READING

Print Media? You Can't Do That -- Or Can You?

Years ago, I was told the Internet boom was over. A week later, I sold my e-commerce creation,
The Space Store, to a NASA contractor and it is still in business. Magazine mogul and Sagacity
Media founder Nicole Vogel was told that print media was no longer a viable business strategy, yet
she continues to succeed as do her publications.
Ignoring those predicting the dismal future of print media, Vogel is showing the world how print
media can and has evolved into a versatile entity, serving many needs for its audience. Vogel,
seemingly a woman who never sleeps or sits still, has launched several publications including
successful monthly magazines in Seattle, Portland and Houston.

Here are Vogel's top five reasons why print media is still a rock star to be reckoned with:

Giving something extra

I've seen a real revitalization in print media mainly because we're showing the value of interpretive
journalism. Yes, we carry news but we're separate from media that solely carries news. We offer
news, reviews of restaurants, information about upcoming events and in depth stories about local
community. While a reader may skim stories on a website, our average reader spends an hour or
more with our publications.

Can be accessed in many ways

Multiple platforms are a vital part of our strategy. Not only do people want to read an in-depth story
about their city in our magazine, they want to have us along on their electronic device for a brand
recommendation or when they need a restaurant. We also remind our readers to visit our website
through social media to stay abreast of breaking stories and to give them additional content to
keep them coming back.

Being all things to all people

We really had to widen the net as to who our competitor really is. In some instances we're a
competitor to the newspapers; in others, we're a competitor to Yelp. We're not just satisfying one
need. We're valuable at all crossroads for the audience.

A wider range of potential readers

We own the lifestyle commuter and we should never forget our bread and butter, but that doesn't
mean that that is our only audience. We are entrusted by our audience to provide multiple forms of
information on multiple levels of media including partnering with other media such as local
television stations to bring stories to the audience. Unlike magazines of the past, subscribers and
newsstand sales don't provide our only audience.

Made to measure
Each city is different and what is news in one city, isn't necessarily important in another. While the
northwest audience is a little more earnest, Texas is much more diverse. We did a cover on why
Houston is better than Dallas which caused a ruckus in both Houston and Dallas across many
social media sites. The rubric stays the same but the content has to change. Again, we aren't
limited to being one form of entertainment, we've had an opportunity to bring all the best of a city
to its audience in many ways.
With Newsweek announcing plans to go back into the printing business this year, Vogel may just
be on to something with this "magazine thing." What are you doing in your industry to not only
shake things up but also survive and succeed?