That’s 1 Small Step for a Digital Edition Provider…

So looking at the statistics over the past 30 days, we’ve crossed 2 thresholds that are worth noting:

1) For the first time ever, more than 10% of Nxtbooks were accessed via mobile and tablet devices. This has been a steady climb from about 2.5% just about 2 years ago. Is your Nxtbook fully optimized for these devices? Now would be a good time to check with your Account Manager.

2) For the first time I can recall, average engagement per Nxtbook was over 8 minutes. Now keep in mind, this isn’t some goofy survey where we asked people how long they read the digital edition… this is real math and includes every one who closed it within 2 seconds (as some people do). If you compare this to your digital edition, you can see how well you’re doing compared to your peers. If you compare that to your website, you should see that you should be positioning your digital edition differently to advertisers. 

Show, Don’t Tell

With a name like “FutureMedia” on top of “Georgia Tech”, you know you have an impressive image to uphold in the technology space. So when Georgia Tech decided to host FutureMedia Outlook 2012, an annual look at the future of media and its affect on people, they upheld that image by using custom digital publishing for their report.

Click here to view it.

Georgia Tech partnered with Nxtbook Media’s Creative Services team to produce a custom design that fit the brand’s online look.  Navigation was tailored to meet the desire to keep readers returning to an article hub so they can jump into the next topic of interest. And of course, with an eye to further engaging readers, they include video and images to help tell the story.

Predictions and Answers from Mobile Digital Magazine Readers

It doesn’t always take a crystal ball to peer into the minds of your readers. Sometimes all it takes is asking them exactly what you want to know. Your metrics can tell you the hard facts: what kinds of devices your readers are using, which pages draw your readers’ attention, and so on. But for some questions, you just have to ask.

Recently, the Association of Magazine Media (MPA) did just that by surveying over a thousand tablet or e-Reader users regarding their mobile reading habits. The results followed the trends we’ve been seeing, but one question I was glad they asked was how readers found the magazine apps they now enjoy. While there are differing strategies about how to get your app in front of eyeballs, it’s always good to take a moment to check with readers:

 

 

Of course, if crystal-ball-gazing is something you enjoy, I’d recommend "16 predictions for mobile in 2012." An interesting read, even given its strong focus on Microsoft.

Digital Editions Aren’t Like Other Mobile Stuff

Despite data showing the iPad and iPhone are "only" capturing 52% of Internet traffic, we’re seeing higher data here at Nxtbook. This shouldn’t come as a big surprise, given that the iPad is a lot nicer for reading a magazine than a cell phone. Want more proof? The average iPad Nxtbook user stayed in the book more than 5 minutes last month, a lot longer than they likely stayed on your website.

The Wrong Way to Sell Digital

I’m not impressed with Affinity’s latest study which shows that digital readership is outweighing print readership at many magazine titles. 

The study aims to compare digital readers to print readers, but that’s just the beginning. The real money lies in pointing out differences between website visitors, digital edition readers, app users, etc. It’s critical salespeople learn to position these platforms as different and unique. Lumping them together doesn’t begin to do them justice and leaves the reader with nothing but a muddy picture at the end. 

 

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