Digital Magazine Success is Not the Exception but the Trend

It isn’t often I recommend articles, but I found "Andrew Rashbass: ‘The biggest reason we’re successful is that we are lucky’" to be well worth my time. Chief Executive Andrew Rashbass of the Economist group gave his first interview in quite some time, detailing the journey of the Economist magazine and website.

While the article provides a pretty comprehensive look at the Economist’s story, it naturally focuses on the magazine’s success. While Rashbass attributes much of that to luck, there are a couple of other factors to note:

1. Rashbass did his research, and therefore knows his audience. For example, in understanding the impact of tablets and eReaders on consuming his content, he polled subscribers to ask how they read the Economist now, and how they expect to read it in the future. (The number of subscribers expecting to read print in two years dropped 35%.)

2. He has an understanding of how readers consume content differently depending on the platform, and he builds content to fit that understanding.

3. He is relaxed about his print sales, recognizing that print sales is not the big picture. The big picture view includes the digital scope.

Lastly, something the article points out which I think is worth noting is that Rashbass doesn’t see the Economist as an exception, but "a manifestation of broader trends.’" It’s tempting to say that 100,000 digital subscribers is not a big deal because it’s a well known title. Instead, it’s better to see it as a case study for the future of digital magazines.

Of course, much more was covered in the article, so  click here to read it.

Win an Award from the UK

For the next month, digital publishers have the opportunity to enter the PPA 2011 Digital Publishing Awards. The PPA (Professional Publishers Association) awards have 13 categories, including "Digital Edition of the Year," "Digital Publisher of the Year," and "App of the Year".

Read the criteria for the Digital Edition of the Year category, taken directly from the criteria page:

"Both B2B and B2C publishers are grabbing the opportunity to take journals on line, making advertising and editorial content more visual, alive and inter-active. Tell us why your digital edition stands out from the rest. What have you done to engage with readers and advertisers in the online space? What success have you had in developing revenues and how did you meet the challenge of different ways of working, from copy preparation to ad production."

If this sounds like you (and for Nxtbook clients, it should), click here to enter your digital edition into the contest. If you read that and don’t have answers for all of those questions, call your Account Manager. They’ll give you the best practices needed to answer those questions and promote your digital edition with confidence.

Case Study in Brief: Grab New Readers with Native Apps!

Apps, apps, apps – we can’t get away from them at the moment. The publishing trade press is awash with stories about how the iPad will transform the publishing industry, increase circulation and revenue and everyone from Hugh Hefner to the small, independent publisher is getting in on the action. Most publishers though just want to know if creating and buying an app is a worthy investment for their magazine brand. We tell the story of one publisher who found it was:

Elcot Publications launched the digital only version of their regional business magazine back in September. For any new magazine circulation and readership is a key concern; but, for a digital only title it’s essential to ensure your content is across the web and tablet devices to take full advantage of potential new readers. We worked closely with the team at Elcot to create a branded, customised app for them, featuring a digital catalogue of their magazine and archived issues.

No one was happier than I was when the client came back to me and questioned the reader and visitors number after receiving their weekly tracking report: what was with the sudden increase in page views and visits (up by just over 34%)? Looking in this we were pleasantly surprised to find a large number of readers had chosen to download the new native app to their iPad/iPhone. Not only did this fact show their readers to be technologically savvy, but also that their iPad app was actively encouraging new readers into their content.

So can creating an iPad/iPhone app increase circulation for a magazine? Yes but we’re not suggesting just signing up for an app alone will have an impact on your reader figures. The clients who are having success in this area are using their iPad apps as part of a much wider digital publishing strategy. They are designing and optimising content for the web, they are actively marketing their content across a variety of devices and tablets and sending out targeted e-mail campaigns. Like anything an app is only as successful as the marketing behind it. Elcot has actively promoted the launch and development of their app over the last few months, and their readers are well aware of the options available to them. Working closely with you the team at Nxtbook will help you do all of this. At Nxtbook we are able to offer both browser based and native/branded apps that your readers can download from the iTunes store. You can talk to your Account Manager about finding the right solution for you.

The Business Magazine:Digital can be downloaded free from the Apple store, please find link below:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-business-magazine/id400449725?mt=8

 

 

First Issue’s Flight

"A searchable (cool) Flash version of Outsource magazine is on web, ipad, iphone & android. HT @altpepper http://bit.ly/OM21Digital" — @tebbo

So reads a tweet blasted early Monday morning, starting off the week with kudos from a satisfied reader for a digital issue from Nxtbook Media client, EMP PLC. (@altepper, better known as Al Tepper, is the Digital Chief for EMP PLC.)

Outsource is this UK publisher’s first digital issue, and they’re starting with a bang. An Ad Jolt ad flares in their intro page, grabbing extra attention with a subtle flash animation. They’ve loaded up their toolbar sponsorship locations with subscription information and a button to the magazine’s website.

