Special Interest Magazines

 

 

 

Social network communities around a niche topic are much more valuable to members than generic communities. Special Interest Magazines already focus on a specific topic or theme, and hence it is so much easier to build and market a social network community.

 

Broad or Niche Community?

 

The first wave of social network communities is over now - it was the time of generic communities, such as mySpace, Facebook, XING, LinkedIn. The members of social network communities are very loyal, as we have learnt, and therefore it will be very difficult to compete with these communities. But the second wave is now in full swing: It is the time to establish social network communities for each and every niche topic - so called niche social network communities. Such themes or topics may be found in

 

• Sports (e.g. social network for soccer, golf, basketball, sailing, etc.) or
• Within an industry (relenet's social network community www.hushcity.com for the international model industry is an example: connecting models, model agencies, scouts, service providers, such as photographers, hair stylists, make-up stylists, clients, want-to-be-models, etc.) or
• For specific healthcare topics (e.g. social networks for diabetes, heart attack, lung cancer, aesthetic medicine, plastic surgery, ADHD: Connecting patients, doctors, specialists, clinics, pharma producers, therapists, the cured/treated, relatives, etc.)
• For specific hobbies or interests (e.g. community for horses, dogs, gardening, house building & design, handicrafts, etc.)

 

The more focused a social network community is on a particular niche, the higher are the benefits to its members. As a result, the marketing of the community becomes easier and the higher are the prices that one can ask for premium membership.

A rule of thumb says that a niche social network community should earn between
EUR 1,00 - 5,00 per member and month.

 

 

Experience tells that there will only very few such social network communities be successful in each topic or area of interest - typically on a worldwide scale only one or two or three, as all users gravitate to the largest Community in each topic.

 

Value Proposition for a Special Interest Magazine

 

A Special Interest Magazine focused on a niche topic or interest should operate a social network community on its internet presence in the following way:

 

• First, the Magazine can advertise the new social network community to its readership in order to initially grow membership in the community.
• Members of the social network community will enjoy the additional benefits arising from interaction with other like-minded Members, as described above. They will also start to invite their friends that share their interest in the specific topic. The social network community will grow by itself and reach people from the target group that the Magazine has thus far failed to address.
• From now onwards, the Magazine and its content can be advertised in the social network community: Access to premium content can be sold to premium members, e.g. the articles of the latest Magazine or particularly interesting articles and other content or functionality. Further, the Magazine itself can be marketed towards the community and subscriptions to the Magazine can be sold there.
• The high member loyalty to the social network community will positively reflect on the Magazine readership.

 

In summary, the Magazine and the social network community both focus on the same topic or interest and cross-fertilize each other. In particular, the social network community will become a marketing vehicle for the Magazine, reaching people of the target group at very little expense. Apart from this, the community will also in itself generate revenues, additional income through premium content subscription and an increased advertising inventory on the internet.

 

 

 

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