Directories and databases have traditionally been a distinct and separate segment of the larger publishing industry. Initially built from the circulation database or by the publisher’s ability to attract classified advertisements, directories have usually been the 13th issue of the magazine and are now recognized as the most under-utilized assets within the publishing industry.
The content offering needs proprietary, in-depth content as well as aggregated ‘commodity’ content to make this an industry destination as well as develop granular distribution channels for this content.
What is needed to make a Sourcing Guide the indispensable tool for buyers, is to add enough data to enable the buyer to create an informed short list. The data will vary depending on the industry but will often include terms and conditions, geographic coverage, delivery times, resellers and other intermediaries.
Once buyers use the Sourcing Guide as their primary reference, vendors will be willing to pay for solutions that bring the buyer more intimately into their systems. These solutions include pricing catalogues, inventory search, and delivery tracking and so on.
Tools that provide an intuitive search on content is today a basic expectation and not considered as value add. The challenge for building subscription-based revenues is in providing additional content and technology value add to the subscriber against traditional competitors, as well as the high availability of public domain information on the Internet. There is also an increased user expectation for the quality, periodicity and depth of data.
The content offering needs proprietary, in-depth content as well as aggregated ‘commodity’ content to make this an industry destination as well as develop granular distribution channels for this content.
What is needed to make a Sourcing Guide the indispensable tool for buyers, is to add enough data to enable the buyer to create an informed short list. The data will vary depending on the industry but will often include terms and conditions, geographic coverage, delivery times, resellers and other intermediaries.
Once buyers use the Sourcing Guide as their primary reference, vendors will be willing to pay for solutions that bring the buyer more intimately into their systems. These solutions include pricing catalogues, inventory search, and delivery tracking and so on.
Tools that provide an intuitive search on content is today a basic expectation and not considered as value add. The challenge for building subscription-based revenues is in providing additional content and technology value add to the subscriber against traditional competitors, as well as the high availability of public domain information on the Internet. There is also an increased user expectation for the quality, periodicity and depth of data.
Of all the credentials desired by professional service providers, perhaps the most coveted is authorship, publishing a book under your own name. A book conveys solidity, credibility and expertise; in the mind of the marketplace, it often distinguishes the serious players from the also-rans.
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