Surviving the Dark Days of Publishing

How’s that for a dramatic title? That’s what the NY Times titled its feature piece on Esquire. But heck, they weren’t the only ones to survive the last few years. You did, too! So read it and figure out when you and Esquire have in common.

Device Determines Behavior

Of the many things we like to learn about, we like to see how people perform with content differently for the device their accessing it from. From an advertising perspective, do people buy more or less often from a smartphone?

According to Adobe, tablet consumers are purchasing about as much as PC users, and much more so than smartphone users. This makes sense to me, as while the smartphone audience is real, it makes sense that their engagement won’t be as strong. Good things to think about as you plan your strategies for your different audiences, as the same guy is a different guy when he or she is on a different device.

A Lot of Tabletage

A recent report by Pew says that 29% of the population reports having a tablet or eReader of some sort. That sounds about right to me, though I’m not a ran of comingling eInk devices with full color tablets. These are truly apples and orange products. Don’t believe me? Check out our latest 2012 eReader Guide to see what they have in common with each other, and what they don’t.

Today’s Reason to Stop Selling CPM’s

We’ve said it before: CPM’s aren’t the best way to sell or buy ads. It dilutes the value and ignore the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of marketing messages. This latest study supports that idea but with a new spin – offering that a large percentage of ad views aren’t even being "viewed."

Understand, we get it. We know it’s easier to sell big numbers, and as the publisher you don’t want to be responsible for the effectiveness of your advertisers’ campaigns. But if you were, just imagine how much more valuable you would be to them? 

Should publishers use a contest to get new readers?

In the race to grab as many new readers as possible, it’s tempting to try every new feature and every new idea on the market. Contests and giveaways aren’t exactly a new idea, but presenting them inside a digital edition is the newer, digital twist.

The question is about effectiveness. Is trading an iPad for a user’s name an effective use of resources? On the plus side, holding a contest could get readers to spread the word about your digital edition. For instance, you could say everyone who becomes a facebook fan or tweets a link to your digital edition is in the running to win an iPad. This would certainly get the link in front of new followers. You could use the contest as a means to push people into your digital edition, hiding contest rules on a page in the middle. Or if you trade a giveaway for an email address, you could save the address for more targeted campaigns in the future.

However, there are some drawbacks. If you ask contestants to tweet, post, and e-blast about your digital edition, you risk frustrating current followers with too many updates about your magazine. The biggest drawback, of course, is that while your lists might jump temporarily, contestants who were only hoping for the prize will quickly unsubscribe to your publication and void any ROI.

To be sure, a well constructed contest follows a few guidelines:

1. Make sure the prize is industry-related to increase the chances the contestants are interested in your product. (Don’t just give away an iPad.) The prize can be a free product or service of your own. Even knowledge has a dollar value which could be an acceptable prize.
2. Be hyper-vigilant about your unsbuscribes afterward to avoid spam complaints
3. Ensure the contest is designed to meet a specific goal, whether it’s to increase email lists, garner feedback or ramp up your social media presence.
4. Make sure the venue or distribution matches your goal. For example, if you want to increase your social presence, host the contest on twitter. If it’s to grab emails, embed a survey in your digital edition.

Contests and giveaways could have some value, especially if your audience focuses on consumers, but it isn’t a strong circulation strategy. For a more consistent performance, take another look at the strategies we offer regarding email campaigns, social media services, and apps. You might be surprised at what you’re missing!

 

The Value of Advertising in Digital Editions

It seems logical: you create a publication with the intent of one day – preferably soon – turning it into a profit center. After all, as passionate as an editor might be about a topic, writers, designers and vendors all need to be paid.

At any point, we can dive into a tactical discussion about generating revenue with free versus paid content, or on how to make advertisers happy with optimized ad space. But the first thing any publisher should understand is the inherent value they’re offering advertisers with a digital edition.

To give you a starting point, consider these 5 values you’re offering advertisers, just by having a digital edition:

1. Direct Links: Never underestimate the value of being able to connect readers directly to advertisers’ websites or product pages. In a recent survey of tablet users done by The Association of Magazine Media, it was revealed that "59% of respondents said that they wanted to buy directly from adverts, with 79% saying that they want to be able to purchase products and services directly from editorial features." Which brings me to my next point:

2. A Position Near Relevant Text: In the digital age, it’s all about relevancy. In the process of designing for digital, you can position advertisements near editorial covering an industry-related topic, creating a natural flow between editorial and advertisement, and an organic call to action.

