@BoSacks Gets Interviewed

Bob Sacks, ever the informed enthusiast for the reality and promise of digital publishing, was interviewed about his perspective of where the industry is and who is making money on it. Bob Sacks has made a deep mark in the publishing industry with his resource, Precision Media Group, making him the perfect candidate for interviews such as these:

 

Please note this interview was conducted and published by a site targeting the print market. It’s understandable that conversations about making money with digital editions would be slightly confusing, and in truth, the waters can be a bit murky if you don’t have anyone guiding you through it. If you’re a publisher looking for examples on how people are successfully making money with their digital editions, I invite you to check out some of the samples we’ve posted along the way:

White Paper: The Case for Advertising in Interactive Magazines (info required)
Blog: The Value of Advertising in Digital Editions
Sample: DDi – Selling sponsorships only available in digital editions
Case Study: The American Prospect – Increasing paid subscriptions by offering free content (info required)

For more from Bob Sacks, follow his twitter handle @bosacks or sign up for his newsletters here.

You Might Think You’re Ready for Folio

You might think you’re ready for the Folio: show next week. Your bags might be packed, your tickets purchased and reservations made. But are you ready for the mind-blowing presentations we’ve got lined up for you?

For instance, our booth (#602) is going to have a special surprise for you, involving iPads, technology, and a lot of personality. Watch the sneak preview video here:

 

Don’t forget, Marcus is revealing the top 7 digital editions we found this year. Who knows, it might even be YOURS. Check it out to see who earned the honors. We’ll be in the "Wilder" room, 4th floor, at 10:35 am.

If nothing else, stop by and say hi. It’ll be great to see you.

 

Digital Technology for Firefly, Star Wars and Star Trek Fans

Attention Firefly, Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate, and other space-centric pop culture fans. Prepare to get out-nerded by this aerospace digital edition.

I’ll admit it: I like Firefly. And I’ve been known to watch the Star Wars and Star Trek series. But what United Business Media (UBM) did with their special edition of EETimes, Military Aerospace issue, goes beyond a mild interest in science fiction. It launches readers of all types into an all-out excitement about what’s going on in outer space.

To begin with, the content is high quality. In their special edition, UBM covers topics such as unmanned vehicles, modular test platforms, and Galileo’s launch. With cutting edge technology as the issue’s focus, it seems a natural fit to present the material in a digital-savvy (digital only) format.

UBM takes advantage of the technology by seamlessly integrating extras like full-page animated photos, video, and additional content hidden behind animation. Check it out: on page 23 readers are briefed on the need and solution for wireless, unmanned craft used for Navy surveillance. On page 31, they tuck additional information about Galileo behind an animated button.

If nothing else, check out the video on page 4 which, with the quality of a Hollywood production preview, inspires viewer into curiosity. And "Curiosity will launch late this year and land on Mars in August 2012."

By taking advantage of the medium, UBM is able to appeal to an audience interested in technology, and even broaden their scope to untapped readers who might start with a vague interest in space and end up ensnared by the engaging digital extras. Their cover quote sums it up well: "After the shuttle, the stars."

The Day the CEO Became a Barber

Not everyone would be willing to grow his hair out for 3 months to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association. Even fewer people would also volunteer to be subjected to a haircut by whoever raised the most money for the cause.

At Nxtbook Media, we have a hero who volunteered to do just that. Success Manager Adam Grim started growing his hair in May and continued to let it run wild through yesterday, August 2. For three months the competition at Nxtbook for the honor to cut his hair was fierce, with coins spilling into the collection jar at the office. Ultimately, CEO Michael Biggerstaff won the rights to creatively cut and style Adam’s unruly mane.

Watch the process by clicking the image below, or by clicking here.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Adam is currently a little shy of video conferences and one-on-ones with clients. Of course, now might be the perfect time for you to call him and ask his advice on a strategy that can only be solved face to face.

As the whole point is to raise money for Alzheimer research, click here if you’d like to donate to a worthy cause. Nxtbook Media will continue to run fundraisers to support Alzheimer’s Association throughout the year.

A Very Different Digital Edition Tutorial

One of our clients came to us with an idea to do a different sort of tutorial than you typically see about how to navigate your digital edition. And the result? Well, let’s just say it’s very, very different. Enjoy!

 

Buying An App Shouldn’t Be This Hard

Chances are, you’ve already been pitched about having your own native app. Chances are the pitch sounded a lot like this. But if you’re looking to get your content onto mobile and tablet devices for less money than you thought with a strategy that makes sense, give your Nxtbook Account Manager a call today!

 

Video’s Contribution to Catalog Success

An important step in evaluating the efficacy of a digital feature in any digital edition is to analyze what goals are being met. We’ve reported on several digital extras in the past, and digital videos are often at the forefront of discussion.

According to a 2010 eMarketer report, retailers find “videos boost sales conversion rates and reduce abandoned shopping cart and product return rates.” In our own research we found video was rated the most valuable to the reader’s experience of a digital edition. 75.2% reported that video enhances their reading experience the most. (Interestingly, the second highest scoring was being able to click for extra photos, which is kind of like a slow-playing video.) When it came to ads, one third of the respondents reported though they had little or no interest in the ad’s message, they’d play the digital extra – like video or animation – and then become engaged with the brand. (Click here to read the report.)

