Glenn Beck Draws the Crowd, You Reach the Audience

Glenn Beck’s rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. on Friday drew a crowd of tens of thousands of people. Protestors, supporters and gawkers alike came from all over to be a part of the action.

Wouldn’t it be great to have crowds like that become your readers?

Nxtbook Media client Destination DC had just that chance. And they didn’t have to spend a dime to get it.

Destination DC produces an Official Visitor’s Guide to the Washington, D.C. area. (Click here to see the most recent edition.) Having a digital edition meant when rally enthusiasts started planning their trip on internet platforms, they could promote and share the Visitor’s Guide with each other. For example, the guide’s link was posted on the Caldwell Tea Party’s website as a resource for the area (click here to see). Another reader posted the guide’s link to two freepublic chat sites (click here and here).

Going digital meant the Visitor’s Guide could not only be used immediately to respond to current events, but it could also reach an audience Destination DC didn’t even consider targeting. Best of all, Destination DC didn’t have to do a thing for this free advertising; their readers did all the work for them.

That’s a big plus one for the "going digital" category!

Straight from the Horse’s Mouth

 

 The following is an email CEO and owner Michael Biggerstaff sent to Nxtbook Media employees, sharing some good news:

 

We have received official notification, Nxtbook Media was named to the list of the Best Places to Work in PA 2010. So that makes the 3rd year in a row. Pennsylvania is a big state with thousands of companies. So we are very honored to be in the top 50. We won’t find out the actual ranking until the end of November.

To me the importance of this award is the recognition by everyone that Nxtbook is a special place to be and it is made special by each and every one of you. All of you working here make Nxtbook the wonderful company that is.

Congratulations to all of you!

Michael

Michael Biggerstaff | CEO | mbigg@nxtbookmedia.com


Nxtbook Media | 480 New Holland Ave., Suite 9000 |
Lancaster, PA 17602
1 717 735 9750 | fax: 717 735 9742 | www.nxtbookmedia.com  

Fastest Growing Companies Award

Nxtbook Media is proud to announce we’ve made the Central Penn Business Journal’s 50 Fastest Growing Companies list again this year!

According to the Central Penn Business Journal, "This prestigious event honors Central Pennsylvania’s most dynamic for-profit businesses and their contributions to the growth and success of our region." Read more about the award by clicking here.

The final ranking will be announced at an awards ceremony September 16.

The Nxt Step to Cutting Costs

Nxtbook Media’s Andy Moore made an impression at the Association Media & Publishing’s Lunch and Learn session. The forum centered around Cutting Publishing Costs and Andy had the opportunity to describe some of the options Nxtbook offers.

The Association & Non-Profit BISNOW covered the event in their newsletter. An excerpt:

If you’ve gone digital, you’re already on the path to cutting costs. But what next? Andy Moore of Nxtbook Media, a digital publishing service provider, talked about ways to squeeze more value out of your digital edition.

Read the full article by clicking here.

To get the full scoop on ways you can cut costs by going digital, call us today at 866-268-1219

See You Tomorrow!

Tomorrow, the Florida Magazine Association Annual Publishing Conference and Expo ignites.

Having peeked ahead at what’s coming, I’m excited to see important topics on the agenda, such as enhancing digital editions to fit new platforms, designing magazines for digital, leveraging social media to promote your editorial, selling your digital magazine, and the realities of new technology. These types of conversations are linchpins for success in digital publishing.

As such, there are certain things you can expect of Nxtbook Media. For one, you can expect to see Chris Gentri standing by at the FMA show to answer your questions about how you can get your publication on the best platforms, with the best design, and selling to the best of your ability. However, while the FMA show ends on Friday, Nxtbook can continue to answer your questions through our sales team, our account managers, and our success manager. Go ahead and challenge us on our e-Reader platform strategies or our digital optimization policies. These are the conversations of today’s publishing world, and we’re ready to talk it out with you.

