Ideally, publication websites are a venue for scientific communication. But if publishers treat their websites like article warehouses, readers will too. And content itself, especially if behind a paywall, won’t necessarily attract and retain online readers who have an affinity for Sci-Hub and ResearchGate.
Content marketing—using content as a marketing strategy—can discourage researchers from stopping by your website only long enough to grab a PDF, a phenomenon that undermines the sturdiest long-term business strategy. In his new article in Learned Publishing, Atypon’s Jacob Wilcock interviews a dozen scholarly publishing industry executives to get their thoughts on using their websites for content marketing, to drive increased visibility.
The publishers Jacob interviews discuss their tactics for treating readers as customers—not end users—and the results they get from creating a place of knowledge and learning with the kind of user experience that readers find on the consumer websites they visit.
Among the most successful content marketing tactics are targeted promotions, personalized content, consumerized designs, and regular website optimization informed by platform-specific analytics. These tactics can take the form of anything from eTOC alerts to cross-promoting many different types of content, from redesigns offering enhanced search and facile navigation to topic-specific microsites.
By giving readers more fruitful research experiences and authors more visibility for their work, publishers can increase site traffic, lengthen site visits, and boost the value of their brand.
“An End to Download-and-Go”: The Role of the Website in the Content Marketing Ecosystem” can be found on Learned Publishing’s website.