Word-of-mouth marketing, however, is still priority in consumers’ purchasing habits. Purchasers want to know what they’re getting, and how well it worked for other people, before they actually make the buy. That’s where testimonial, product demonstration, and customer review videos can really play a role in influencing viewers to buy. Place a video directly on the catalog page holding the product, and readers get an on-the-spot reference for that item.

This Just In: Making News With Your Digital Edition

Switching from print to digital issues is a big deal. A lot of things change at once: from mode of delivery to the inclusion of digital extras, like video or audio. Further, publishers are jumping to produce mobile web browser and native app versions of their editions. Readers need to know about it, and publishers need to broadcast it.

This makes it newsworthy. But what can you do beyond press releases and website notifications?

You pick your most significant story and make a news reel.

This idea did not come from me. In fact, it came from our client AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) who is exceptionally good at constantly communicating industry information and publication updates to their association members. AOPA leverages their strong Internet presence to excite potential (and current) readers about their digital magazine. They took it a step further by producing this breaking news video introducing their up and coming native app. Internet viewers get a behind the scenes look at a demo of the app as the editor-in-chief and AOPA president and CEO detail the new product with a news report feel.

Granted, the speakers are a little more biased than a typical anchor, but the video serves its purpose: the information is broken down and delivered in a manner that creates a sense of urgency and anticipation for readers.

By posturing your content as newsworthy, you create a more urgent and compelling message. Going digital is a big deal; get your readers as excited about it as you are.

Digitally Optimized: Need an Example?

When Network Media Partners executed the launch of the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity’s new, highly optimized digital magazine, they did so with their readers in mind. Many of you have already downloaded our Digital Optimization Guide (click here to request it), but if you want an exceptional example, I invite you to check out AHDI’s digital magazine, Matrix.

In particular, Matrix excelled in three major areas:

1. Digital Extras – Digital extras like animations, video, and audio extend readers’ interest in your content. Matrix is chock full of digital extras, such as an intro video which explains the new layout, video in advertisements, and the subtle adjolts in almost all of the ads.

An impressive digital extra is the mouse-over pop-ups they added throughout the edition. When a reader scrolls over specific icons on a page, additional content appears; it disappears when the mouse cursor is moved. This involves readers with the content without requiring additional clicking. Matrix connects with readers by asking a question at the beginning of the magazine (pictured below), and uses a bubble icon to get them to scroll over for contributors responses to the question.

2. Actionable Content – A less discussed advantages of digital editions is the ability to make content directly actionable. Matrix took advantage of this in several instances, including asking readers for questions and giving a live email link for a quick response. They also added a section a call to action for readers to get involved in a relevant government decision by clicking a live link and signing a petition letter.

3. Digital Advertising – With the new layout, advertisers get more space on the page. Ads look good on all screens – mobile, tablet, or desktop – which is important for advertisers trying to make a good impression on readers.  Matrix takes it to the next level by adding a customized tab with advertisers’ logos which takes readers directly to specific advertisements. The advertisement found on the right side has the added advantage of being visible regardless of what page the reader is viewing.

Whether readers are flipping through the edition on an iPad, an iPhone, or a desktop, there are ample opportunities for them to engage and interact. Take advantage of today’s technology by optimizing your editions for optimum reader response.

Plenty of Shimmer for Nxtbook Customers at Eddie & Ozzie Awards

This post was written by Eric Gervase, a Sales Director at Nxtbook Media. Eric attended the Folio: Eddie & Ozzie Awards Gala along with Nxtbook President Spencer Ewald.

 I kid you not… it was snowing up, not down, yesterday at the Eddie & Ozzie Award due to the sheer force of the winds. And despite being pushed back a couple weeks because of similar weather, "the show must go on," and it did. Happily, and not surprisingly, Nxtbook customers came away with quite a bit of hardware (or glassware as it was) at yesterday’s event. Here is a quick (ok, maybe not so quick, they were blessed) rundown of our customers who won awards.

1. AICPA
2. Professional Media Group
3. Questex
4. Booz & Co.
5. The Nielsen Company
6. McGraw-Hill
7. Turnstile Publishing
8. Energy Central
9. EE Times
10. Scholastic
11. Advanstar
12. Kalmbach Publishing
13. American Society of Cinematographers
14. Cypress Magazines
15. Crain Communications
16. Taunton Press
17. EatingWell
18. MSP Communications
19. Yoga International
20. Suffolk University
21. Information Today
22. NewBay Media
23. Morningstar Advisor
    UPDATE: The problem with sitting with Nxtbook customers is that they tend to be so captivating that we missed another Nxtbook customer on our list. Sincere apologies and congratulations to Dino Publishing for picking up a Gold Ozzie! mg

I personally had the pleasure of sitting with Sherri Miles (formerly of Suffolk University, very recently of University of Miami) as she took home 5 Eddie awards. I also sat very close to another customer, Booz & Co’s Strategy + Business team, as they took home 4 awards. Congrats to Alan Shapiro, Charity Delich, Jonathan Gage and the whole team at Strategy + Business.

All in all, it was a great event. Seeing some of the wonderful design and thought provoking content coming out of the magazine industry is really inspiring. Can’t wait to see what everyone has in store for this coming year.

The following video was played at the Eddie & Ozzie Awards Gala as Eric and Spencer prepared to take the stage:

Next Page »