With Catalogs, Design Matters

Creating a well-designed, organized, and visually appealing catalog can directly affect whether a potential customer flips through your merchandise or quickly bounces off the page.

John Wiley & Sons understood this early on and has always used top design to keep readers ordering from their pages. In their most recent catalog, Life and Earth Science Books Catalog, the Creative Services team stepped up the game, adding elements to the design to make it even easier to convert readers from a casual browser to a clicking buyer.

What they did right:

1. Having an appealing and helpful cover sets the stage for the reader’s use of the catalog. The prominent list of science topics makes choosing the correct area of interest very simple. Or, if a reader prefers, he or she can flip through all of the popular books by simply clicking to the next page.

2. The simple, grid-style internal pages makes finding the desired book very straightforward. John Wiley & Sons also helps the customer with the decision-making process by providing the book’s cover image: though the saying goes, "You can’t judge a book by its cover," that added touch helps to connect the buyer with the potential purchase. Further, by hovering over the cover or ISBN number, a prompt for more content appears. By clicking it, readers are given more information on that specific book.

3. In one of the best moves eCommerce can make in a digital catalog, John Wiley & sons provides an immediate call to action. By clicking the shopping cart icon or "Add Item" button, readers add their desired books directly to the integrated shopping cart. The cart holds the books, tallying the total as the reader proceeds through the book, until they click "Proceed to Checkout."

The catalog design also highlights several links tied to the John Wiley & Sons brand. They connect readers to their twitter and facebook pages by providing an icon to each on every internal page of the catalog. They also have links to the brand’s helpful resource pages, their wisci blog and earth science pages.

The catalog is clearly created to be a helpful service to customers interested in learning more about the sciences through academic books. The design makes it easy to convert readers into buyers, and the additional links help further connect readers to the brand and potential purchases in the future. Consider cleaning up your catalog’s design so it appeals to screen readers, makes it easy to purchase your products, and engages potential customers on a brand level.

Christmas Catalogs are Coming to Town

By the panicked look in late shoppers’ eyes it’s clear this year’s Christmas shopping season is coming to a close. But holiday catalogs are still sparking new gift ideas for those still on the lookout.

Take this catalog by the HSLDA. The inviting catalog cover is animated with festive icons and lazily drifting snow. It adds an air of joyful celebration to an otherwise immobile cover.

Magazines are welcoming the festive spirit as well, like Connections, with gently falling snow and an animated holiday message from a sponsor.

Share some holiday cheer with your winter issues and give readers a heartwarming reason to check out your content today.

Why YouTube’s Next How-To Guru is a Thing

There’s an easy explanation why YouTube’s How-To Guru is a successful contest, or why Howcast.com works. It is simply this: people use and enjoy video for learning.

While viral videos and entertainment might be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of YouTube, there’s substantial value to be found in using videos as a means to educate your readers. Imagine posting how-to videos that feature using your products? Or what about educational sound-bites explaining lesser details in an article?

Consider that if someone is interested in your brand, they may go to YouTube or your content to learn as much as they can on their own. Short, informative videos will help visitors get to know you and your brand before they decide whether or not to commit to a subscription or purchase.

Need help with that? Nxtbook Media makes it easy for publishers to add their own videos to their pages. Or, if a publisher needs assistance making a video, we have videographers at the ready.

3 Dates, 3 Chances to View Our Newest Product Before Your Competitors

Ok, we can’t promise your competitors won’t tune in as well; but, if you want to learn all about Responsive Design, what it means in your industry, and what we have developed so YOU can be responsive with your digital content, you have three opportunities to do so.

Next week, Marcus Grimm will be presenting 3 days in a row on Responsive Design, especially in reference to the publishing landscape. He’ll not only explain what you need to know about this new platform and what new opportunities come out of it, but he’ll also let you see responsive design in publishing in action!

If you’re in the U.S., you’ll want to tune in on November 13, 2:00 pm EST or November 15, 2:00 pm EST to catch the live show. (Click the respective dates to register.)

If you’re in the UK or EU, register for the November 14 event at 2:00 pm GMT for the same live presentation. (That’s 9:00 am EST).

Don’t miss out on your chance to see how Responsive Design completely changes the online reading experience. Even more than that, see how we’ve figured out how to monetize it like no one else.

