Are Publishers Ready to Capture the Duopoly's Dollars?
In the publishing world, change can be a four-letter word. With the reliance of ads and clicks to stay in business, website and media publishers are losing traffic and ad spend to Facebook and Google. With a whiff of change in the air, it’s time publishers understood the trends and tools available to increase audience engagement and advertising dollars.
Changes are happening and the most agile of publishers have the best chance for survival.
Trusting the Duopoly - Facebook and Google
When breaking news happens, you can guarantee it will be trending. Readers have grown to rely on social media and search to inform them of the latest information and trends. Because of this and the networks’ targeted marketing, Facebook and Google get about 63% of all digital advertising spend and growth at 94%.
This leaves every publisher, media company and website clamoring over the remaining 37% of ad spend.
There is, however, a crack in the armor of the duopoly. Misinformation is going viral and readers are learning to be more discerning about what they see. Facebook and Google are cornered and left clamoring for an explanation of the “fake news” stories that are being promoted. The networks blame their algorithms for bumping the popularity of stories, whether they’re true or not. More astute readers are feeling a distrust of the targeted stories and ads that show up in their timeline or search results.
An Opportunity for Publishers
The big networks offer highly targeted marketing to advertisers, based on demographics and audience data. As reader distrust of the behemoth duopoly grows, ad clicks may suffer, leaving advertisers thirsty for more data driven advertising. The most agile of publishers can be ready to step in and satisfy this thirst.
Advertisers and marketers will look for new opportunities, outside of Facebook and Google, that provide the data driven targeted ads that they’ve come to rely on. Publishers that wish to grow their advertising will be held responsible for the demographics and specific targeting of their own audience.
As a publisher, this opportunity highlights one of the reasons why your relationship with your audience matters. It is still possible, in the digital age, to build customer loyalty, be a dependable resource, and increase ad spend. Every interaction with your audience can be a win if your entire brand eco-system, from sales to customer retention, is consistent and engaging. Your readers want to depend on a publisher. Will it be you?
