Mobile Apps Should be a Publisher’s New Focus
Many publishers have taken to or have started to dabble in social networks, as they see having a voice within this medium, as being vital to increasing their user base. On many levels, it is thought that a popular social network is the place to be if you want to get the Gen Y population using your brand (newspaper/newspaper site). Now although the above may still be somewhat true, a report released by PMN (Participatory Marketing Network) shows that publishers might have some additional learning to do when it comes to engaging Gen Y’ers.
Earlier this month, PMN surveyed 203 people among the ages of 18 to 24, and asked them about their online habits and ‘can’t do with out’s’. The results, themselves, didn’t shock us. We knew text messaging would rank highly, but what did surprise us was by how much text messaging ranked above participating in social networks, when the respondents were asked which of their online activities would they least like to give up:
It is obvious that email and text messaging rank highly as it is hard to find someone amongst the Gen Y age group who doesn’t have a smart phone, but this very same device adoption breeds a clear need for publishers to ensure they have adopted a healthy blend of mobile applications to their suite of digital offerings. And when looking to incorporate mobile offerings for users, it would be wise to reach beyond the ‘WAP replica’ of your site concept – you’ll need more than replication to engage this age group. Publishers will need to think about how users utilize their phones and what an iPhone or a Storm, for example, enable users to do. Once that is clearly understood, then find mobile synergies, with the key content sets on your properties.
Considering that the gen y population spends more time on text messaging, and on social networks than they do anything else, ensuring a healthy dedication to both new media avenues, will definitely increase a publishers chance of reaching that desired demographic.
