatively low number. Affirming what we already know, the over-saturation of content means that companies have to focus on short, valuable content to stand out from the crowd and be the one customers choose to read.
A difficult task when you want to talk about your vast values in an e-magazine publication.
While these are interesting, and you want to interest other people in what your brand stands for and what it is doing differently from others to create a better world. You need to do it in an exciting and interactive way.
At BFGO, we were faced with the task of helping a non-profit company whose job is to help create dignified spaces for people with disabilities. The goal is to capture their long identity manual, which is quite fascinating and introspective to give you a look at yourself and the society designed for people with non-disabled patterns.
We have to narrow this manual down in order to make it dynamic for readers, and this is where the e-magazine can be the best vehicle for our mission. Full of interactive content and not so uniform handling of the content, it gives us an opportunity to talk about a very serious subject and give it a touch of fun and optimism to interest the reader.
Find a Target Audience and Gain Credibility
The plethora of valuable information inside a magazine can interest the reader and make them look for more about you, what you are doing, and your plans for the future. It will help you create a loyal audience who knows your content is relevant to them. This is where you can take advantage and create loyalty programs to keep reaching more people whose topic is of interest.
Your brand then becomes recognizable and synonymous with the topic you’re talking about.
Create Content for Multiple Channels
Now we can see e-magazines as a canvas where not only text and photographs fit, but also videos, GIFS, music, or interactive pieces. All this can help you consolidate your brand in different channels through the internet.
Have you published a piece of news or an article for your e-magazine? It can go directly to your website's blog. Did you create a video? It can go to your YouTube or Vimeo channel. Did you take exciting photos to complement your content? There are always social networks to keep in touch with your audience.
By taking your e-magazine as an “aggregator” of all your content, you will see that everything connects, making it easier to reach more people.
Final Thoughts
While it may not be the answer for every business, it's a good idea to give an e-magazine a try to see the areas where it can help you grow.
If you are looking for a new way to refine your brand, communicate with possible readers, and promote your values, a company e-magazine can help you achieve those goals.
Sources
https://www.topbusinesswomen.co.za/5-benefits-of-magazine-advertising-for-businesses/
https://themanifest.com/advertising/blog/why-you-should-create-company-magazine
https://www.newstylemedia.com.au/why-magazine-advertising-helps-businesses-reach-their-ideal-customer/#:~:text=Your%20brand%20becomes%20relevant.&text=If%20you%20continue%20to%20advertise,to%20other%20like%2Dminded%20people.
https://www.troimail.com/blog/5-ways-magazines-can-boost-your-local-business/
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-users-read-on-the-web/
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1000065/share-digital-magazines-readers-mexico/
https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2013/06/10/tablet-ownership-2013/
https://www.wired.com/insights/2014/10/are-digital-magazines-dead/