May 2006 - How Nigerian/African Media Organisations Can Use Their Websites And The Internet To Earn MORE Customers & Revenue!

For over four years now, I have had the unique opportunity to study from close quarters, as well as at a considerable distance, the manner in which Journalists and media organisations carry out their work/operate in Nigeria.

Initially, it was in the process of placing adverts to get exposure for my business through their publications. Later on, it was through efforts I made to meet specific individuals(some fairly well known to the general public) with respect to securing support/exposure for my work.

Over time I have also had cause at one time or the other to send out articles in my areas of business interest and specialisation to many of the media houses for possible consideration towards publishing.

Then of course there was that ONE most intruiging encounter with the somewhat "quasi-type" freelance journalist who conducted a "kangaroo" interview with me using his dead beat voice recorder. He would later publish a version of that interview written in "funny" grammar, and worse - in the first person! - making me regret ever agreeing to be interviewed in the first place.

All through these experiences, I kept comparing what I learnt from past encounters with new revelations. Then I added what I saw when some of them appeared on TV as guests or presenters. I noted the manner in which they spoke about their work, and how they chose to get information from the public - and TO the public.

It is based on the findings that I have made that I now write this article to suggest to decision makers in this field who truly want to take their organisations to the next level(one that commands international relevance, recognition and patronage) specific things they can do.

First two(2) issues that need to be highlighted.

1. Few(if at all any) TV, Radio or other media organisations have anything close to a respectable online presence that is FULLY FUNCTIONAL.

A respectable online presence is one that is befitting of the status of the organisation it talks about or represents. A FULLY functional website is one whose features and tools work as intended, and add value to the user experience, in a way that makes him/her see the organisation that owns the website in a positive light, while affording the owner increased opportunties to do business with the visitor(s).

In other words, not only will the design of the site be visually appealing, but also, the features and tools on it will enhance the ability of the visitor to use the website to find what s/he came looking for - including contacting the media house that owns the site.

I remain amazed by the fact that many of these organisations fail to realise that numerous visitors - including fellow journalists and decision makers - across the world looking to verify or get further details about some news item would want to CONTACT them through the convenience of their website contact forms.

Very few of them have website contact forms that work(many settle instead for receiving messages sent directly to their e-mail boxes - failing to realise that visitors will not always find it convenient to open a mail client in order to send a message while online).

And for some of those whose website contact forms do work, the visitor never gets an auto response to his/her submitted message confirming that it arrived "safely" at the other end. Nor does the organisation take the pain to do a simple courtesy reply - say within 48 hours - (that could be a prepared templated message) when they actually open and read the message from the enquirer. Faced with such stony silence, such a visitor is unlikely to return to ask for any further help.  

2. Few appear to realise the HUGE profit pulling (international relevance boosting) potential of maintaining a credible online equivalent of their offline publications. And those that do, seem to have limited ideas about HOW to use it to develop that potential to boost actual revenue earned.

A media organisation's online presence can be used to provide a service which complements the normal publication, but this time affording them a wider marketing reach which could even be used to sell additional advertising space.

To be honest, what I am referring to here requires a sound understanding of the requirements for successful low cost, and high impact online marketing. Newspapers publishers like Mail & Guardian of South Africa obviously understand that the Internet puts tremendous power in the hands of those who know how to use it. Their online version called Mail & Guardian Online has sections of it that fall into a category called "Premium Content" and which visitors have to subscribe for by paying a specified fee to cover a defined period.

Those who purchase bulk subscriptions to the offline newspaper get an automatic online subscription at no extra cost - which makes sense.

You Can Protect Yourself Against Online Subscriber Abuse(But Only As Much As For Offline/Paper Versions)  

Now, you could argue that one person could purchase online subscription and then let all his/he friends use it at work.

My answer it that there is hardly anything that is setup which human beings, if determined enough, cannot find a way to break into. What needs to happen therefore is for some good thinking to be done up front prior to launching the new idea to ensure minimal opportunities to subvert it are possible.

