Consequences of hesitation, invest in software now but make sure it ticks the right boxes

In an online world not understanding

“Who” your consumer is
“What” they want and
“How” they want to buy it

means you can’t sell your wonderful content

But what do publishers need to do in order to be able to get closer to their digital customers? They need to invest in new systems that are both flexible and nimble. Most publishers have a good but “old” system focused on supporting existing business.
Innovation comes in the form of small & temporary new modules. Some of these will become established but publishers might find that their key software and systems will hold them back and begin to stifle further innovation. As the publishing landscape changes, publishers might have systems that resemble this picture above.
This really only applies to established publishers. New entrants and investors do not have this problem – they can leapfrog the incumbents, which pitches them ahead of the game.  

At Publishing Technology we believe that:

·        Content will be deconstructed from its container
·        Customers/Consumers will be less constrained about content source
·        Opportunities to sell will multiply
·        Consumers of content have multiple personalities
·        The construction of a sale will move from a unit to a license, micro & mobile payment
·        Speed of change (possibly temporary changes) will increase
·        There will be a “Super abundance” of content – and people will need help finding what they want
·        Major businesses are already part of publishing and will not be constrained by our rules for long
·        Creativity & innovative thinking about what you have, who might want it and what they will buy it for will become more and more important
 
The key mantras for 2010 and beyond...
1.      Don’t forget Books (Journals) are still the core business (if not the growing business)
2.      Think Granular
3.      Think Metadata (lots of it)
4.      Think Semantic (look beyond your boundaries)
5.      A customer is a consumer of content and may have multiple personalities
6.      Focus Access & Entitlement at promoting access, and then on restricting access
7.      Rapid System Configuration & Rapid Application Development
8.      Prediction
9.      Solid framework to build diversity & experimentation on
10.   Invest in the framework & people now otherwise you won’t
keep up with the next

But above all remember that for publishers the opportunity to sell content is multiplying not shrinking! 
 
Jane Tappuni, Business Development Director, Publishing Technology