Why should publishers invest in building direct relationships with their visitors? How can understanding and optimizing the visitor journey significantly boost revenue? What role does first-party data play in the future of digital publishing?
Listen to the full episode below to dive into the conversation:
For those looking for a sneak peek into the key topics covered in this insightful discussion, here are 10 key takeaways from Dan's conversation with Ari:
1. Admiral’s Mission and Recent Funding
Admiral is on a mission to “save the free internet, one publisher at a time.” In the podcast, Dan announced the recent Series A funding round, which raised $19 million, led by Harbert Growth. This new investment will fuel Admiral’s continued efforts to empower publishers by helping them generate revenue and build lasting visitor relationships.
2. The Admiral Origin Story
Admiral’s journey began with an epiphany by Admiral's founders during their time at Grooveshark, a pioneer in music streaming. The impact of ad blockers on Grooveshark’s revenue revealed a gap in the market: publishers were losing significant revenue without even realizing it. This realization led to the creation of Admiral, to help publishers recover lost revenue and foster meaningful connections with their audiences.
3. The Core of Visitor Relationship Management (VRM)
At the heart of Admiral’s platform is Visitor Relationship Management (VRM), a concept born from the need to address the root cause of many issues in digital publishing—the lack of direct relationships between publishers and their visitors. Dan emphasized that in today’s environment, where privacy concerns and ad-blocking are prevalent, building these relationships is crucial for a sustainable and thriving internet.
4. A Comprehensive Suite of Products
Admiral offers a robust suite of products designed to address the various needs of digital publishers. This includes:
- Measure: Analytics module to track what traditional analytics miss due to blockers.
- Recover: Ad block recovery tools to reclaim lost revenue.
- Transact: Solutions for managing subscriptions, donations, and microtransactions.
- Convert: Tools for capturing email addresses, registration walls, and managing accounts.
- Consent: A module for global privacy consent management.
- Connect: A first-party data collection and management system that supports all other modules.
5. The Journey System: A Game-Changer for Publishers
One of the most innovative aspects of Admiral’s platform is the “journey system,” a sophisticated tool that enables publishers to create intelligent, personalized visitor journeys. This system can optimize in real-time based on visitor behavior, ensuring that interactions are meaningful and aligned with the visitor’s context. Dan shared how this system not only enhances user experience but also drives significant revenue through higher engagement and conversion rates.
6. Ad Block Recovery: Building Relationships, Not Tricks
Admiral’s ad block recovery tools are more than just a quick fix—they’re a way to build trust and relationships with visitors. Some publishers have achieved over 90% recovery rates by using Admiral’s tools. Unlike other methods that try to bypass blockers, Admiral’s approach focuses on engaging visitors in a meaningful way, asking them to support the content they love.
7. End-to-End Subscription Management
Subscription management is another area where Admiral excels. The platform offers a complete solution that handles everything from paywalls to checkout and payment processing. Admiral even provides end-user support for publishers' subscribers. This allows publishers to focus on their core business—creating content—while Admiral takes care of the technical details.
8. AI-Powered Optimization
Admiral leverages AI to continuously optimize visitor interactions. From generating the most effective messaging to fine-tuning visitor journeys, the platform’s AI capabilities ensure publishers can maximize engagement and conversions. This AI-driven approach can adapt in real time, responding to shifts in visitor behavior to deliver the best possible outcomes.
9. Harnessing the Power of First-Party Data
With the decline of third-party cookies, first-party data has become increasingly valuable. Admiral’s Connect module helps publishers gather and utilize this data effectively, enabling more personalized and targeted interactions with visitors. This shift towards first-party data is crucial for publishers looking to future-proof their strategies in a privacy-conscious world.
10. Admiral’s Competitive Advantage
While competitors are in specific areas, Admiral’s holistic approach to VRM sets it apart. Integrating multiple modules into a single, cohesive platform allows publishers to manage their visitor relationships more effectively, without the complications of juggling multiple vendors. Admiral’s journey system, in particular, offers a unique advantage by providing a unified, intelligent approach to visitor engagement.
Want to see how Admiral’s Visitor Relationship Platform can transform your approach to audience engagement? Request a demo today to explore how our tools can help you grow your revenue and strengthen your visitor relationships.