3. An Engaged Audience: You already know readers are interested in your publication. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have their contact information. But not only are digital readers no strangers to satisfying their demand with a quick click which advertisers can appreciate, but they also have shown increased engagement with ads in digital editions. A study done by Dr. Alex Wang from the University of Connecticut comparing WIRED print and iPad editions revealed "digital magazines outperformed static ads by as much as 70 percent in areas such as engagement, attitude and purchase intent."

4. High CTR Positions: While there are plenty of positions around the digital edition for paid sponsorships, the Left of Cover position and bellybands are hot commodities due to their high click-through rates. Keep in mind, banner ads on websites are only viewable as long as the reader remains on that page or doesn’t scroll beyond them. With digital editions, banner ads can have six times the engagement time, long enough to grab the coveted click.

5. Archived Issues: Advertisements can be viewed again and again, even months after the publication date. With digital editions, previous issues are stored in an archive tab for readers to return and read at any time, exposing them to past advertisements.

There are always steps publishers can take to make money with their digital magazines or catalogs, including adding tabs, an ad index, or more interactivity. But before you approach your advertisers with these solutions, make sure everyone grasps the basic values digital editions bring just by being digital.

Never Mind, Tim Tebow

For the 4th or 5th year in a row, Nxtbook is proud to bring you the the official event guide for this year’s Super Bowl. However, for the first time, ever, our Creative Services team had a hand in taking this very thin portrait sized book and recreating it an optimized landscape format. Unless you’re Tim Tebow, you’re sure to love this Nxtbook!

Some Apps Don’t Work. But Why?

Of the things that annoy me about the app business (and make no mistake, there are several), perhaps the worst is the onslaught of half-baked "research" studies. In the latest example, we learn that one-third of magazine apps "have at least one serious malfunction."

The article goes on to note that problems range from authentication to hyperlinks and video. Now, you don’t need to be a programmer to know that these three things have nothing to do with each other. Moreover, since the study doesn’t appear to parse exactly if these apps are using similar platforms, it’s impossible to know if there is a reason for these "malfunctions."

It is notable that the biggest problem area is authentication. Noticeable enough that publishers should be wary of such things. That said, the study would’ve been much more helpful if it could help determine the various reasons for said failure. Without that, we have little more than curious bar graphs. But then again, the bar graphs seem to be enough with many of these studies.

Tablet Watch: Was 2011 the Year of the Tablet?

With its release in 2010, people watched the steady growth of Apple’s iPad market with cautious anticipation. Some predicted it would revolutionize the print (and specifically news and magazine) industry, while others guessed not.

Now, tablets ship by the millions each quarter. Apple’s competition with Google over the marketplace has kept techies glued to rumor and forum sites, such as this one, which is hinting at iPad3′s production getting underway. Even Amazon is said to have touched the tablet game with the new Kindle Fire’s color and touchscreen. (Matter of fact, it’s estimated Amazon sold 5.5 million Kindle Fire devices last quarter.)

2011 may have been heralded as the year of the tablet: it’s certainly when people started to grasp the changes both eReaders and tablets would bring to the industry. But I predict 2012 will be the year tablets will really come into its own. Make sure you’re ready.

Back to the Basics of Digital Publishing

As recently as last month I’ve read that digital publishing is still a confusing process, and it was even likened to a goat rodeo: "A goat rodeo involves several people who have different agendas and perceptions of what’s going on around them, and reconciling those views is difficult."

Sound familiar? It’s true, publishers are still running trial-and-error tests on different publishing strategies. And sometimes it’s still hard to get everyone on the same page: after all, every department has different needs and expectations of the publication. But there are a few ways to try to get everyone on the same digital page.

First, partner with a digital publishing company that offers continuing education so you can learn how to "talk the talk" with every department. Nxtbook, for example, offers clients monthly webinars on topics like circulation growth or revenue generation. Nxtbook is also able to work with publishers to provide talking points for their sales and advertising departments.

Another option is to get as familiar as possible with the digital publishing industry itself. A place to start is with this Digital Publishing Cheat Sheet (click here to view). 

The Digital Publishing Cheat Sheet is meant to corral some of the basic points of publishing, and in it you will find information on the following:

• What is a digital publication
• Terms of the business
• Basic and Advanced features
• Typical Metrics
• What to look for in a digital edition provider
• Basic benefits of digital publishing over print or a website

For other resources you might want to check out are Folio:’s blog or BoSack’s newsletter.

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