This is for You

Attention Nxtbook Media clients: your nxtbooks are solid. Trust me, I know the technology you employ, and the platform is slick. Increased reader engagement times proves a focus on reader experience, and it is compatible with mobile phones, tablets, and e-Readers. (Click here to see how) With it, your content can spread across facebook and twitter to let your readers become your marketers. And, Nxtbook customers, you have account managers standing by to show you how to drive your digital campaign.

So really, it should be a no-brainer to enter for this award: the 2010 Nichee Digital Awards.

The awards have a Best Digital Edition category that any of you could enter. The winner will be announced during the 2010 Niche Digital Conference which Nxtbook Media will be attending.

So go ahead; click here to enter.

Hot Tubs, Velociraptors, and Custom Media Day

This post was written by Eric Gervase, a Sales Director at Nxtbook Media. Eric attended Custom Media Day to be a part of the thriving conversation regarding the competitive strategy of custom media.

At first glance, the only thing those three things have in common are… well… nothing, really. That said, they were all a part of the enthusiastic presentations at Custom Media Day in NYC yesterday. Custom Media Day is an event put on by the Custom Media Council of American Business Media. It was also MC’d by our good buddy Joe Pulizzi from Junta42, which is always a good place to start.

The day started with our very own Spencer Ewald on a panel speaking about "new media devices" and the opportunities that they present for publishers. The focus of Spencer’s speech was ROI for these devices. At Nxtbook, we offer cost effective solutions for a wide variety of e-Reader, tablet and mobile devices. With those offerings, we hope to allow our publishers the opportunity to "dip their toe in the water," as Spencer explained it. He then went on to talk about the correlation between Hot Tub Time Machine (movie trailer here) and the leap forward in technology over the last twenty years… Yep, he went there…

That panel was followed by Dan Blank of We Grow Media. Though there were no references to hot tubs, Dan’s presentation was equally thought-provoking. He talked about Demand Media and the controversy around their business model. He also had one of my favorite quotes of the day: "Social Media is not a campaign, it’s a commitment."

Lunch time was a blast. Literally. The crowd was treated to lunch-time speaker Jim Hopkinson of Wired. His self-dubbed "audible caffeine" was just what the doctor ordered to keep the day flowing. He talked about finding your voice, exploding plates and free shoes. But, most of all, he extolled the benefits of not being afraid to fail. He also introduced me to the quiz "How Long Could You Survive Chained to a Bunk Bed with a Velociraptor." I’d last 50 seconds, if you’re curious…

Jeannine Rossignol of Xerox Global Services was a nice change of pace. She was the first speaker from the client side, and she offered examples of content creation for internal communications. Definitely a refreshing different point of view. She also showed off Xerox’s Competipedia. Competipedia is a sales support tool that Xerox built to allow up-to-date information to be shared among the sales staff about competitors. Great collaborative tool, and it really seems to work.

The day was capped by a speech by Ian Alexander of Eat Media, followed by Sean De Winter of PWC. Ian talked about content design, and he did a great job giving everyone some basic how-to’s onhow to critique your own website content. My favorite was tweaking the 404 error page on your website. It says a lot about you and sets a tone for your business. He also thinks that most websites have way too much content. If it doesn’t match your goals, get rid of it. Sean De Winter presented a report by PWC about, among other things (a lot of other things – that report was HUGE), the future of magazine publishing. Nobody was surprised when he said that mobile growth was a significant positive opportunity. But he also said that it still represents a very small part of the revenues. So don’t put all your eggs in that basket. Don’t forget about the other models that are already working.

After a long day, I was left thinking that there is an overwhelming amount of content needed to drive all of the initiatives that were talked about. That’s great news for custom media, in my opinion. If you feel the same way and are looking for custom content solutions, let us know. Our partner company, Talefoundry, has the ability to offer a wide range of solutions (from webinars to social media support, to case studies, to optimized digital magazines and more).

