Keyword: Optimization

One in a series of Executive Insights looking at the challenges and opportunities for publishers in 2012.

Optimization – of revenue streams, readership and advertiser expenditures – will be big in 2012. As the economy remains tight, publishers will continue to be asked to do more for clients while at the same time seeking new ways to drive more revenue from existing channels.

One way to drive additional revenue and readership is by employing optimization technologies from companies such as Outbrain and Perfect Market. These technologies, and similar emerging ones, give publishers the ability to bring more readers to their sites while increasing revenue through hyper-relevant advertising. These types of optimization initiatives were major successes during my time at Kiplinger, and now we’re in the midst of implementing these technologies across all of the Arden media properties.

More than just advertising

Clients are now looking for more than just advertising from publishers. They are looking for direct leads, programs that leverage social media, and other services and technologies that make various forms of data more actionable. B2B publishers have led in this area over the past few years, and now consumer publishers are being asked by both agencies and brands to provide similar services, albeit on a much broader scale.

One of the reasons I chose to work with Arden is that its core product offerings fall into this realm. We are utilizing proprietary technology and editorial processes to ensure clients are part of the social media conversations, aligned with key influencers, and can find and associate with specific individuals in the telecommunications industry—all through our platform.

For example, by leveraging data between two of our properties – RCR Wireless News and telecomcareers.com – RCR is able to identify industry audience segments within the wireless and telecom space. They can then leverage this data to help their clients get more out of their trade show budgets and events by focusing on the right prospects and facilitating direct interaction between buyers and sellers.

Companies like Eloqua and a new venture called citybizdata, founded by Tim Bradbury, the former president of American City Business Journals, are exploring ways to scale and augment these types of services for broader audiences and clients’ needs. Expect these types of services to evolve well beyond the niche or B2B publishers and eventually become thriving business units within larger publishing houses.

Wallace Ryland is Executive in Residence at Arden Operating Co., which advises, owns and operates companies within the mobile, wireless, energy and real estate industries. Before joining Arden Ryland was director of digital business development at Kiplinger.