What’s Your Mobile Plan?

So you might be sitting around the office arguing about what matters for your digital edition: native apps or browser editions? eReaders or tablets? It’s all so confusing these days, and what matters to you depends a lot on your content and audience. Even then, navigating the waters can be tricky. So we’re happy to bring you a handy infographic detailing your options and what’s most important today. As always, subject to change in the future! For more, click here to read our complete eReader Guide for 2012.

 

The Netflix of Magazines is Going the Way of Blockbuster

MAGHOUND, the so-called "Netflix of magazines," is shutting down. It’s somewhat surprising it took this long. We weren’t surprised when MAGHOUND sales lagged more than two years ago.

In the end, it’s possible Time, Inc. didn’t realize that their content is their greatest asset. People don’t want to shift subscriptions. If they love your brand, they love your brand. There’s no reason (and little benefit) to make it easier for them to abandon a brand they’re already committed to. Coupled with the fact that the same fulfillment companies that take six weeks to process new subscriptions were unable to turn on a dime for MAGHOUND, and the demise was virtually assured from the beginning. Which was when we first predicted it.

QR Codes Gaining in Popularity

FOLIO picks up an interesting report on the rising popularity of QR codes among magazine publishers. Of course, the report doesn’t look into the success of those campaigns, which will ultimately determine the long-term viability of the product. That said, a first step is getting consumers used to seeing the codes so that they begin to start looking for them as part of their magazine consumption experience. This report indicates we’re getting closer from that standpoint.

Curious about QR codes? Ask your Nxtbook project manager how we can help you make these part of your offering. 

Secrets of Digital Optimized Design

If you’re looking for guidance on how to design for digital, you could do a lot worse than Ron Matejko, whose company has been at it for a few years now. Click here to read some good advice from Ron about font choices and size, rich media and much more.

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.

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!

 

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.

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