Core takes its first steps on the international market
With Core, Crius Group has built up a unique position in the Dutch-language publishing world over the years: almost all of the larger general publishers use Core and a survey of the customer base yields satisfied and only positive feedback. The reason is as simple as it is impressive: Core works and saves both time and money. High time to explore the international market! Pieter Swinkels wrote this blog about his first experiences as a business developer.
The right time?
Is this the right time to roll out Core internationally?
It has been buzzing in the international publishing world for several years:
the reading market is rapidly globalizing.
- International collaborations are springing up like mushrooms, and people are experimenting with cross-pollination of formats and content.
- High-tech developments are innovating digital work and production processes while publishers are being forced to adjust their profiles to the immense shifts in the popularity of genres.
- Everyone is thinking about how AI developments are both an opportunity and a threat, but there is no question that the impact will be profound.
It seems like a good time for Core's international rollout. The product has proven itself in the home market, and time and cost savings are USPs that matter globally.
At the same time, despite the ongoing internationalization, each market has a strong local publishing culture and tradition in which production teams occupy a notoriously idiosyncratic position.
The organization of the production processes also varies enormously from country to country. Where Dutch-language publishers have mostly outsourced design and layout to external parties in recent decades, foreign publishers have kept this step in-house with a team of permanent designers. And as you often see with applications in the publishing world, many publishers have developed their own tools over the years that are fully customized and integrated into the work processes of the specific publisher.
Diverse publishers abroad
When you think of internationalisation as a European company, the lure of the Anglo-Saxon market is deafening. But the world's largest publishing market is not only huge, it is also dominated by a handful of group publishers with very different and complex organisational structures in which you, as a relatively small company, can easily invest endless time without results.
Without a local sales team and a large marketing budget, it is a risk to focus exclusively on those large parties. In addition, there are countless smaller publishers who innovate faster and are more open to new players. The question is how we can overcome the steep learning curve as quickly as possible to position Core as sharply as possible in those very different publishing environments abroad.
Pieter Swinkels
Manager Content & Opleidingsbeheer at LOI
The starting shot for the international rollout of Core has been fired.
Now the marathon begins!
Frankfurt Buchmesse offers new opportunities
During the Frankfurt Book Buchmesse, we had discussions with a limited number of publishers that are representative of different parts of the market. Not only are these publishers all potential customers, the conversations offer direct feedback and valuable input for optimal aligment of the marketing & sales strategy for others.
As hoped, the conversations yielded a wealth of information. They also led directly to follow-up meetings and demos with the production teams, who are usually not present at the Buchmesse. The starting shot for Core's international rollout of has been fired. Now the marathon begins!
Do you recognise this story
and would you like to know more about this solution?
Our Sales Director Marcel Van Denken would be pleased to come along and see you. ☕
Contact Marcel or call us on +32 (0)15 750 750