Digital publishing news for November 27, 2013
“We can’t afford to pay for content if it’s going to be a one-time use,” stated Jay Annis, VP of The Taunton Press speaking at the Act 4 Publishing Event at the Magazine Innovation Center at Ole Miss.
Publishing Executive has the full report on Jay Annis talk on content optimization and recycling. Linda Ruth writes, “Annis was there to articulate Taunton’s proactive approach to content in a time when the costs and monetization of content are proving challenging to many publishers. Taunton’s solution: To optimize the content through all the products that will serve its audience.”
Taunton Press starts with its magazine content and repurposes it. Magazine categories might become books and bookazines. Special interest publications come from specific topics released six times a year. They go a step further by taking a year’s worth of content and putting it on a DVD.
These same SIPs, books and bookzines will also become digital editions that end up in Apple Newsstand and Amazon’s Kindle. Taunton has also found that their back issues are in such high demand that they are now offering a print-on-demand service.
Their readers are what drives the decision making process. Ruth adds, “The message is to remember the reader. If the reader is first, the rest falls into place. “
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Forrester Shares Importance of Tags
Tagging keywords is necessary for affinity blogs to get found in search engines. We’ve known this for a while and have shared this information with clients.
Forrester is reporting on tags in a free report. Investment in tag management is expected to grow because the ROI behind it looks promising.
One of the key findings from The Evolution of Tag Management states, “The vast majority of firms (96%) have digital data integration challenges. They believe that resolving these challenges will help them better understand their customer journeys and improve the customer experience, ultimately leading to improved customer acquisition and retention. Marketers are not holding back and are leading their IT colleagues in tackling customer data integration challenges.”
Will you be focusing on your tag management come 2014?
Can Secondary Magazines Excel?
It’s important to have a diverse digital offering – typically including visibility for the web, mobile and tablets – or market competition can become difficult.
An article from D.B. Hebbard discusses how some magazines end up shutting down because their digital mix isn’t solid enough. He also questions if secondary magazines can survive with field competition and the decline of ad revenue.
Hebbard states, “A decade ago, being number two in a category was not a bad thing, there likely to be many other titles below. But today, when advertisers have so many more choices, not being the king of the hill could mean that there are few ad pages to be had.”
With a strong online presence that caters to the web, mobile and tablet users, publishers can still find the audience and revenue needed to continue.
Do You Know the Technology Trends to Follow?
Forbes is reporting on technology trends laid out by Forrester. There are a few trends on this list relevant to digital publishers.
Here’s are a few of these trends:
-Digital experience delivery makes (or breaks) firms
-APIs become digital glue
-Digital convergence erodes boundaries
In regards to eroding boundaries, the article states, “Physical and digital worlds are converging. As a result consumers expect uniform service whether they are in the physical world or if they are in the digital world. The convergence of the business and personal use of technology is also fueling this trend.”
It certainly is an interesting time for publishers.
PASMAG Launches Interactive Magazine
Talking New Media is reporting that PASMAG (Performance Audio and Sound) has launched a unique special edition interactive magazine. D.B. Hebbard writes, “Inside the Newsstand app the library contains one “Special Edition” issue weighing in at 287 MB. The digital version of the magazine is this big not because of animation and video, but because the designers have included layouts in both portrait and landscape.” Hebbard suggests that readers should think of this as a “best-of” issue. An interesting feature of the app is that it reminds us that a digital replica of the magazine can be downloaded via Zinnio.
Hebbard adds, “Right now the app feels a bit like an experiment. The app description hints that this issue will be updated rather than new ones appearing. But since it is a Newsstand app, rather than a stand-alone app, the option is obviously open to adding more issue and beginning to sell subscriptions.”
