Academic journals earlier largely focused on growing subscribers and building relationships with libraries and librarians. Currently, with article publication charges (APCs) increasingly replacing journal subscription fees, journals have to think more seriously about audience building, impact, and outreach as authors are looking for more “value” from the APCs they pay. Journals therefore need to change their orientation from library-facing to author-facing.  This is why it’s critical to build a strong online presence.

There are many “strategies” and “tools” for organizations that want to build their online presence, but are these strategies enough to help you achieve your desired impact? Digital marketing, SEO, and social media solutions are proliferating, as are the providers of these solutions. Journals are also increasingly experimenting with alternative content formats, such as infographics, videos, and podcasts. However, such solutions may have limited effectiveness when journals apply them without following one crucial step: understanding the target audience and customizing the outreach strategy accordingly.

Journals have two key stakeholders: 1) authors and 2) readers. Both these segments, despite considerable overlap between them, include a diverse range of ages, demographics, geographical locations, genders, subject areas, and seniority. For your journal’s outreach strategy to be successful, your outreach strategy needs to be very targeted.  

1. Know your audience: Worldwide, researchers as a group are incredibly diverse. Journals and publishers therefore need to identify specific segments of the researcher community to target, and develop content plans and engagement activities accordingly in order to enhance their brand. For example, journals seeking to widen their readership cannot afford to overlook China, which is home to nearly 2 million researchers (even more researchers than even the US). Even within a single country or geographic region, researchers’ information consumption needs and behaviors can differ by generation, seniority, and workplace.

• Go where your audience is: A social media strategy needs to take into account what platforms researcher audiences actually use to search for or share information (versus just keeping in touch with family and friends or showcasing other interests). Is your audience in Korea present on Naver? Who shares their research on ResearchGate, WeChat, Facebook, or Twitter? Depending on who your audience is, you need to be present where they are.

• Timing is everything! Posts on social media need to be timed to catch the attention of researchers from the targeted time zone. So, if you release your post in the EU time zone but you are trying to reach researchers in Japan, then your post will probably not perform the way you expect it to.

• Choose topics of relevance: Choosing a theme for a special issue or commissioning a literature review requires knowledge of what topics researchers in a particular field are currently discussing. You may also want to have customized messaging based on what’s trending in your target geography and what are your audience’s most pressing information needs.

• Experiment with new content formats: Journals should consider audience preferences when it comes to experimenting with new content formats. For example, should a journal opt to summarize articles into one-page textual synopses or image-heavy infographics and short videos? In our experience, both of these approaches are successful, but it depends on the journal, the objectives, and the readership.

To summarize, the key to making a journal stand out lies in understanding what the targeted group of researchers want to know and delivering this information in a format they can easily access, use, and share. To become more visible and gain domain authority, journals need to craft strategies customized to their readership. In other words, to be of value to their audience, they need to know what the audience wants.

Know. Customize. Optimize. Repeat

This is the secret to a successful outreach strategy.

<<<CTA>>>

Do you want to know how leading journals and publishers leverage new age media in order to get seen, heard, and acknowledged? Download this whitepaper

The post How do Journals Stand Out in an Increasingly Cluttered Digital Space appeared first on CACTUS.

Despite the available evidence supporting the safety and efficacy of FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccines, a certain level of vaccine hesitancy still exists. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that as of December 2021, almost 15% of adults over the age of 18 years in the United States remained unvaccinated against COVID-19. One of the main reasons for vaccine hesitancy, particularly in high-income countries, concerns the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, especially with regard to their fast-paced development. Combatting this hesitancy is made more challenging owing to COVID-19 misinformation, inconsistency in communication around COVID-19, and the complexity of scientific information. Research societies are in a unique position to tackle vaccine hesitancy, especially by employing the following strategies.

1. Targeted approach: The reasons for vaccine hesitancy can differ across population groups, and an effective way to curb it would be to address each group’s concerns in a targeted manner. For instance, a society of gynecologists and obstetricians may find it helpful to survey the patient groups they serve to understand their concerns about COVID-19 vaccination, such as miscarriage and infertility risk. The results of the survey can be used to disseminate patient-focused information to members, delivered using formats such as virtual events or FAQs.
   1. Credible communication: In a survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, 42% of individuals who were unvaccinated against COVID-19 gave lack of trust as a reason for not getting the vaccine. Given the growing mistrust in science, especially in COVID-19 vaccines, it is essential to communicate credibly to persuade people. As suggested by the AMA, when addressing vaccine hesitancy, it would be helpful to acknowledge the audience’s concerns, be transparent about the information you provide, give specific answers to their questions, and try to demystify the science and process of vaccination.
   1. Making information more accessible: The importance of accessibility to reliable scientific information cannot be overstated. In an age where the spread of misinformation is rampant, research societies can use novel, digital formats of science communication that can help the general audience better interpret and understand complex research. Visual forms of science communication such as infographics are compelling in disseminating scientific information to a wider audience. For instance, the British Society for Immunology created an impressive collection of visual aids, including infographics and explainer videos, to educate the public on COVID-19 vaccines.
   1. Using social media: Social media is considered to be a major source of vaccine misinformation. Given the growing number of people who consume content via such channels, it may be an effective tool to share factual information in an effort to combat the surge of misinformation. Effectively using social media and visually appealing formats like infographics and videos can help research societies reach and educate a wider audience while considering the limited attention spans of social media users.
   1. Inclusive messaging: A recent study suggests that localizing vaccine-related information could effectively combat vaccine hesitancy among non-native English speakers. The British Islamic Medical Association has made resources regarding COVID-19 vaccination available in multiple languages along with information that may be more relevant to the Muslim community. Strategies like sharing vaccine-related information in multiple languages can have better reach and may help address vaccine hesitancy among minority populations.
   1. Mandating vaccination proof for in-person event attendance: Data suggests that people are increasingly becoming comfortable attending in-person events with COVID-19 protocols in place. A survey of meeting planners indicated that about 60% of the group leaned towards mandating proof of vaccination for such events. As research societies begin to conduct in-person events, vaccine mandates for attendees may serve as an incentive for attendees to get vaccinated.

Several societies have taken initiatives to encourage vaccination through various means. For instance, the American Society for Virology in collaboration with the American Society for Microbiology conducted COVID-19 vaccine education town halls. Several Canadian organizations, including the Canadian Association of Science Centers, support the #ScienceUpFirst campaign to stop the spread of misinformation. The American Hospital Association created extensive resources, including webinars, to address vaccine concerns among target groups. COVID-19 vaccination is becoming the norm, and positive, clear, and transparent vaccination messaging from credible organizations can help in combating vaccine misinformation and the resulting hesitancy.

The post Role of Research Societies in Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy appeared first on CACTUS.