Big News From The Home Front

Big news. BIG news.

We have been working nearly around the clock to bring you this brand new version of our website. The site overhaul is directly influenced by our desire to serve visitors – like you – better, and we have made some significant upgrades.

One of the biggest changes is our Solutions section. (Click here to view.)
We created the Solutions section knowing many publishers face the same types of problems, whether it’s growing circulation, generating revenue, decreasing the sale cycle, or navigating mobile options. Rather than giving you a list of features and benefits and expecting you to decide what to do with them, we’re giving you real life examples of how publishers solved these issues. For example, click here to read how Henry Schein got creative with advertising and navigation to push readers deeper into their catalog.

We’ve also made it easier for publishers to find the resources they’re craving. We feature three top downloads on our new homepage, and we have a section dedicated to resources. For instance, click here to be taken to our white papers page in resources where you’ll find 5 white papers ready for FREE download.

So go ahead! Dig in! Dive deep in the website, and let us know what you think.

2012 Optimization Guide: Create An Experience

I have a pink post-it on my desk that reads: "Completing a task? Or creating an experience?"

Grammatically correct it is not. However, the point I’m reminding myself of is whether I’m fielding a phone call or writing a new blog post, there’s an opportunity to move beyond the checklist. There’s an opportunity to provide people with an experience, a positive interaction with Nxtbook Media.

Digital publishing is the exact same opportunity. If you want to view it as a project, something you have to check off the list because someone put it on your plate, you can. No one would argue with you that it’s a big job to get done. But I would say, at its core, digital publishing isn’t really about completing a task. It’s about the experience between your readers and your content.

To that end, we have a guide to help you marry your content to an elevated design to create an exceptional experience for your readers. The recently updated Optimization Guide entitled "Making the Move" gives you practical information about how to optimize your digital edition for that great reading experience. New to the 2012 edition are designer secrets to take some of the guesswork out of the design process.

Take advantage of this opportunity to hand your readers a positive experience with your company. Click here to download the 2012 Optimization Guide, Making the Move.

 

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.

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.

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.

Is Your Magazine Ready to be Shared?

In an article by Technology Review, they state that Mark Zuckerberg – Facebook’s founder – predicts, "every year, for the foreseeable future, the amount of information you share on the Web will double."Sure, this prediction comes from someone heavily invested in promoting sharing, but there are countless objective data points indicating the exponential growth of social sharing. In 2011 alone you might recall Google+ release, Facebook’s new timeline feature and app, Twitter’s Brand Pages, and LinkedIn’s allowance for brand status updates.

While defined benchmarks for social sharing of publications remains to be determined, sharing remains an expectation of your readers. It is becoming ever more intuitive. This means not only does your brand need to be shareable, but so does your product.

To that end, digital editions are inherently more shareable across a broad audience, and Nxtbook’s digital editions have always been shareable on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Delicious, etc. Whether your readers are viewing it on a tablet, phone, or computer, it’s quick and easy to post it on a wall. To take it a step further, we also enable shareable bookmarks and notes. Readers can stick a note to an article, and when they email it to a friend, the friend will see the note as well. A quick "Thought you’d like this article!" can go a long way. (Click here to try it out yourself.)

Make it easy for your readers to share as much as they want, as intuitively as they expect. Otherwise, you might end up looking like this guy: (video)

 

3 Ways Publishers Can Embrace the Holiday Spirit

December is arguably the best time to shift the focus of your publication promotional efforts to giving and cheerfulness. One way to build trust, engagement and interest with your readers is to embrace the holiday spirit as they are. While there are many ways publishers can do this with their digital editions, here are three to get you started:

1. Offer freebies to build excitement and circulation
‘Tis the season for giving! And as readers’ minds turn to gifts and holiday spending, a free gift is much appreciated. Consider offering a free special edition or free issue. Think about giving a prize or product, and promote it in your digital edition. Remember, it’s more fun to tweet about free materials than pointing to something behind a paywall.

2. Engage with current readers
Show your audience you’ve got the holiday spirit by sending them a virtual holiday card. You can make it promotional for your brand like our client, Virtuoso, or keep it heartwarming, like Amtrak. Or, have fun with it, like we did!

Holiday cards not your thing? Add a subtle wintry touch to your winter issue with Nxtivus. Snow gently drifts down your cover, collecting lightly on your masthead.

3. Embrace New Year’s Resolutions
It’s time to take a moment and reflect on your digital edition’s success. How did it go this year? Did you deliver content that was relevant to your readers? Did you distribute it in the way they wanted to read it? Did you try anything new that really took off? Did you inspire interaction and engagement?

Your metrics can answer much of this for you, but to make the most informed resolutions this year, you could poll your readers. Add a survey or poll to the page and ask readers what they think. Don’t be shy!

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