Traditional Distribution Research

Before magazines were able to utilize the internet to sell their product, they had to rely on the likability of their magazine to sell itself. The ways to order a magazine were through the phone or by mail. This is one reason why magazines are turning away from traditional methods. However, these methods formed the base for all distribution strategies, and are an important component of magazine history.
Magazines were able to maintain this simple yet effective method in the past for several reasons...
1. Circulation database is strong- you need to know as much as possible about potential subscribers, and how they can be reached. Within that category, resources have to be effectively managed and spent. (For example door-to-door distribution), so that the budget can be maintained.
2. Being able to modernize distribution- This goes into digital distribution, but stronger methods like newspaper ads or billboards bring the magazine to the reader with less cost and time spent with door-to-door sales, for example.
3. Use of the latest software to effectively organize and store subscribers, where research can be done in frequently updating the magazine. You must know what your customer like so that you can mirror that in your magazine, so from every transaction to every name to every discount is important to have and to review so that your magazine can grow constantly.
Muscle Magazine will incorporate these ideas into their distribution, as well as combine them with digital circulation methods that would drive the magazine to success.
Distribution in regards to stores are mostly straightforward. Traditionally, as new retail stores have opened up, there's been more platforms for magazines to be sold. Conversely, as stores close down, or magazines are replaced, there's less opportunity for individual to sell. Locality is a factor that influences the sales, a small, rundown town with one convenience stores would sell less diverse magazines then a well-developed town that is high in population and has multiple supermarkets. Magazine distributors know this and find the right places to sell based on their audiences.
Distribution and circulation are necessary for the ability to grow and maintain a magazine, and traditional methods were developed to-as effectively as traditional can get- grow the magazine and increase its subscriber count.