The President of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), Ms Maureen Chigbo, has called on members of the Guild to make decisions that would distinguish them as entrepreneurs in the online media community.
Ms Chigbo made the call in her welcome address at GOCOP’s 8th Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Conference which commenced Wednesday, October 2 and ended on Thursday 3, 2024.
The president said members must realise that online is the future of journalism, stressing that even traditional media outfits have noted this reality and are rushing in.
“We must know we are mediapreneurs and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the online media community,” Chigbo said.
She noted that the AGM is usually to reinvigorate members’ businesses while adhering to ethical rules.
On capacity-building session that started the Day One, the President said the choice of experienced members to serve as resource persons was deliberate.
“We have brought our members that have succeeded in various aspects to talk to members so that more people can succeed. That is what peer review does to us. Today is capacity-building, peer review, and talking to GOCOP partners. We also have our Annual General Meeting (AGM) where we give account of our stewardship.”
Chigbo, publisher of Realnews Magazine online, said GOCOP has its own corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects. “We will visit an orphanage to give back to society. We recommend this to all our corporate members because we must put something aside each year in our different publishing outfits to give back to society.”
While appreciating members for solidarity and support, she also commended the people and government of Kogi State for playing host to GOCOP members.
She equally commended the organising committee for its painstaking efforts to make Lokoja 2024 a bright event, just as she gave kudos to the Membership Screening Committee for rigorous screening processes to make the Guild a credible group of corporate publishers.
In the first presentation, Dr Maxwell Amuchie, Founder/CEO, Sundiata Post Media Ltd, drilled members on ‘Low Hanging Fruits; A Revenue Strategy for Online Publishers’. He said it is to help online publishers answer a crucial worry in the online publishing business, which is how to earn sustainable revenue from the practice.
He identified the obvious revenue areas which he called low hanging fruits. He named some of them as: sponsored posts, link insertions, text link adverts, and press releases.
On major revenue schemes available to online publishers, he mentioned banner adverts, special projects writing especially with state governments and agencies, digital advertising, social media revenue, events management, as well as licensing and syndication.
Dr Amuchie who gave a deep insight into his experience in the beginning and how he stumbled on opportunities, gave hints on how to maximise the revenue areas. He said: “Despite advices and counsel by GOCOP, members have the responsibility to define their business strategies and make their websites offer value that can attract patronage.”
In his presentation, publisher of the QEDNG, Mr Olumide Iyanda, urged online publishers to embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI) to attract readers to their websites.
Iyanda also called on online publishers to utilise different online platforms and technology to promote their products or services and more with their audiences, stressing that media managers should post their stories where their readers can easily read them.
Iyanda, who stated that many readers take interest in watching short video clips instead of reading long texts, urged mediapreneurs to equally include videos and as part of their stories to generate more traffic.
Noting that leveraging on social media goes a long way to promote websites, he called on publishers to know where their readers have gone to and accordingly plant their stories there.
“Internet penetration in Nigeria is about 45.5 per cent. Over 40 per cent of these users engage with news on Facebook, Tik Tok, yet, 75 per cent of internet users do not go past first page, so, it is important to use social media platforms to promote content and engage with users,” he said.
Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Tiktok, among others, he said, were variable channels to reach readers.
Speaking further, he urged GOCOP members to now wear the garb of business decision-makers as Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) upon whose shoulders rest the success or otherwise and the fate of their workforce. He said the view the CEOs hold on their role would impact the way they related with their clients.
Iyanda explained that publishers as small and medium entrepreneurs (SMEs) must learn how to adapt to changing consumer behaviours to beat the increasing competition in the digital space.
For instance, he harped the need for data to make appropriate decisions. “Don’t decide what your audience needs. If your customers want tea, don’t give them coffee, prioritise digital marketing and be active on all digital marketing platforms, ‘’ he advised theat the over 100 members of GOCOP present at this year’s conference.
Iyanda spoke on “Leveraging Digital Marketing: Strategies For Online Publishers,’’ as part of the general theme of this year’s GOCOP conference titled, Nigeria: Tackling Insecurity, Power Deficit, And Transitioning To Digital Economy.
He urged Publishers to know when to charge for stories and when not, explaining that placing fees for public relations or promotional stories for commercial interests did not breach journalism ethics.
He noted that journalism would not only be seen as a social or humanitarian service but also as a business where bills must be settled by the entrepreneur. He warned Publishers to beware of other professionals who collect money from their clients to publish stories only to turn round to use subtle methods to slip the stories into the media.
Iyanda, who warned that media professionals should maintain the code of ethics in all they do, urged Publishers to strike the right balance between ethics and demands of business.
Every year, GOCOP embarks on business sessions at its annual conferences where members are brought up to date with latest tech in online publishing as well as focus on means of increasing and generating revenues in online publishing.
