It’s common practice for visitor bureaus and chambers of commerce to print and distribute an annual guide. But there are good arguments for publishing more often! Take a look at just a few of them.
Avoid Outdated Content
When a publication has a shelf life of a year, content can grow stale — especially if it’s about events, exhibitions or member anniversaries that have already passed. Publishing twice a year instead of once reduces the likelihood that customers or prospects will pick up a book with obviously outdated information.
Go With the Seasons
This is especially crucial for visitor guides. The sorts of activities visitors may want to pursue are significantly different in the spring/summer and fall/winter seasons (think garden shows in the spring vs. leaf peeping in the fall), so your content should change accordingly. Readers of your guide will appreciate this targeted, slimmed-down approach.
Offer Better Service to Advertisers
While advertisers get a longer shelf life from an annual publication, many may prefer a shorter time span at a lower price. That’s because, like editorial content, advertising can easily become outdated if it includes old branding, past events or doesn’t account for exciting news such as the opening of a new location.
Realize Cost Savings
Publishing more frequently opens up the possibility of doing a smaller book each time, which may actually help you save on printing and shipping costs! There’s no guarantee of course, but it couldn’t hurt to price out some options.
Get in touch with the experts at Today Media Custom Communications to start the conversation on how to improve your printed publications. You can reach us at newbusiness@todaymediacustom.com.
