InfoWorld’s Transition to an Online-Centric Model
IDG’s Paul Calento takes a look back at his company’s decision to shutter InfoWorld’s print edition and go online-only.
Like many brands before it, b-to-b publisher IDG Communications announced in early 2007 that it would shutter the print edition of InfoWorld, which serves the enterprise IT industry, and take the brand online-only. At the time, InfoWorld had a circulation of 180,000, and IDG CEO Bob Carrigan told FOLIO: that while he appreciated the “momentous” nature of a 27-year-old print brand going online-only, it was all “part of the strategy.” So how has the InfoWorld brand fared with audiences since the transition?
According to Paul Calento, SVP, strategic development, InfoWorld, the transition has been nothing short of a success. “Going online-centric has allowed InfoWorld to stay relevant and constantly evolve,” Calento told AD. “In our first fiscal year after the transition away from print, InfoWorld’s online revenue grew about 40 percent, far outpacing our segment. This was the result of utilizing disciplined best practices gained from our print experience, while significantly expanding our lead generation business and opportunistic multimedia programs, such as podcasting, video and whitepapers.”
Like Carrigan, Calento says that InfoWorld’s transition from print-centric to online-centric began before the print edition was even shuttered. “InfoWorld already transformed into a business where online and events not only drive growth, but already represented the dominant portion of the brand’s revenue,” he says. “While the InfoWorld business expanded, revenue and the overall impact from the legacy print business diminished significantly. InfoWorld ceased to be a print-centric business at least one year before the change.”
The Hardships and Benefits of Going ‘Online-Only’
While print is a cyclical business, Calento says, online is potentially a growth business—even in an unstable economy. Therefore, the decision to take InfoWorld to an “online-centric” model was a natural one. “Media consumption preferences among our audiences constantly evolve, as do media buying trends,” he says. “With online, the barriers to evolving quickly to audience and advertiser demands are limited, not by capital, as much as by the ability to keep our staffs nimble and execute quickly. Moreover, online, by design, allows our business to try a variety of things which may have a limited time span, where that approach does not lend itself as quickly in print.”
The transition, however, can be a bit difficult for staff members that are used to dealing with print-centric issues. Calento warns that old management approaches may not work for the new platform, therefore, try new ones. He also points out that editors may not be quick to embrace the metrics-driven online editorial environment. “Make them part of the solution,” he says.
InfoWorld.com’s page views have increased 24 percent year-over-year (calendar 2007 versus 2008) to 3.36 million per month, according to Calento, while the number of unique visitors per month has increased 8 percent to 1.16 million per month. “Both numbers are significant because while the IT buyer audience is relatively flat, InfoWorld is attracting a larger share of the market and getting them to interact more often, resulting in increased stickiness,” he says.
InfoWorld.com has also added new features, including social networking tools, mobile options and a downloadable performance monitoring tool called Windows Sentinel.
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