For instance, in relation to user access abuse, an organisation like (Nigeria's)The Guardian, in my opinion commands enough clout and credibility in the Nigerian market place to interest corporate organisations in purchasing bulk subscription for a minimum number of their team members, such that even if more people ended up using it, The Guardian would still be able to show reasonable financial gains from it.

Interestingly, since many corporate clients tend to have high speed connections which are often more reliable, the packaging of an additional online subscription access with The Guardian's Home/Office delivery bulk subscription could actually make decision makers see greater purchase value being offered them. That could possibly make others decide to patronise The Guardian.

Where A Media Organisation Can Reap The Greatest Benefits  

The greatest payback however is not in all the above. Where The Guardian stands to gain the most however from doing what I describe here is in the rapid growth in the number of customers they would be able to communicate with, on a one-on-one basis, and as frequently as they want, through the latter's email in-boxes. You CANNOT get more personal than that.

What's more, considering the nearly unlimited reach afforded by the net, don't be surprised if some of your subscribers turn out to be journalists and other persons from media organisations like yours across the world! Then of course Nigerians and Africans in diaspora, (who I know already write in via email, but who are unlikely to be current email subscribers to a newsletter - if at all any - run by a Nigerian media organisation) would be glad to subscribe. So would nationals of other countries who have friends or relatives living/working here, and who want to keep tabs on what's going on directly, instead of depending on CNN and BBC!

By making your website more dynamic, and doing so almost without having to spend any extra money, you can increase your news delivery reach/impact, and boost your credibility in the mind of your target audience as a progressive minded and reliable news media organisation they need to stay "tuned' to.

A Real-LIfe Example Of How It Works  

When the September 11 crisis happened, I and my colleagues in the Training Center of Guinness Benin Brewery(while I was still in paid employment) were one of the first to get the breaking news. This was because we were subscribers to the CNN Text service available on CNN's website. Basically you signup with your email address(to receive brief text news from the CNN website as it happens), and your information is added their database.

When next a "broadcast" message is sent out, you also get a copy in your in box. Best part is that the entire process is automated. Many inexpensive(some FREE) and easy to use software are available that can be installed on your website to do this. All you would then do is open the mailing interface, type a title for your intended message, then click "Send" and your mail would be dispatched to all those in your email subscribers database.

Bottom Line Is Get YOUR Readers' Email Addresses And Use Them To Broadcast MORE Timely News - Quickly & Easily!  

Online subscriptions to websites typically require a minimum submission by the user of a name and email address.

You can later follow up as trust increases with a request for the customer to submit more information such as Job Title, Income level etc. Simple, easy to use software make it easy to extract the submitted information and analyse it, such that The Guardian for instance can get a better picture of who their average customer is in terms of his/her demographics.

Apart from using this to decide future content to be published in the paper, they could also use it to convince prospective or existing advertisers to keep using their medium.

In addition, having direct access to the email boxes of the readers of your publication affords you the unique opportunity to not only give them timely news bits or briefs, but you also get to receive MORE feedback from them without limitations.

As I said, I am looking first/mainly at readers who have their own internet connections in the office because their companies provide the facilities. As a result they do not have to worry much about cost of access or convenience to use it in visiting your website and reading your news/giving feedback.

Also, readers who fall into this group tend to be high profile and more capable of purchasing bulk subscriptions of your publication - even MORE reason to want them as email subscribers to your website/newsletter!

For those who have to go to the cafe, the advantage of being able to do many things at once while online, should make it possible for them to utilise a media organisation's website online subscription facility. For instance if a father purchases a subscription for 6 months, but has no desire to visit a cafe to use his online subscription account, his wife or son could do that and use it to keep track of job adverts etc that they have an interest in.

In effect even though the cover price may not allow the latter to get their own copies, they may be motivated by the access to an online equivalent, to pressure their Dad/husband to continue subscribing - which is what The Guardian would want i.e. repeat business/customers.

So What Will It Take To Do The Things I Propose Above In YOUR Organisation?  

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