The Benefits of Digital Publishing.

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The Benefits of Digital Publishing.

Dilemma For PublishersThe #1 issue facing publishers, aside from the rapidly changing publishing landscape, is how to take profitable advantage of the new digital paradigm.

Whilst there is no easy answer - witness Rupert Murdoch’s problems with The Times’ paywall - the clearest direction is to harness digital editions which can be viewed online and on mobile devices such as the iPad.

Digital EditionsDigital editions, also known as ‘digital magazines’ or ‘e-books’, are digital publications that allow users to turn pages as if reading a printed version. This page-turning technology is now fully embraced by mainstream culture with the US Book Industry Study Group finding that one in five US books are now being bought as digital edition ‘eBooks’.

Digital editions’ versatility, global reach and cost savings (80% or more over the printed versions) make them an ideal solution that responds to the structural changes in publishing as well as the decline in circulation and advertising revenues.

There’s also very little additional work needed for companies and publishers to test the effectiveness of digital editions - it can be as simple as uploading your current print PDF - a digital edition can then be created in minutes.

This whitepaper, itself a working example of a digital edition, fully outlines the major benefits and advantages of using the technology.

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Digital editions offer unlimited readership potential.

Whereas printed copies have, by definition, a limited audience, the readership of digital editions is only limited by access to the internet. Therefore, unless restricted by digital rights management (DRM) passwords, the reach of digital editions totals billions of people.

The benefits of digital editions.

1. Reaching a wider audience:Over the last twenty years, textbooks in the developed world have risen at twice the rate of inflation, impacting not just students but also educational establishments themselves.

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Tailored/unique publications for specific audiences.

Digital editions are easily tailored to specific audiences by simply dropping in pages with content for that specific audience. The extra cost is minimal, unlike tailoring content within a hard copy publication, with digital editions allowing editors to create better, more engaging content for precise readership profiles.

Ability to harness new technologies such as the iPad and iPhone.

The Apple iPad is the fastest ever consumer device to achieve $1 billion in sales. The iPhone has had similar success, selling tens of millions of units every year and spearheading the drive towards smart, intelligent phones. Digital editions are able to take advantage of these new technologies, allowing publishers to harness the latest revolution in digital media consumption.

Highly targeted using email.

Delivering digital editions via embedded URL links in emails allows publishers to identify specific audiences and deliver the publication directly to their inbox. Coupled with tailored content, this makes digital editions the best medium for identifying target audiences and delivering relevant content directly to them.

Accessible version allows for AA Compliance.

AA Compliance means that a website is accessible for the many millions of disabled and hard of sight computer users. Digital editions created by The Digital Publisher are fully AA Compliant, meaning that disabled individuals, rather than being marginalised by the latest technology, can also take advantage of digital editions.

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2. Increase the Interactivity of your publication:

Embed rich media such as video/audio content to showcase products/articles/demos etc.

Printed magazines and corporate publications are by their very nature ‘static’ and in an age of rich media (audio & video) lose out to the dynamic digital presentation of material. Digital editions fully embrace rich media allowing editors and writers to add audio in the form of music, commentary or podcasts; as well as add video and moving images (including photos that magically transform into moving video when clicked).

Vastly improved interactivity benefits both reader and publisher.

The ability to dynamically interact with readers has an immeasurable impact on the ability of a publisher to engage with their audience. By way of example, the digital edition of a well-known car magazine can actually showcase the cars being driven by video along with running commentary from a celebrity presenter! Corporate publications are also enhanced, for example by using introductory videos from the CEO in corporate reports.

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Data capture with embedded forms.

Many publishers are cleverly using digital publications to capture the names and addresses of their readers. For example, a digital title can give access to a trial or free issue on condition the individual leaves his/her email address. These same individuals can then be followed up with special subscription offers, products and services. Furthermore, potential customers can be directed to a payment portal in seconds encouraging impulse purchase.

Create call to action for banners/buttons/messages using embedded Flash.

