How To Measure a Custom Publication's Success

By Simon Kelly, President, Fluent Communications

Customize and they will come is the growing mantra of the custom publishing industry. And they will increasingly come one by one, as technology allows custom publishers to target their message right down to the individual consumer. As the competition between custom publishers grows and is combined with technology that allows for more refined versioning and targeting, the opportunities expand.

"Understanding customers as individuals, not as demographics, so you can respond to their communications needs and marketing desires is at the core of growth in custom publishing," says Rex Hammock, chairman of Nashville-based Hammock Publishing. "On one level, you have an effective tool for developing long-term customer relationships and fulfilling the vision of one-to-one marketing. On the other, you have emerging technologies, ranging from online capabilities and database management to changes in pre-press, printing and binding processes, that allow you to create unique versions down to the individual reader," he says. "The final result is we're able to make magazines something that aren't simply sent to a particular demographic or ZIP code, but are customized to the interests, desires and needs of each recipient."

The growth areas of custom publishing emerge from recognition of the expanding importance of relationship marketing and how brand loyalty plays in revenue growth. By one estimate, a 5 percent increase in customer retention can bolster a business's bottom line by 85 percent.

Information Is Fuel

Custom publishing continues to reinvent itself as tools such as the Web, e-mail, fax-on-demand and more refined database management become increasingly sophisticated. Hammock points to the success of his firm's work with the National Federation for Independent Business. Hammock created a communications program that allows each NFIB member to receive news and information in a variety of selected media, including e-mail, a Web page and highly customized publications. Hammock believes the value of custom magazines leads recipients to save them while they often dispose of direct mail.

Give the customer what he or she wants: it's at the core of growth and creates new opportunities for custom publishers.

Printer Primer

On the pressroom floor, technology, database advancements and customization have brought greater refinement. According to Dan Schumann, president of Schumann Printers, Inc., in Fall River, Wis., enhancements are occurring in all facets of his operation, from pre-press and printing to binding. "With versioning, quantities are becoming smaller," he says. "We might do a run of 3,000, then stop and change a plate.

"Computer-to-plate processing in pre-press has given us new flexibility in terms of versioning," says Schumann. Computer-to-plate eliminates the tedium of moving film from one page to another. "Now we do that on the computer. We click on an icon and make the change. It reduces the chance for error and also decreases turnaround time." In the future, Schumann says replating may be eliminated, with pages going directly from the computer to a plated cylinder that mounts on the press.

Post pressroom, enhancements in binding and finishing technology create new opportunities for customizing every magazine, says Schumann. When database information is combined with expanded inkjet printing in preparation for mailing, the potential for personalizing every copy appears limitless.

Targeted blown-in or stitched-in inserts are another way to reach specific readers with personalized information. When added to poly-bagging, custom publishers can include premiums — from magnets to correspondence to food — as well as related material in one single packet headed for an individual with specific interests. "The push is to develop long-term customer relationships," says Hammock, "and to fulfill the vision of one-to-one marketing. Custom publishing makes that possible."

Magazine Links With Web Site

TravelCenters of America's Road King magazine and its companion, the Road King On-Ramp Web site, are examples of what can happen when a traditional special interest magazine is married to a precisely targeted site on the World Wide Web. Both media target long-haul truckers, a group that increasingly uses technology to communicate and manage its business.

"Road King is a wonderful example of how a custom magazine has not only served as the cornerstone of a relationship marketing program but has created a community," says Rex Hammock. The companion Road King On Ramp, www.roadking.com, which routinely gets more than 100,000 visits a week, is designed to be an interactive one, with truckers driving the content and format. The early popularity of the site even led The New York Times to credit it with helping to make truckers "the largest blue collar community on the Web."

The Possibilities of Versioning

The ways to version custom publications are as varied as the people they target. Here are just a few versioning possibilities:

• Age
• Interest
• Ethnicity
• Gender
• Marital Status
• Income
• Buying Habits
• Credit Status
• Distribution experts can even target your list to groups with specific:
• Health Interests
• Aptitude
• Education Level/Literacy
• Technology (Mac vs. PC)
• Body Size/Type
• Sports Interest
• Hobbies
• Kids/No Kids
• Caregiver Status
• Pet Ownership
• Residence (Apt. vs. House)
• Entertainment Choices
• Geographic Location

and just about anything else you can think of