All in all, it was a great event. I’m looking forward to attending again next year if I get the chance.

Nxtbook Goes West

About this time next week the 2010 American Chamber of Commerce Executive Convention will be starting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This event draws a crowd of professionals interested in topics such as career and business development, impacts of business and government on the communities, as well as networking and social media.  (Check out some of the Issue Forum synopses here.)

Nxtbook Media CEO and owners Michael Biggerstaff and Roxanne Edwards will be attending this year. Be sure to stop by and say hello.  Take a moment and allow them to introduce you to Connections, the digital magazine featuring the businesses and business people of chambers of commerce.  Click here to preview the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce July 2010 issue of Connections.

It’s not too late to register!  Click here to be taken to the ACCE 2010 Convention registration page and secure your chance to meet Michael and Roxanne at the show.

Move Over SimCity

The process started weeks ago, as is the case with any trade show.  Except this time, instead of shipping 400lb booth crates, traveling cross-country, and ironing my Nxtbook Media shirt, I sat down at my computer like it was any other Wednesday morning.

Because this time, the show was virtual.

Today, Nxtbook Media exhibited at the 2010 Folio Virtual Tradeshow.  The show was housed on InXpo’s platform online.  We built our booths with mouse clicks and uploads.  Attendees virtually popped in and out of our booth to explore Nxtbook and chat – instant message style – with our sales reps.

This was the first year Nxtbook participated in a virtual show, and there were some unexpected benefits to it.  One unanticipated plus was the ability to scan leads as they came in.  When someone entered the booth area, I could see the attendee’s name and their company.  One swift google search later, and I knew how Nxtbook could begin to fit that company’s needs.

I was particularly happy to see several of our publishers utilizing the virtual show opportunity.  It was great to touch base with our customers and initiate some conversation in this platform.  In particular, I was able to see

• Questex Media Group
• MediaTec Publishing
• Thomas Publishing
• Nielsen Busness Media
• Mortgage Bankers Association
• Crain Communication

Admittedly, the technology also completely changed the feel of the show.  Being so people-oriented, it was difficult to wrap my mind around offering to "chat" rather than offering a handshake.  It was a surprising challenge being limited to typed conversations, rather than face-to-face connection.  There were a few times when technical difficulties got in the way of the experience, but staff members were quick to address these concerns.

As always, Folio knows how to do a show.  The final numbers aren’t in yet, but initial headcounts show good registration and strong engagement. It is without tongue-in-cheek that I say that the simulated show was a virtual success.

It’s Not Hope If You’re Working For It

This week, Nxtbook Media employees have been finishing up their Best Places to Work surveys for 2010. Nxtbook Media has a proud history of ranking among the top three best places to work in Pennsylvania for medium size businesses. (1st in 2008, 3rd in 2009).

I’d say I hope we place at the top again this year, but it’s not hope when Nxtbook’s owners have worked – since the beginning – to make returning to work each day exciting and gratifying. (Meet the Owners here.)  Three times I tried to list all the ways the owners have proven their dedication to Nxtbook employees, and three times I ended up with a way-too-long list. Suffice to say, the free snack machine only ranked number 9 on the list, and I think free snacks are pretty awesome.

This is the key: we’re happy to be here.  We’re happy to come in every day and do our jobs.  So when our clients call in or send us an email, the person on the receiving end is already feeling positive about it.  As Marcus put so well in his post:

"All Nxtbook employees are keenly aware that we are blessed to work here, and we only get to keep having this party if we’re relentlessly pursuing the delight of our customers. The satisfaction of our clients is what sustains us, for without happy customers, you don’t have a business – let alone a business people can enjoy coming to. It’s the corporate version of an eco-system: We strive to satisfy you so that the business can satisfy us. Or put another way – so long as you stay #1, we’re confident we will, too."

Bonus!  Blast from the past: See Nxtbook Media owner and CEO Michael Biggerstaff’s perspective on Best Places to Work from our first nomination here.

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