Monetize with Mobile Advertising: What are the Options?

Despite a projected decrease in print ad revenues for the trade magazine industry (about 4.4% annually), digital ad revenues are expected to grow at an annual rate of 12.8%, reaching almost $2 billion in 2018. Changing trends have pushed gaudy pop-ups out of popularity. Now, advertisers can be more creative when engaging readers. Options like sponsored content and rich media build high levels of ad engagement without annoying readers. Here are some digital advertising options that could work for you:

Location-Based Ads: Sell mobile ads based the on the location of your subscribers (if the subscriber approves this feature). This is particularly effective because it enables advertisers to target their audience geographically.

Rich Media: This can mean video, sounds, or games. You can cater what types you choose based on your audience and their interests. The most effective types of rich media advertisements are interactive, complementing the surrounding content and always giving readers an option to close out. As long as these ads don’t interfere with the content of the app, they are a smart option.

Sponsored Content Ads: As a relatively new concept in advertising, sponsored content is also what's known as a "native" ad. This term, which according to Mashable was accidentally coined by the investor Frank Wilson, indicates that an ad matches the content and user interface of where it is placed.  This is most commonly seen on news and video sites, where advertisers display articles or videos that are of interest to the audiences of these sites. These ads gear content to readers' interests while still being promotional in nature. Content for sponsored articles or videos can be created by your staff or your sponsors. 

At PixelEdge, we are always exploring new, effective ways to monetize your app. Contact us to learn more about the advertising and app publishing possibilities available.

How PixelEdge Could Benefit Your Publication

If you work in the publishing industry, chances are you're considering digital publishing. You may have even looked at various digital publishing solutions. Rather than recite a bunch of familiar buzzwords, I want to present two straightforward reasons why PixelEdge is the solution you've been looking for.

1. Adaptability

Developing an app is expensive and complicated and, if you haven't done it already, I'm willing to bet cost is the number one limiting factor. While there are cheaper options, most lack adaptability. Their features sets are neither versatile nor customizable to your publication or your readers. They require that you do all the design work yourselves, which (if you lack digital design expertise) means that you are simply taking your print content and publishing an exact replica to a digital platform. This may sound fine, but consider the fact that most of your print content is probably not optimized for digital devices and their varying screen sizes, and may also take an absurd amount of time for users to download. Finally, these solutions will not offer your readers any technical support should they have difficulties using the app. All these factors combine to create a low-quality reading experience. This is not the way you want your brand to be represented to your readers, but don't just take my word for it.

At PixelEdge, we've developed an alternative that is affordable and effective. We start by developing a basic app for you and then enhance it based on your needs and opportunities. Plainly, this means that we can adapt your app over time at no additional cost to you. For a fixed monthly price, your features set is always customized for your audience and your content is optimized for all of your readers' digital devices. Finally, we offer full technical support and expertise. Your continued partnership with us ensures that your app gives readers an optimal reading experience that is an impressive representation of your brand.

2. Convenience

PixelEdge wants digital publishing to be as convenient as possible for publishers. Our team executes all the technical work so you can focus on the content. Simply submit your print design work in any file format and we will optimize it for your digital app. We can even take the content straight from your content management system so there is no added burden on your team. Below is an example of what our conversion process can accomplish:

The image above is a client's print design in a .pdf format. Notice how the graph is detailed, small, and difficult to read. In cases like this we can actually take the raw data to create a new graph for your digital version that is much more visually appealing, easy to read, and engaging:

This is just one of the many ways our convenient conversion process can work for you. We can also add interactive elements to charts and graphs to make them even more engaging. If you're interested in learning more, please don't hesitate to contact one of us. We would be happy to set you up with a demo, answer any of your questions, and even do a mock-up of what your app could look like.

At PixelEdge, our business model is focused on long-term partnerships with our clients. We are committed to finding you new ways to generate revenue with your digital publication while enhancing reader engagement with each iteration. Our philosophy is very simple: add value to our clients' publications, month after month and year after year.

Interested in chatting? Send me an email at sean.monaco@pixeledge.io and I will be happy to schedule an appointment. Or, simply visit our website at www.pixeledge.io today!

Ditch the Print? Paper’s Place in a Digital World

Most publishers concede that digital is here to stay. But when told to transition from print to pixel, many publications still struggle with tight budgets and little technological expertise. A full and immediate transition seems unrealistic, and there is still conflict over the future of print. In April, the Wall Street Journal wrote about the purposeful place of paper-intensive catalogs for retail websites. However, by June, Ad-age countered that in our “digital, eco-conscious world,” even the ubiquitous table catalog has no place and needs to join the digital age.

If that’s true of the glossy editorial-style magazines, where does this leave trade publications with their data-heavy text? Stuck between the pressure of dwindling ad sales and hesitancy to move toward digital, what can professional publications that don’t want to abandon paper do with digital? The answer is, frankly, a lot. Here are just a couple of ways your digital and print publication can complement one another.

Enhance Your Digital Version

Yes, PDF viewers are easy, low-cost options to put text on a tablet. But readers want what they can’t get with paper. Consider experimenting with video, audio, and interactive data. Or invite readers is using infographics and interactive charts. Simple things like adding vibrant colors and rich images make readers excited to come back to you publication again and again.

Invite Participation

Your material shouldn’t just talk at readers. Allow them to talk back! Avoid unmonitored comment boards, and instead link your blog and social media outlets to your publication. This will allow the kind of reader participation that is key to engagement.

By realizing the digital world’s strengths it is possible to have a digital publication without laying print to rest. While there is no doubt that the world is moving toward greater digitization at every turn, your paper and digital publications don’t need to be at odds. If the two can complement each other, it’s a win for both you and your readers. 

Check out how PixelEdge.io can help you deliver a digital publication to your readers.

Content Promotion is Key to Market Penetration for New Magazines

In previous posts, I've written about the need to chart a new publishing approach that leverages the power of digital media for established publications. Here, I want to briefly discuss how we can use digital media to grow publications that are still in their infancy.

If you've recently started a new publication, you are no doubt facing a number of challenges including the need to attract advertisers and generate revenues given a small readership. As someone with experience working at startups, I know these problems can overwhelm and draw your attention and energy away from that which you got into the business to do: produce something great.

As I've mentioned before, digital publishing gives you a great deal of flexibility when it comes to distributing your content. Once you've produced an article, the marginal cost of distributing it to each additional reader is virtually nothing. This presents a wonderful opportunity for new publications: you can now give away samples and previews of your content without paying high costs for printing and distribution. This provides an inexpensive means for you to promote your publication and gain access to new readers.

This method also streamlines the processes of content creation and marketing. Since your magazine's content is your marketing collateral, you don't need to divide resources between content creation and marketing. Through social media and other online channels you can gain access to virtually limitless pools of potential readers. Encourage them to download your app and give them some things for free. Trial issues, sample articles, blog posts, and newsletters are great places to start.

You believe in your content, so allow it to promote itself and give you a larger return on the time and energy you devote to making it great. Enable new readers to think "I like this, and I want more".

Ultimately, your readers are the lifeblood of your publication and they have more long-term value than any advertising partnership or interim revenue stream you establish in the early stages. I'm not suggesting you shouldn't pursue these things. Just don't sacrifice the quality of your content doing so.

Send me an email at sean.monaco@pixeledge.io for more information, and visit www.pixeledge.io for examples of our current work.