Five nails in the Trade Pub coffin

Posted on November 9, 2009 by Dave J.

Here is another voice putting to words the paradigm shifts we have been witnessing in the last few years. But the important point is noting that things HAVE changed, and that we need to act accordingly.

Tom Pick at WebMarketCentral Blog asks rhetorically Will Content Marketing Kill Trade Publications?:

“The challenges faced by trade publications go far beyond the current economic slowdown. Trade pubs traditionally flourished due to five conditions which simply no longer exist.”

  1. Audience
  2. Authority and independence
  3. Expertise
  4. Advertising
  5. Aggregation

For each of these bullets, he basically explains how we can do it (or are doing it) ourselves, without the trade publication’s help. So please go read Tom’s post for the detail.

Wow, he just made my job harder. Now I need to be a writer and publisher of content, bypassing the trade publications.

In truth, my niche marketplace moved me away from trade publications as soon as the web became viable for lead generation. But I haven’t worked the content part as a strategic approach to attracting my own audience.

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  • Tom Pick

    Hi Dave -Thanks for the post, and for stopping by my blog and commenting.I think it's an exciting time for marketers. Not so much more work, just different (and potentially much more interesting).Trade publications can survive, but they will need to adapt, and quickly, to do so.

  • Tom Pick

    Hi Dave -

    Thanks for the post, and for stopping by my blog and commenting.

    I think it's an exciting time for marketers. Not so much more work, just different (and potentially much more interesting).

    Trade publications can survive, but they will need to adapt, and quickly, to do so.

  • 亞特

    Remember the "World's Most Dangerous Battery" viral video?
    Here is another viral video for the "World's SAFEST Battery".
    They pierced through a real battery to cause a huge explosion.
    Among mobile phone batteries, notebook batteries,
    there is only one battery that doesn't explode…… Watch this:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxlBvKrgVNw

  • Susan

    I work with over 100 industrial manufacturers, assisting with their online marketing and I echo the viewpoint that creating valuable content that speaks to desired audiences lifts some companies "head & shoulders" above others in their fields. And leveraging content through all the available channels enables them to engage potential customers who interact willingly. Here is a great example of one of the companies I work with who has truly embraced the opportunities online. http://www.indium.com

  • Susan

    I work with over 100 industrial manufacturers, assisting with their online marketing and I echo the viewpoint that creating valuable content that speaks to desired audiences lifts some companies "head & shoulders" above others in their fields. And leveraging content through all the available channels enables them to engage potential customers who interact willingly. Here is a great example of one of the companies I work with who has truly embraced the opportunities online. http://www.indium.com

  • Mike Volpe – HubSpot

    I agree. The trade pubs are dying.I think the big reason for it is that marketers are learning that rather than being advertisers in the trade pubs, they can be their own publishers and start a blog. For instance at my company (HubSpot) we started a blog, and now have over 20,000 subscribers, rivaling the reach and engagement of many trade pubs that we might advertise in. So, rather than spend our money on advertising (which is a one time expense with little long term benefit) we built a blog to drive our inbound marketing by spending our money on people/content. In The good news for the writers at the trade pubs is that the companies in their industry should be waking up and hiring them to write a company blog as part of their inbound marketing strategy.

  • Mike Volpe – HubSpot

    I agree. The trade pubs are dying.

    I think the big reason for it is that marketers are learning that rather than being advertisers in the trade pubs, they can be their own publishers and start a blog. For instance at my company (HubSpot) we started a blog, and now have over 20,000 subscribers, rivaling the reach and engagement of many trade pubs that we might advertise in. So, rather than spend our money on advertising (which is a one time expense with little long term benefit) we built a blog to drive our inbound marketing by spending our money on people/content. In

    The good news for the writers at the trade pubs is that the companies in their industry should be waking up and hiring them to write a company blog as part of their inbound marketing strategy.

  • AJ

    I understand the premise of this, and i agree that many trade publishers are wrestling with the change that social media are shoving down their throats. But I do have one bone to pick – the concept of "audience" is not dying. It's just evolving. The 90-9-1 rule is an absolute – anyone that's run a B2B or industrial marketing site knows this. Not only do lurkers make a boat-load of decisions, but someone that spends her day regularly posting and participating on sites likely isn't very influential in buying decisions.Last point – many buying cycles in the B2B world (like capital equipment) are episodic and occur infrequently. That's counter to the belief that "procial media" is the blanket answer to every market or – ahem – audience.Thanks for the excellent, thoughtful post.

  • AJ

    I understand the premise of this, and i agree that many trade publishers are wrestling with the change that social media are shoving down their throats. But I do have one bone to pick – the concept of "audience" is not dying. It's just evolving. The 90-9-1 rule is an absolute – anyone that's run a B2B or industrial marketing site knows this. Not only do lurkers make a boat-load of decisions, but someone that spends her day regularly posting and participating on sites likely isn't very influential in buying decisions.

    Last point – many buying cycles in the B2B world (like capital equipment) are episodic and occur infrequently. That's counter to the belief that "procial media" is the blanket answer to every market or – ahem – audience.

    Thanks for the excellent, thoughtful post.

  • 亞特

    Remember the "World's Most Dangerous Battery" viral video?
    Here is another viral video for the "World's SAFEST Battery".
    They pierced through a real battery to cause a huge explosion.
    Among mobile phone batteries, notebook batteries,
    there is only one battery that doesn't explode…… Watch this:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxlBvKrgVNw