As media companies try to develop stronger mobile magazine publishing strategies, they must take advantage of the latest multiplatform opportunities
The promise of mobile magazine publishing is no mirage — it’s just not so easy to achieve in the midst of viewability, targeting, and tech issues. Monetizing mobile is the Holy Grail for digital magazines looking to expand and solidify their digital business.
But there are many questions. Mobile app or mobile web? Handle tech in house or hire vendors? Which cross-device analytics to focus on? Which software and code to use?
Publishing Executive covers at least a couple of those questions in recent articles. Let’s start the week by taking a look at the answers they came up with!
Is XML the Key to Mobile Magazine Publishing?
XML coding language is one option for multiplatform publishers, according to an op-ed for Publishing Executive about “non-linear” content across devices.
“This transformation, not destruction, of publishing has the potential to revolutionize and raise it to new heights, and new revenue levels. Freed from just print, the new economies of electronic “publishing” have already transformed many areas of the publishing industry, well beyond the obvious replica editions. With the cost of publishing content greatly reduced, and the new ease to distribute globally, publishers can now find viable audiences for materials that were previously too obscure or specialized. The combination of digital publishing, syndication, and licensing opportunities gives publishers the chance to republish materials that were either given up for dead, or didn’t have audiences at the time of original publication. Making your legacy content findable can be quite profitable,” Mark Gross writes.
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“Making content modular, with chunks that can be assembled in myriad ways by both publishers and readers, requires XML. Other approaches exist, but they don’t provide the flexibility and standardization needed to optimize content for a multi-device world.”
Mother Earth News, Mequoda Method Alum, Sticks With Data-Driven Publishing
Ogden Publications’ Mother Earth News is a Mequoda success story, and they haven’t stopped adapting the Mequoda Method when it comes to search and social, according to Publishing Executive.
“Mother Earth News’s two-pronged approach to SEO and content management has meant it’s squeezing more revenue out of its site than ever before. Search stats for individual keywords, plus detailed traffic statistics sorted by categories like author and subject, make for more predictable revenues than in the days before Google Analytics, and have helped Mother Earth News both stabilize its costs and take the guesswork out of its content calendar,” Conrad Lumm writes.
What Are the Factors Facing Regional Magazines?
Regional magazines are among our favorite Members to work with, and Publishing Executive reports that the niche is getting stronger and stronger, with several factors in their favor as well as challenges on the horizon.
“Events have been significant for us in two ways. Most important is connectivity. Advertisers want to layer on their print advertising with events and gain access to B2B contacts or potential buyers,” Maine Publisher Kevin Thomas tells Ron Matejko.
“Secondly, they’re a revenue producer. Midway through 2015 we decided to ramp up our events significantly and I am confident that is going to kick in for us in 2016.”
What does the future hold for mobile magazine publishing? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
To read more about mobile magazine publishing in the news, visit Publishing Executive.
