1. Access a Wider Audience

With a digital version, your magazine can have a global reach beyond just your members and current subscribers. (Of course, this requires a marketing campaign to expand your reach.) You can also reach a wider demographic in terms of age, gender, and diverse audiences. For example, more than 45% of digital readers are ages 18-34, which is well below the average association member demographic. These digital natives are more open to reading a digital version, which could lead to association membership.

2. Expand Advertising Opportunities

If you’re like most associations, you’re looking for ways to increase nondues revenue. Print advertising pays off, but digital magazine advertising offers a much broader range of options. Digital versions can include web links, incorporate video, and take advantage of technology in ways that print can’t. Because this allows for higher engagement with readers, advertisers are willing to pay extra for enhanced ad space. You can easily cover the cost of a digital version and boost your nondues revenue with the higher ROI.

3. Leave Behind Page Limits

With a digital version, there are no worries about space or page count. (Although nearly 75% of readers prefer 20 or fewer articles per issue.) Your association can publish the “silver medal” content that was submitted but didn’t make the cut for the print version. This increases buy-in from a larger range of authors and can add prestige to your print magazine. It can also be a way to “keep the peace” when editors are under pressure from other stakeholders who demand specific articles be published.

4. Provide Greater Member Value

Since the Covid pandemic, associations have had to fight for their members. Providing more value for the same membership cost is paramount to keeping numbers up. A digital version of your magazine is a sure way to increase that value. You can publish more often than your print version if, say, you’ve had to cut issues for budget purposes. You can also publish special, digital-only issues—like a buyer’s guide or a membership directory—that wouldn’t be cost-effective to print. Bonus: a buyer’s guide provides the opportunity for even more ad revenue!

5. Archive with Ease—and Accuracy

Digital magazine issues are much easier to archive when compared to stacks of printed magazines. They also save archive space and can be accessed more easily by more readers. Not to mention the fact that your archives can be their own subscription category, even if you have an open-access model for your current issues. Perhaps the most enticing feature for publishers is the ability to fix errors and omissions, even after publication.

6. Increase Member Engagement

It may seem obvious that more interactive elements will increase member engagement, but it still merits a callout. Avoid simply creating an identical, yet digital, version of the print magazine. Instead, leverage technology with your digital version. Use advanced features like searchable text, clickable links, the ability to copy and paste, bookmarking, and of course, video! Digital readers spend an average of an hour on each issue, so make the most of that time and flex your content muscle.

7. Offer Better Customer Service

Depending on your organizational structure, your association may be inundated with member communication. Fielding calls, answering voicemails, and responding to emails takes a lot of manpower. Your digital version can do some of the heavy lifting for your membership, sponsorship, and subscriptions departments. Incorporating ads or content that links back to the answers your readers are looking for can alleviate some of the outreach. Link to the appropriate pages, forms, and landing pages on your association website to help readers help themselves.

Make a Strategic Move

Associations in the know have already added digital versions of their publications. In fact, 40% of associations report using their digital magazine to complement their print editions. Instead of cutting their print versions, these associations are boosting member value with extended offerings.

What’s holding you back from exploring a digital edition? Contact an association magazine expert to find out more about the process of adding a digital edition to your publication.