This week I had the rare treat of sneaking in a day to rub elbows with the best in female publishing leaders at the EWIP Women’s Leadership Conference. The focus this year was “Taking Our Next Step: Content, Community, Collaboration.”  Starting with a welcome statement delivered by letter from Nancy Pelosi, we heard from all corners of publishing and content community: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, BlogHer, ESPN, Scholastic, Whole Living, Zinio, VivMag, Sunset Publishing, The Daily, Dwell Media, and CBS Interactive, among others. The day was highlighted by a luncheon awards ceremony to honor Michela O’Connor Abrams, president of Dwell Media, spotlighting her contributions as a successful mentor and leader within her many publishing endeavors in an ever-changing publishing landscape.

Some interesting metrics of note surfaced among the day’s discussions:

  • Twitter has in most cases become the largest referrer of content.
  • For female-oriented visual content, Pinterest has quickly surpassed Twitter and Facebook as the highest referrer of content.
  • Business-oriented publishers such as Harvard Business Review, TechCrunch, Wired, and Forbes see a huge amount of traffic via LinkedIn, which has more than 150 million members.
  • We’ve heard this one many times in the past year, but in case you haven’t taken note, the fastest-growing device for consumption is by far the mobile phone.
  • Less than 50% of women purchase online, but more than 50% of online purchases are by women.
  • The person who buys a device isn’t necessarily the one who is consuming on the device.  Tablets are being shared by households—a phenomenon described as the “householding effect“—with women and families pushing consumption to new heights.
  • The most-used devices today, in order of preference, are the smartphone, PC, tablet, and TV.
  • In order of preference, a tablet is used for email, web surfing, apps, games, Facebook, shopping, shows, magazines, books, and TV ads. Women use tablets predominantly for Facebook, shopping, books, and games.
  • Because Android is an “open” spec, there are 1,297 different variations of how Android is executed across all Android devices.

I left the day with some clarifications about how these leading-edge thinkers are tackling content and community:

  • There are two distinct relationships that successful publishers must recognize: content producers and content “listeners.”
  • There has been an increasing breakdown of the line between the creation of content and the consumption of content. Content consumers are becoming the creators, and publishers have to adapt to and recognize that.
  • Publishing is now about creating a conversation, not just about putting content out there.
  • Despite the push for one-size-fits-all multichannel publishing, success comes by reviewing content in relation to platform, audience, and experience. Content needs “curatory” consideration to be compelling.
  • Publishers can’t wait to see what works, but things are changing so quickly, and opportunities are missed. Aim for knowing 80% and move on it.

My take-away: The picture and definition of the content consumer is changing and is being redefined daily. The publishing business model, process, and approach need to be re-calibrated regularly, to be in attendance at the content party. Publishers have to be nimble and responsive to the next shift.

 

Posted by: Margot Knorr Mancini

Margot Knorr Mancini
A thought leader in the publishing industry, Margot Knorr Mancini has helped numerous publishers redefine their missions to become nimble content generators with the ability to repurpose content easily and efficiently. As Founder & CEO of Technology for Publishing, her analytical mind allows her to remain a step ahead of the industry, recognizing early trends and developing pivotal best practices.
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