The latest addition to the Media Pioneers shortlist shows that small publishing teams can build a global media brand across multiple platforms…
Total Telecom serves the worldwide telecoms sector, focusing on the business and marketing issues facing blue chip companies like BT or Verizon.
Terrapinn acquired the title, then loss-making, from Emap in 2004, and has since turned it round to strong revenue growth and good margins, with a team of just 15.
Early move from print to digital content
The audience is globally mobile, so the print magazine was becoming less relevant. Two years ago, it was closed and the content redesigned for digital. The website is a daily news service, publishing up to 50 stories a day. Total telecom+ is a monthly digital edition, based on analysis of the news. It is totally ad-funded and available on iOS, Android and as a page turner or PDF, and reaches 17,000 readers a month.
News and analysis is now provided in digital format, with current news available free and a paid subscription for the archive and analysis. This is on a freemium model, with a 2 month free trial, and site licences for larger organisations.
Creating targeted face to face opportunities
Advertisers are shifting their focus from advertising to lead generation activities including webinars and providing downloadable PDFs, but still value face to face opportunities, so the Total Telecom team have focused on launching small-scale conferences and breakfast briefings.
The telecoms sector has vast general events, such as Mobile World Congress, so the editorial team have concentrated on highly segmented topics, such as cloud computing or mobile wireless, or on the needs of specific groups of senior execs, such as catering for telecoms CxO’s with a conference on the future business models, partnerships and competitors in the industry.
The events attract typically 50-500 attendees. Some are invited, and some pay to attend. A single editorial team creates the digital content and programmes the events. Total Telecom World focuses on the hot topics for global telecoms executives and attracted 150 delegates to its launch event. Two more conferences are planned for 2012.
Breakfast briefings concentrate on key topics and small groups, eg cloud services or carrier Ethernet where up to 50 relevant executives attend.
Total Telecom had a long-established Awards, the World Communications Awards, and has expanded this business, with two more focused Awards, including a major launch into Asia.
Niche TV channel growing
Total Television provides online video content including interviews, event coverage and customer insight, and ad revenues are growing steadily. Content is produced by the editorial team alongside digital and events.
Rob Chambers, MD, sums up their approach: “We have sought to change our business to suit the needs of our clients. We serve a truly global industry and so digital formats and stand out opportunities for networking are the keys to our success.”
The Media Pioneer Awards recognise innovation and entrepreneurial achievement in specialist consumer and b2b markets. Winners are announced at the Specialist Media Show on 24 May 2012. We’re delighted to welcome Audience Media as sponsor for the 2012 Media Pioneer Awards. Audience Media provide a publishing solution with a single CMS to publish to web, print and tablet plus subscription management. Click here for more information about the Media Pioneer Awards and how to enter.
