Much of the talk of digital meters and other paid content models focuses on logistics: what’s the right price, how many free views does a visitor get, how to handle social referrals, etc. But publishers tend to overlook two key elements that extend beyond the paywall itself: promoting it and supporting it.
Marketing and customer service are critical to building and growing a paid content business. That sounds obvious, but for the most part publishers haven’t been very good at either since the dawn of the digital age. Adding meters or other subscription models to the digital experience increases the urgency to get better at both.
Marketing
Publishers need to adopt some of the practices that consumer marketers use to attract and retain paying customers. It’s safe to say that an acquisition strategy based on nagging won’t work over the long term...Customer service
While marketing draws in new customers, superior customer service keeps them on board. That’s why publishers deploying or experimenting with paid content platforms should also be investing in the back-office systems required to support their paying subscribers.Publishers’ customer-facing subscription management platforms have traditionally been woeful, dating back to print. Adding digital subscriptions to the mix has only increased the complexity, making it difficult for customers to link print and digital accounts or make other seemingly simple modifications. Even bigger brands like the Wall Street Journal still struggle to deliver a consistently positive experience. Want to cancel your WSJ subscription online? Trick question: You can’t. (For security reasons, they say. Ha.)
http://www.emediavitals.com/content/2-critical-and-often-missing-elements-paywall-strategy?utm_source=Vital+Guide+to+eMedia&utm_campaign=9e272f645a-eMV_VG_04_04_2013&utm_medium=email
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