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)

 

Interactive Quiz in Your Digital Edition

If you’ve ever wanted to quiz your readers – see how many are paying attention, see if they’ve learned what you want them to know, to get feedback on your content, or a myriad of other reasons – you might want to go ahead and include an interactive quiz in your digital edition. 

The Nxtbook quiz feature works on computers, tablets, and smartphones. Show readers the number of questions they got right, the questions they got wrong, and their percentage.

Already it has been a natural fit for magazines with continuing education, for training manuals, and higher education magazines such as this one. The feature works cross-platform, so talk to your Project Manager about adding an interactive quiz to your next edition.

No Two Things Are More Indespensable: App and AOPA

"Other than fuel and oil, there are perhaps no two things more indispensable to aviation these days than AOPA Pilot and the iPad. And now, they are together in a new way thanks to the new AOPA Mags app."

That’s AOPA’s opening line introducing their new iPad app, available for download. What did you say to introduce your magazine or app to the world?

AOPA, or the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, is phenomenal in their continuous pursuit of conversation with their readers, and in using that conversation to grow their audience. For instance, take this newscast video released by AOPA: Editor-in-Chief Tom Haines explains in detail some of the new features readers can look forward to in the iPad app, giving it an official and newscast feel. Within the article below the video, they link to a FAQ page and they provide a chart of App Tips for readers who are unsure of the new technology.

Of course, their app is also very newsworthy as AOPA takes advantage of several cool features enabled in the iPad. Across its publications, AOPA has included polls, extra images, and tests which give you the results as soon as you submit your answers. This is beyond the other videos and imagery they typically include.

Consider your app: Have you made it exciting for your audience? Is it broadcast worthy? 

What is the Turnaround Time for a Digital Edition?

If there’s one thing publishers know, it’s deadlines. Deadlines for copy, for images, for layout, for the whole production process. In respect of that, Nxtbook Media keeps turnaround times quick, taking only three to five business days to transform your publication into an interactive digital edition for you.

Not quick enough? We have a rush option for those publishers who want to take advantage of even faster turnaround times.

Some of you may be exploring Nxtbook Creative Services team options, including optimization, having us handle all of the layout and design, or using custom development to do something no one else has ever done before. All of these options help set you apart from the norm, but that also sets you apart from typical turnaround schedules. Involve the Creative Services team from the beginning of your brainstorming stage, and they’ll be able to pin down deadlines for delivery.

Have more questions you’d like us to answer? Comment here and we’ll respond!

Nxtivus for the Rest of Us!

This December, show appreciation for your readers and add something a little extra flashy to your winter issue. With no extra effort, drop your readers into a winter wonderland with a dash of our special Nxtivus animation.

For your December issue cover, we will add falling snowflakes from top to bottom. It will even gather whimsically across your masthead, just like in this issue of Connections. An elegant red banner delivers a holiday message to your readers, and can even be sponsored by an advertiser. Click here to view Nxtivus magic in action.

Contact your Success Manager to set up your Nxtivus promotion early to make your winter edition uniquely festive for your readers.

Not Another Holiday Card

Don’t look now, but the holidays are coming. Before you order your standard corporate holiday cards, let’s explore your options.

Oh yes, there are options.

You could not send a card and be villanized as a Scrooge. You could send singing telegrams, but your interns may protest.

Or you could go digital!

A digital holiday card lets you express your company’s attitude and gratitude to your clients in a unique way that won’t get lost in the avalanche of cards sure to decorate their desks.

Abandoning the traditional in favor of being original opens up a world of animation, audio and design possibilities that will leave a lasting impression and have your clients wondering how you’ll top that next year!

Our Creative Services Team has their elf hats on and we’re ready to help you stand out this holiday. Give us a call or drop an email and we can brainstorm in time for the holidays.

Because It’s Not Just a Phone Anymore

Remember when cell phones were the size of a brick and were used to make calls? Only?

Every generation of phone since then was challenged to be smaller, thinner, lighter, sleeker. Even more importantly, later generations were made with screens.

It’s an old story from here: people started using their phones for so much more than making calls. It really wasn’t long at all before phones became more like computers than their corded predecessors.

But still we valued smaller, thinner, lighter. At least we did before Internet and mobile media consumption came into its own. Now people care less about how well their phone fits in their pocket and more about if they have to squint to see the screen’s content.

Wired’s Gadget Lab just released an article covering media’s shift back to larger phones with greater screen sizes. They site sizes up to 4.5-5.5 inches are garnering more market interest when compared to the previously popular 3.4 inches. In fact, according to the article, "At the end of last year, 24 percent of smartphone handsets sold had a screen size of 4 inches or more."

So what does this mean for you?

It means your content is going to look even better on phones. Right now, you can easily have your content read on multiple smartphones. You can choose to have both images and text display, or just the text. With a larger screen, however, you can expect more readers to enjoy using their smartphones to access your content, and images and advertisements will be easier to view.

See where publishers are pushing their content now with this eReader Guide:

 (pg 4 of the eReader Guide)

 

 

 

Does Digital-Only Make Sense For You?

"Online Only Magazines Gain Traction," says this CNBC article. Well of course. We’ve watched as everything from advertising to commerce to entertainment moved online. Magazines, brochures, catalogs and collateral is no exception.

The question is, does this venue make sense for YOU?

The CNBC article offers a brief look at one publication that started digital, and due to the magazine’s success online, is considering adding a print component as well. This model made sense to the founder, who used to work for a print magazine and saw an opportunity to take advantage of a gap in a digital niche.

Several of our clients have a similar story, and they have found the digital-only model achieves their goals without needing a print component. 495 Communications, for instance, produced a digital-only travel magazine to reach specialized niches with their gorgeous content.

Similar to the magazine mentioned in the article, Business Media offers a trendy furniture and home design magazine, Furniture & Interiors, in digital-only format for its readers.

One publisher, TechGen Media Group, takes the digital-only model a step further. Not only is their trade magazine, eFab Shop, digital-only, but they also take advantage of our in-house design services to handle the production process. They simply hand over their raw files and completed ads, and we take care of the rest. (I personally enjoyed the article featuring Jay Leno on page 8.)

Take a look at these samples and consider if a digital-only model would be cost-effective, time-efficient, and worthwhile for your organization. If you would like to talk through the possibilities available to you, our Success Management Team is prepared to talk about where your audience is and how you can best reach them.

The AMS Most

The Affinity Digital Magazine Scorecard was recently released, rating 170 magazine titles and placing them into "Most" categories, such as Most Authoritative, Most Enjoyable, or Most Useful.

However, MediaPost provided a perspective which gives a focal point for the story created by the scorecard. The article quotes Affinity Managing Director Tom Robinson as saying Most Innovative category is an:

"especially telling attribute in terms of looking at the prospects for digital magazines, because ‘magazines are now competing with all of the content and advertising available in digital form, not just their traditional set of print competitors. Only those brands that leverage the latest technologies in creative ways and offer consumers interactive and meaningful experiences will stand out among digital users.’"

Digital publishing, while not exactly a new industry, is still coming into its own with the advent of the tablet and new technology pushes. While fitting into Most categories is important, consider which Most categories will still be around in the future.

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