Web magazine in brand communication
The web magazine as a corporate magazine
Exactly as in the paper version, the corporate online magazine must develop topics of interest to the company and its target audience. The articles, we remind you, must entertain readers and offer them the opportunity to increase their knowledge. Through the web magazine, at the same time, the company transmits information about its brand, identity, products or services offered.
As is historically the case in the production of the house organ, the creation of the web magazine therefore has two aims:
- To broaden brand awareness, that is, the brand’s awareness among the public.
- To consolidate the trust of stakeholders, especially customers.
The advantages of the online platform
Spreading the name and prestige
The web version of the company newspaper allows to achieve the first objective in a more easy way than with traditional paper. Users of the network, in fact, in search of information and entertainment articles, easily meet the platform helped by search engines.
With regard to the second objective, we would like to underline how the information activity on topics of their sector highlights the company’s skills. The management of the online magazine highlights the company’s ability to stay up-to-date, highlights its competitiveness and makes it an opinion leader. Becoming the publisher of a magazine therefore enhances the prestige of a company by facilitating the construction of a solid brand reputation.
Visits to the company website
Moreover, the online version of the company magazine, just like the blog, has the advantage of increasing the number of visits to the company’s official website. If the platform is not independent but is part of the company’s website, its development contributes to the increase in the text content of the latter. The continuous production of articles therefore coincides with the frequent updating of the company website.
It should be considered that the existence of a web platform takes advantage of the high number of visits by users. The website also benefits from the good amount of text content, especially if continuously updated. Both elements are appreciated by engines and contribute to the good positioning of the site in search results.
Legal regulations to create a web magazine
- Difference between web magazine and registered magazine
Another advantage of the web platform is that it has easier rules than those governing the founding of a print magazine.
In the case of an online platform in fact it is sufficient to have a staff able to follow the design, development and operation of the website. This must include an editorial staff composed of a small number of content specialists.
This does not exclude the possibility of making the web magazine a real newspaper. In this case it is necessary to register the name of the newspaper in the press registry at the court registry, ensure the presence of a responsible director registered in the register of journalists.
This last rule guarantees the truthfulness of the news that in the case of a registered newspaper must be verified before publication. It may also be necessary, as already seen, to register the publisher in the Register of Communication Operators.
- Obligations for the publisher of a web magazine
The web magazine, like the blog, is legally considered a place of expression of the free penisero. As for the registered magazine, however, it is necessary to respect the reputation of third parties and not incur the crime of defamation.
On the web magazine, moreover, it is mandatory to indicate the cookie policy, terms and conditions of use and the possible practice of collecting user data. In the latter case, the privacy policy must be indicated.
Differences between blog and web magazine
Are there any differences?
The difference between the web magazine not registered in court and the blog instead is related to the customs that regulate the use of expressive media on the web. The difference between the two tools does not therefore depend on specific legal rules. In many cases, therefore, the latter appears blurred and each of the two models often resembles the other.
The two instruments have in common the purpose of disseminating knowledge and free opinion of the publisher.
Blog and web magazine tips
In general the web magazine is characterized by a very high frequency of publication, almost daily, and the quantity of articles is higher. The magazine also presents articles with a more chronachistic cut, which often coincide with an event or a novelty within a specific sector. In the case of the blog, there are more frequent in-depth articles within a disciplinary field or sharing personal experiences in a specific branch of knowledge.
However, blogs do not lack articles that analyze or convey opinions on current facts and topics. In the usual magazine the tone used by the editor is impersonal. In blogs, especially in corporate blogs, a colloquial and friendly tone is often used. The reader is involved in a direct way and in the written speech is expressly addressed to him using the “you”.
Versatility of the corporate web magazine
The elasticity of legal regulation has made corporate web magazines a diversified reality. In many cases we observe real information platforms autonomous from the official websites of the companies. In other cases the magazine area is located within the company’s website and is often contained on a page of the platform.
Just like its paper correspondent, the company web magazine can be defined in this way if it shows the brand of which it is representative, or at least the logo. In the case of a web magazine, the description of the services provided by the company in the main menu of the platform is equally representative.