Here at 3D issue we speak to a number of different businesses each day. A topic that often arises is the motives for moving away from high volume print runs to a growing digital reading solution. In this blog post we list the top reasons we are hearing for moving towards digital in favor of the more traditional print.
Readers’ habits and experience -
Today readers look for short, sharp, relevant information that can be accessed on the go. Readers now expect more from articles – it is no longer enough for the reader to read an article and move on to the next, they may now want to link to another related article, view a video clip of the article and then share the experience with co-workers or friends.
Cost of production -
Perhaps the number one driver for businesses to go digital is cost. In challenging economic times, cost reduction is a number one priority. Online publishing is certainly becoming more attractive to those looking to slash print costs which often include; print and labor costs, ink costs, material costs, set up costs… then there are mailing and logistics costs….the list seems endless.
Speed -
Online publications allow businesses to publish news as when it happens. Publishers can add and edit information in seconds and Marketers can respond to changing market conditions and opportunities fast through using online channels. Our clients also report that their readers like being able to respond to articles, news and reports in real time – not having to wait for their answer/comment to be printed in the next edition which could be weeks away.
Collaboration -
As we move more into a digital world, customers, clients and readers are becoming more familiar with collaboration tools. Online communities such as Twitter are enabling readers to comment and share publications/articles of interest. Print publications just do not allow such spontaneous collaboration and sharability with other readers, the author or interest groups.
Measurability -
Print readership and effectiveness is notoriously difficult to measure. Once out in the big wide world, a print edition cannot give the real metrics of how the edition was received by its readers unless surveys and human invention track readership and opinions. Online editions on the other hand can easily be integrated with statistical solutions such as Google Analytics to gauge actual figures of readership, demographics and popularity of specific articles/pages.
