How do we preserve the integrity of the news, analysis and events that are relevant to the sector, while also paying the staff who keep you updated?
That’s the question we have been grappling with at Future Campus, which has been financed by Twig Marketing for the past nine months.
There is a simple answer: Collaboration.
Each Monday, Wednesday and Friday, we are delighted to see thousands of readers open our stories and have set the agenda for discussions on multiple topics through the contributions of our staff and contributors. Twig has committed to giving back to the sector through market research, events, scholarships and more recently Future Campus, but we can’t afford to measure success of this communication channel in compliments or hard web metrics. It is only going to be successful and sustainable if it is a collaboration.
“Future Campus is different because it is by and for people who work in the sector and partnerships, collaboration and listening to feedback are all critical to create a communication channel that people keep wanting to hook into,” Twig Marketing Director and Future Campus Publisher Tim Winkler said.
“We can’t afford to continue covering the costs of Future Campus on our own, but we also can’t afford to let this independent media outlet wither or, worst case scenario, disappear. We have aspired to collaboration from the start and now that the format has been established and the audience developed, we expect others will see commercial value in partnering, because we are offering a high value, low-cost communication solution to promote jobs, events and ideas.
Partnerships for the Future
Future Campus has opened up opportunities for partnerships, seeking to maintain the integrity of the content that we carry while also starting to cover costs of production.
“We have moved to a partnership model and have written to universities and organisations working in the sector to consider showing support,” Mr Winkler said.
“This is not a gift, and not a sponsorship model. The idea is that we will provide a package of ads and write a limited number of articles that focus on the topics that partners would like to bring to you, but we will retain control of the editorial process. We won’t write dull advertorials, instead we will deliver news and insights in a true partnership that satisfies our team, partners and most importantly, our readers.
“If we are to continue to have a strong, independent and relevant media channel for the sector, we need to keep evolving – and we also need to find ways to raise enough money to pay for our staff.”
Value-packed advertising options
In addition to partnerships, Future Campus is offering strong value in its advertising opportunities for Universities. The newsletter has already run several measurably successful recruitment campaigns for universities and has dropped pricing for 2024 to ensure that ads are affordable in any recruitment campaign.
“Expensive job ads that we keep seeing in traditional media channels can’t compete with the combination of cost, reach and impact Future Campus offers,” Mr Winkler said.
Strong future as first partner signs
Following the decision to offer partnership packages in recent weeks, there appears to be a much stronger future for Future Campus, as our first partner, Unimutual has signed on this week.
Additional partners and advertisers will be required to cement a strong future for your Future Campus, but this is a strong start in the move towards a sustainable future.
