In 2015, mobile publishing trends will include a focus on phablets, distribution, and expansion
Mobile publishing trends come and go, but multiplatform publishers have at least one huge advantage over those who shy away from seizing on the many digital opportunities for building and converting audiences: Your product is future-proofed because you’ve covered your bases and can adapt to anything that comes your way.
At their core, multiplatform publishers are steady but flexible, and your success begins with strong content. That content can then drive advertising and subscriptions, monetized archives, profitable event production, ambitious email campaigns, and white papers.
You know all of this!
Still, you need to stay on top of shifts in the industry in order to maximize those revenue streams. With our daily content, we do our best to help – in part by finding and sharing interesting articles. A recent post on mobile publishing trends by Thea Selby in Publishing Executive is a perfect example.
Here are several mobile publishing trends that she writes are emerging in 2015:
The Phablet Future
iPad sales are sluggish, and Samsung is starting to catch up. Meanwhile, smartphone sales are skyrocketing – especially iPhones. Selby reports that Apple sold 74.5 million of them in the fourth quarter of 2014, a record high.
The iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy are both phablets – smaller than a tablet, but larger than most smartphones – so publishers will find themselves designing magazine apps with both tablets and smartphones in mind.
And, as Selby points out, both markets are far from saturated, giving you plenty of room to work with.
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Google Play Gains Steam
Google is making their presence felt across publishing more than ever, from crushing all competitors in the category of digital advertising to gaining on Apple in the download race.
“If you are one of the many publishers who eschewed Google Play because 85% of all app sales were coming from Apple, take a second look at Google Play and work up a launch strategy that takes advantage of their strengths, like the RSS feed that will lead traffic to your site, and allow you to advertise not only your app for download and issues for sale, but also your other advertisers. With subscribers of 1M+ for several publishing entities (including Good magazine), it is well worth doing,” Selby writes.
“If you are already on Google Play, work with your account executive to maximize your sales. Get your RSS feed rolling. Use the power of all those free downloads.”
International Expansion
Brazil, Russia, India, and China are the places to be when it comes to global mobile publishing trends.
This cluster of countries is seeing a remarkable spike in revenue, and Selby advises American publishers to put in a little extra effort when it comes to attracting readers around the world. She suggests integrating Magzter into your distribution strategy, while investing in quality translation for your descriptions.
Are Women Downloading Apps?
The answer is a resounding yes, Selby says.
When it comes to social media, chat, video, and photo apps – all related to publishing – women download more than men. And they’re even gaining in the male-dominated realm of men.For niche digital magazines and multiplatform companies, make sure you’re including women in your target audiences and keeping female enthusiasts in mind when developing content.
Which mobile publishing trends are you focusing on this year? Let us know in the comments!
To read more about these mobile publishing trends, visit Publishing Executive.