Back to School With Style

Whether you are ready or not, summer is almost over. And the end of summer means back to school shopping for millions of students and their parents. An entire industry of suppliers are prepared for this season with catalogs in hand.

UPromise of Sallie Mae wanted to offer something different. They wanted to get students to use their promotional code to purchase clothing and supplies. Rather than using the usual promotional methods, UPromise went all out. They supplied our Creative Services team with images and their goals, and Creative Services took it from there.

What you’ll see if you click here is their final catalog. The designer opted to create a catalog resembling a "trapper keeper" or "binder" typical of any backpack. It rests on a faux wood backdrop, much like a desk. The design keeps the school theme running through each page with sticky notes and the three rings of the binder running through it.

The effort is worth it. This style of catalog sets UPromise apart from a typical supplier, clearly delivers the information, and makes it very easy to share with others.

Check it out, and while you’re there, keep the college-bound students in your life in mind: there might be something in there they need!

We’ve Upgraded!

The success of every business depends not on just one innovative idea, but a continuous measurable growth of the product or industry. Nxtbook is proud to announce one such upgrade.

Starting next week, your digital editions will be even better for you and your readers. Based on the behavior patterns of readers viewing digital editions on our platform, we’ve enhanced some of of our features. (Click here to see a preview issue!) Some changes you will notice right away:

•  - Most of the side toolbar and bottom tab functions have been moved to one easy to use location in the top toolbar
•  - Functions appear as full-screen overlays which creates a focused view while maximizing screen real-estate
•  - The toolbar will contain a page number box that not only shows you the current page, but you can also use it to jump to a page by typing in the page number and pressing Enter
•  - Functions not in the toolbar can be found in the More Options overlay
•  - The print function allows you to select multiple individual pages, in addition to a page range
•  - The zoom slider, which allows you to adjust the zoom level, has been simplified and made more prominent
•  - Email and Share have been combined into a single overlay
•  - Bookmarks and Notes have been combined into a single overlay
•  - The toolbar is much simpler for readers to use, and it still allows for sponsorship and subscribe buttons
• The real estate available for your book has been increased

Each of these enhancements were specifically chosen after researching how readers use our platform. Because we believe in these changes, we are automatically giving our clients these upgrades for free! So check it out, view a preview issue of the new version here.

Competing With Free

Some time ago, Techdirt posted an article titled, "Saying You Can’t Compete With Free Is Saying You Can’t Compete Period." If you like slightly sardonic explanations of margins, competitive advantages and profits, then you might enjoy the article.

What struck a chord, however, was its message that free resources aren’t the problem so much as understanding your margins and adding innovations to gain a profitable advantage. Publishers sometimes believe that so much information is available for free, it’s hard to break through the noise with their publication. I argue, if you offer more than that free service or your competition, you can get more out of your audience.

Some things to keep in mind:

1. The Google searcher is not your audience. There is a lot of information on the Internet, and it takes fractions of a second for Google to serve up millions of web pages. While your digital edition is indexed by Google, and you can gain an extra visit or two this way, a Google search isn’t how publishers build a following.

2. You have advantages over the mountains of information: you’re pushing content directly to readers who asked for it. By going digital, you can ensure your material is getting delivered safe and sound to your readers’ inboxes, accessible at any time. This is a great convenience for your audience – whether they’re paying subscribers or simply traded you their email – so they don’t have to go looking for you or remember to check your site for updates.

3. If you offer more, you put the margins back in your favor. A digital publication is not a website. With a digital edition, you build a relationship with your audience, which builds loyalty to your content and your brand. (This, in turn, is leveraged with advertisers or future subscribers.) To establish yourself as an experience worth paying for, you have to give the reader more. For an example, to borrow from an old post: "Round out the customer’s experience with your product; follow the likely story associated with the item. Take the Pampered Chef [catalog]: For a pan, add a link to open a pop-up of a recipe the customer can make in that pan. Recommend other products that will help in the cooking process for that recipe (such as measuring cups, whisks, etc.) and link to those products’ pages in the catalog. Make it easy for the customer to bookmark the recipe and come back to it again when all the products and ingredients have been purchased."

For more on this example of making a well-rounded experience worthy of a loyal following, click here.

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.

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.

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