Paper versus Digital: Why Most Magazine Apps Don't Cut It

I'm going to let you in on a little secret that seems to have eluded many of today's magazine publishers:

Paper and digital are not the same!

If this seems obvious to you, then you should ask yourself the following question: why are the majority of digital magazine apps simply taking print content and replicating it in digital versions? 

If you don't know what I mean, scroll through the Apple newsstand or download the Next Issue app. The majority of digital magazine apps are simply carbon-copies of publishers' print versions. Now, I don't know about you, but I didn't pay $400 for a new iPad only to have it deliver me the same functionality as a simple piece of paper. It's no wonder digital magazine apps are getting such bad press lately.

You may have seen another post of ours, where we talk about the importance of doing something unique with your branded digital magazine apps. The idea is to craft a universe around your brand by leveraging multiple points of engagement with your readers, each point offering something of unique value.

Here are some unique ways you can leverage your digital magazine app:

- Audio & video content with the ability to cache files for offline access

- Navigable resource guides

- Social media feeds and social sharing capabilities

- Personalized user interfaces and exclusive content targeted to specific reader interests

- Targeted push notifications

- Forums and user-generated content

- Interactive activities and guides

- Fully scrollable articles (ditch the 'digital flipbook')

Publishers need to scrap the "I need an app because everyone else is doing it" mentality. Simply having an app without thinking about the role that it will play within your larger brand structure will more than likely result in disappointment. Moreover, publishers need to get out of the print-production cycle mindset. If you want your brand to stand out, you need to be engaging your readers frequently with high-quality content over a variety of channels. Done the right way, a unique, branded digital magazine app can play an important role in this strategy. 

Why Your Company Needs Digital Publishing Software

One of the main reasons that media businesses fail is that their presence is not quite as broad as it needs to be. Technology has opened up entirely new avenues for digital marketing, and now people around the world are using the internet as a means of searching for information, reading, and communication. Media companies that learn to adapt and increase their online and mobile presences are much more likely to succeed. Typically a company will need to hire out to a third party that offers digital publishing software to help drive business.

Cost is usually one of the main reasons that a company refuses to branch out into the digital world. The cost of developing a user friendly application might be too steep for some business ventures. Most cost effective digital publishing software will lack user adaptability, and can lead to low comprehension rates among readers. Taking an exact replica of print media and converting it to a digital version increases download time and decreases ease of reading.

If your company is looking for a platform that will drive your business forward, PixelEdge should be your first stop. Our digital publishing software is both affordable and effective for every business. Each application is built with the goals of the client's company in mind. Over time, PixelEdge will help adapt your application to the growing needs of your customers and business. All of the technical work will be completed by professionals with years of expertise behind them. PixelEdge also offers full technical support. Choose the most professional, adaptable, and cost-effective company for your digital publishing needs. PixelEdge is focused on helping their clients grow their businesses and enhance their reader engagement!

PixelEdge is a mobile publishing agency dedicated to helping magazine publishers have effective mobile presences for their publications. We provide our clients with cost-effective apps that enhance the values of their brands, all for a fixed monthly price.

Should you let Facebook host your content on its mobile app?

As I'm sure you have heard, Facebook recently announced that it is developing a proposal to offer content hosting to media companies via its mobile app. At first glance, this seems like a compelling idea: Facebook is a huge driver of web traffic, particularly for media companies, and over 50% of digital media engagement occurs on mobile devices. If you're a publisher who is not already leveraging a digital publishing solution, there's a good chance you've considered jumping onto the e magazine bandwagon. But publishers should be wary. Here are some important things to consider:

1. Impressions on Facebook do not necessarily translate to brand recognition or loyalty

If someone clicks on your article in their newsfeed, reads and enjoys it, but then moves on, the probability that they will remember your brand is low. When your content is hosted on Facebook's servers, this means that the web traffic your content generates will not be yours. The crux is that Facebook controls the medium, and their ultimate incentive is to keep all of its traffic from leaving, plain and simple. Publishers right now are driving traffic through Facebook to get readers onto their websites, interacting with their content and enjoying memorable, sustained interactions with their brands. Facebook is attempting to change the game by positioning itself as the ultimate destination, rather than the conduit for digital media engagement. For publishers, this threatens brand recognition and undermines their attempts to generate loyal readers.

2. Social media is (probably) not the foundation of your brand

Social media is important, no doubt about it. Advertisers today value your content's ability to be circulated far and wide via Facebook, Twitter, and similar channels. But here's the thing: when you post an article to Facebook, you're competing with every other piece of content posted to the newsfeed for impressions, clicks, and shares. And there's a whole lot of content being posted to Facebook. Ultimately, winning content will be that which is optimized for the social medium. Are you optimizing your content for social? Are you confident in your ability to generate explosive viral content on a regular basis? If the answer to either of these questions is no, then social media is not the foundation of your brand and relying on it too heavily is a risky proposition. Rather, you need to connect everything you do into a bold narrative that spans your distribution channels. Your readers deserve the value your content offers. Why force them to drown in Facebook's limitless sea?

PixelEdge is a mobile publishing agency dedicated to helping magazine publishers have effective mobile presences for their publications. We provide our clients with cost-effective apps that enhance the values of their brands, all for a fixed monthly price.