Of course, as tweeter @tebbo pointed out, the magazine can be read on your computer, iPad, iPhone, or Android device. Check it out!

Nxtbook Media: Speaking your language

No speak Americano? No problemo. Here at Nxtbook Media we speak your language; at our European HQ we are working with publishers to create European and world language versions of their publications for international readers.

Have a look at one our clients stylish Italian travel brochures with Italian language:

www.nxtbook.com/nxteu/TourismIreland/italy#/0

Another client has launched a French version of their popular UK electronics industry title, allowing French readers a detailed insight into the industry.

www.nxtbook.com/nxteu/electronicspecifier/201006-fr/

We can create Nxtbooks in over 20 languages, so if you’re looking to replicate your English language version for a new audience talk to your Account Manager who will be able to advise.

Quiet Nights in with Sky1HD

Leading British broadcaster BSkyB have launched their Autumn programme for the UK most popular entertainment channel Sky1 (now in high definition) and what’s more they’ve used the Nxtbook format to do so. Showcasing some great British dramas, classic comedies and upcoming entertainment, Sky have incorporated video throughout the publication to give readers a glimpse of what they can expect to see on their screens on those cold winter nights.

With all content optimised for the screen and customised landing page, Sky have really enhanced their digital publication, allowing readers to choose full screen mode or open in their normal browsers as they wish.  Check out the Autumn programme below:

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxteu/bskyb/sky1_autumn1011/#/0

Success Stories from the UK

Another week sees another Nxtbook Media client in the UK go that bit further to make their digital editions a success. Whether it’s taking a more strategic approach to generating revenue through the nxtbook or enhancing the reader experience through new features, our publishers are embracing the capabilities of Nxtbook’s technology. They’re taking advantage of the range of opportunities available to create fully interactive, searchable and high quality digital editions.

Here’s a few examples of what our publishers are doing:

Nxtbook UK client NewsCo understands that different readers have different reading requirements so has used a customised ‘zoom feature’ in the toolbar, allowing the reader to set the zoom level to at their own comfort level: http://www.nxtbook/nxteu/newsco/southparade/

City University London introduced the digital magazine to their readers by designing an easy to use instruction panel, showing readers how they can get the most from the digital experience by sharing content, linking pages and customising viewing preferences: http://www.nxtbook.com/nxteu/cityuniv/alumni2010/#/0

We offer advertisers the chance to give their adverts the WOW factor with flash animation, increased page views and click-through rates; Electronic Specifier uses their nxtbook to source the most relevant videos on the web with technical updates from their industry: http://www.nxtbook.com/nxteu/electronicspecifier/201004/#/46

To follow the footsteps of these UK publishers, contact Nxtbook Media and ask for today’s tools for success! 

The Rise and Rise of the Digital Only Magazine

First, a quick introduction; I’m Amber Stevens, one of our Sales and Account Managers at our European Head Office in the UK and I’ll be posting regular updates with a UK perspective on new ideas and successes in digital publishing. Talking of strategies for success here in the UK, we’re seeing a rise in launches of ‘digital only’ magazines…….Taking the digital only approach allows publishers to launch new titles without the usual worries of print and distribution costs, leaving them to get on with the important things such as generating advertising revenue and building readership.

One of our UK clients has one step ahead of the game and has used their digital only magazine to test the water, bringing together new content and and new readers for a completely new experience. Not only did this publisher design their magazine for the digital format, but they also have monthly ‘Digital Development Meetings’ discussing how they can offer readers even more rich media and interaction opportunities and advertisers increased click-through and further page engagement. As they get ready for their first issue, our team will be able to advise them on linking with blogs and forums to build up a solid readership base and increase their web presence. Their lucky readers will also be able to download iPhone and iPad apps to access their content on the go. Sounds like a recipe for success! Click on the link below to see their trial issue:

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxteu/elcot/thebusiness/#/1/OnePage

If you’re considering launching a digital only title contact your local Account Manager who will be happy to organise a consultation session with you to help get you started.

You Really Need to Enter This…

We may have covered this a few weeks ago, but it’s worth repeating. If you’re a digital publisher, why not enter the Brand New Digital Magazine Awards. Started by a publisher in the UK, we can’t tell you much other than Nxtbook customer super-start Peter Houston is on the judging panel. Trust us when we tell you Peter knows a thing or two about digital magazines. Send in your entry today!

Wanna Win an Award?

Let’s suppose you’ve got a digital magazine that you’re proud of. You could enter it into some of the standard award shows from min, or ABM, but oftentimes, they don’t know what to do with you. They might shove you the microsite category or the interactive category but there’s for just plain old digital magazine. If you’re tired of feeling left out, maybe you should give the aptly named Digital Magazine Awards a try. It’s a new contest out of the UK, so it remains to be seen how impressive (or international) the applications will be, but it’s no doubt worth a click to find out. Thanks to Nxtbook customer and blogger Peter Houston for pointing it out on his blog.

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