Consulting services provider TDF Consulting, Inc., US, has released a new white paper that says identifying, analysing and improving the complex and interrelated variables in three layers of influence of STM journal marketing will lead to a more successful journal and higher revenues for its publishers.
In the white paper, the firm highlights that even niche journals operate in a highly competitive arena for authors, reviewers, users and revenue. There are three levels of influence that must be considered by a journal's publisher to increase - or create - success for the journal. Only by understanding the interconnected variables within these layers of influence can a publisher achieve a desired degree of success and further the mission of the society or association, says the paper.
According to the white paper, journal publishers have focused solely on what TDF describes as the first, or inner, layer of influence - increasing revenues through dissemination, i.e., subscriptions, applications and individual article sales. However, according to TDF, the cyclical relationship between dissemination and revenue and the influencing power of varying marketing tools was not realised. The three main influencers of this cyclical relationship are usage, submissions and citations, or the 'triad of influence,' - which creates the second layer of influence. TDF contends that this triad of influence directly affects a journal's dissemination and revenue and its components are leading indicators of a journal's overall strength. Additionally, the white paper continues, usage, submissions and citations are 'highly correlated with each other,' and taking advantage of how these influencers affect each other can maximise the results of the inner layer of influence, namely dissemination and revenue.
Thirdly, TDF's white paper identifies 'Eight Tools of Influence' as a third, or outer, layer of influencers in a journal's marketing strategy that can be analysed and improved to lead to success. Public relations, direct mail, social media, calls for papers, depth of reviewer pool, abstracting and indexing services, turnaround times and ease of use comprise the list of eight tools.
According the method put forth by TDF in the white paper, a careful examination of the effectiveness and efficiency of the usage of each of these tools is critical to a journal's success in enhancing its usage, submissions and citations which, in turn, increase dissemination and revenue. TDF believes that these layers of influence are highly interconnected and that this interconnection has been too often overlooked by STM journal publishers when considering how to increase overall revenues and dissemination.
The new, holistic and individualised approach to journal marketing and success is stated to offer an expert analysis and recommendations for implementation to societies and associations which rely on publishing revenues to support their primary missions. A complete copy of the white paper is available at www.tdfconsultinginc.com.
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