The evolution of author marketing for scholarly journals

Over the past 30 years, there have been considerable changes in how we identify and reach arguably our most important stakeholder: authors. In the early to mid 1990s, the internet and email communications were still in their infancy and not a commonly used tool in marketing. But with advances in technology, this was all set to change, with far reaching consequences.

Elsevier’s mission — to serve researchers and health professionals by combining advanced technology with reliable information to deliver insights — transcends into our marketing practices. Moreover, although it’s not always easy to get it right, recent developments in marketing technologies — including data-driven marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), tracking capabilities and dynamic/personalized email campaigns — enable us to better deliver what our authors need, which remains at the heart of all of our promotional activities.

On this note, we recognize that, for an author, deciding who to trust with their research is a major consideration and that it is our job — in fact, our duty — to give them the best possible experience and to handle their research with the respect it deserves. Consequently, one of the key goals of our author marketing is to help them make the right choice when deciding where to submit their research.

Early author marketing

Those of a certain age will recognize that author marketing started in a very different place, with the focus in the mid to late 1990s on the physical product and face-to-face encounters. Many marketers will have vivid memories of stuffing envelopes with the latest journal issue, brochure or goody! At the time, it reflected industry best practice, but on reflection, it was very much a scatter-gun approach that relied heavily on the right mailing list and a fair amount of good fortune. Of course, in many ways, this approach mirrored the format of the journal itself, which was still predominantly print-based.

By the late ‘90s, the use of email had exploded, and for many marketeers, it was an interesting time that really changed the way of working. Gone were the days of sending out print flyers; instead, things moved online and started to become a bit more targeted. Despite this, there was still a lot to learn, with the guiding principles we take for granted today not yet in place. Email etiquette and data protection would come later.

A data-driven approach to reaching authors

Today, author marketing activities are far more data-driven and targeted. For example, we understand that for an author, looking for somewhere to publish their research is a significant milestone in their research journey and no small undertaking. By taking a data-driven marketing approach, such as using Scopus data to help segment the market, we can identify and target an author relevant to a specific journal, helping them to find a relevant journal for their work and saving them valuable time.

This approach is not an exact science, however, and we continue to refine and evolve our targeting methodologies to generate better outcomes. This involves adding more layers and using additional data to enable us to better understand the needs of each individual author.

Further, our author marketing approach can be categorized as a form of customer lifecycle marketing, which acknowledges that authors are on a journey (e.g., from potential author to published author to journal advocate) and accordingly require specific, personalized messaging that accommodates their changing persona and needs. In author marketing, this is particularly important because authors are already pressed for time and under a lot of strain, so a strong, well targeted message that provides useful information to assist them is the best way to enable us to earn their trust.

Of course, any form of data-driven marketing must be approached cautiously, and we take handling customer data very seriously. This is reflected in Elsevier’s Privacy Principles, which are discussed in more detail here.

Another big step forward has been our ability to track and report on marketing activities, which can help to inform and improve future marketing campaigns. Knowing who has — or indeed hasn’t — engaged in a promotional email campaign leads to a more targeted message in the future.

Looking ahead

What does the future hold? It’s difficult to say with certainty, but it’s likely that the concept of data-driven personalized marketing will continue to evolve with the use of new technologies. We are already using artificial intelligence to identify an author’s previous publication behavior and likely future needs, and this will continue to evolve and become more prevalent. Interactive forms of marketing, such as videos, may also become more common, which will potentially help mitigate some of the challenges associated with information overload and people having limited time to read marketing communications.

At the heart of this — and something that despite the passing of time has not changed — is establishing what our authors want and need. If we continue to focus on this, then we will be heading in the right direction.