Customer magazines
Seven reasons to engage with Customer Magazines
Still relatively young, the customer magazine medium has blossomed into a £10billion global industry. Central to its success is the level of customer engagement it offers brands. Customers spend 25 minutes on average with a customer magazine (APA Advantage Study, 2007), compared with a TV ad (30 seconds) and an internet ad (0.5 seconds).
Across Europe, brands are discovering the meaning of Add Print, Add Power, enticed by the creativity and new ways of thinking employed by customer magazines. Their ability to blend well with direct mail is also an advantage, building loyalty and stimulating both up- and cross-selling.
So here are the seven key reasons for using customer magazines.
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SubstanceThe tangible feeling of holding a magazine in your hands is something consumers still love. And with that comes the vital element of control: the title can be picked up and put down at will. The customer magazine engages with the reader when they are relaxed and ready to take in its brand messages. Titles will entertain and inform while subtly building the brand as the reader takes in more and more information. |
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EngagementThrough entertaining and informative content, customer magazines build a bond between brand and reader. This trust can be used to get your customers to take some form of action. Customers can take in the information in their own time, recognising the work and creativity that goes into every issue. Over time, this can have a dramatic impact on customer loyalty. |
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Targeting powerCustomers are a varied group, but magazines have the ability to target all customers, tailoring content specifically for their background and habits. In 2008, Royal Mail’s Advantage Study (UK) showed that a quarter of all customer titles are segmented to suit differing reader demographics. With brands recognising the need for a more personalised approach, this figure is rising all the time. |
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EffectivenessWhen looking at ROI, print offers a vital guarantee of measurability, giving the chance to see exactly who the magazine has gone to and which readers have engaged and responded to the content they have been targeted with. This response can be used to build up a valuable picture of your customer base. Gathered data can then be used to focus your marketing objectives further and target your content more effectively for even better results. |
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LoyaltyThe most common reason for commissioning a customer magazine is loyalty. With a regular and substantial communication such as a magazine, your customers have a regular and reliable source of information and entertainment, with your brand gaining unparalleled access into their lives. |
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EntertainmentCustomer magazines are created with entertainment at their core. Getting the customer interested in the content is a key step. Once you have their interest, they’ll be more receptive to any messages you wish to get across. Even better, provide them with useful editorial such as tips, advice, recipes and contact details, and they are more likely to keep the magazine, returning to it time and time again. |
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ComplexityThe modern customer magazine is created by people with years of editorial and design experience. They know how to entice customers into reading each page and take in the information given, which gives any brand a golden opportunity to communicate a whole range of complex messages |
Contributor: APA
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