Digital editions created by The Digital Publisher use Flash software for dynamic, interactive call to actions. These can be in the form of banners, buttons or simple messages inserted into the copy of the digital editions. These Flash call to actions have proved far more effective than static ads in driving sales of products and subscriptions.

Flash animation can also increase the overall impact of a publication.

Aside from straight call to actions, Flash software can be used throughout a digital edition for further enhancement of the publication. Moving titles, images and creative drawings can all be brought to life because Flash allows dynamic ‘movement’ within a digital edition. This dramatically increases the engagement between a reader and the publication.

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3. Economic:

Reduce paper and print usage.

With raw pulp and newsprint inflation on an upward spiral, the cost advantages of digital editions are obvious. There is simply no paper or print involved, and the energy costs needed to read a publication online are borne by the user, not the publisher.

Reduce postage costs.

Expensive postage costs are redundant when it comes to digital editions. Instead, publishers are simply able to email the URL of each issue to their readers.

Hard copy inflation on an upward trend.

It’s not just raw pulp, newsprint and postage that are rising well above inflation. Additional factors such as transport, distribution and energy costs are adding another layer of cost burden on publishers as they fight to uphold margins. Digital editions, on the other hand, are reducing in cost as competition, better software and cheaper hardware all combine to drive prices lower.

Use the same PDF’s as your existing publication.

Most publishers create their publications using Adobe’s PDF software. Digital editions use exactly the same PDFs and therefore, for many publishers, there is no additional ‘creative cost’ in producing a digital edition.

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No paper, ink or chemicals.

Digital magazines consume no paper, ink or dangerous chemicals and neither do they need refuse disposal or landfill. That is why, in age of serious environmental concerns, digital editions provide a stunning ‘green’ solution. With a single issue of an average printed magazine (68 pages, 20,000 circulation) consuming 12 tonnes of paper (not to mention the ink, chemicals & transport), the environmental advantages are clear.

Reduce your organisation’s overall carbon footprint.

Most medium to large organisations have a clear policy of reducing their carbon emissions. Digital editions can greatly assist these policies because their environmental impact is so low.

Help meet environmental CSR targets.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) refers to the impact an organisation has on its environment and community. Digital editions again assist these policies because the environmental impact is reduced, the carbon footprint lowered, and the amount of resources needed to publish material are dramatically lowered.

4. Environmental Benefits:

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5. Easy Navigation:

Create easy to read/navigable publications by incorporating page links, linked contents, bookmarks and a search facility.

Digital editions come packed with a raft of features that make them very easy to access and read. For example, digital editions can incorporate bookmarks, virtual Post-it notes, dynamic hyperlinks (for more content) and a contextual search facility. Digital editions even allow you to make page notes if necessary.

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User tools allow for customisation.

Digital editions can be customised to a publisher’s wishes. This allows a publisher to create a digital publication that they know will satisfy their readers’ needs in terms of design, access and navigability.

Usability for heavy content with search facility.

For larger publications, especially those with heavy content which are directory or catalogue-based, digital editions are a perfect solution because of their search facility. This allows readers to simply type in the name of the subject matter they are looking for and the digital edition will automatically direct them towards their desired page(s).

Wider web interaction using hyperlinks & email addresses.

Digital editions allow embedded hyperlinks and email addresses giving readers the ability to interact with the World Wide Web quickly and seamlessly. Unlike printed publications which sit in isolation, digital editions can fully interact with a far larger worldwide audience at the click of a mouse.

Create archive libraries with easy search facilities.

Digital editions allow the creation of archive libraries which let users search for material not just within one issue, but many. These archive libraries are a tremendous resource for readers and publishers alike.

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6. Flexibility:

Seamless editing of live documents, amending pages, links, videos and products.

Digital editions allow quick adaptation and the seamless ‘real time’ editing of pages, links, videos and products. This can be done in minutes at low cost giving publishers the confidence they can change their content at any time.

Downloadable offline version allows for reading in any environment.

Digital editions are easily downloadable onto a computer’s hard drive, allowing for portability even if internet access is unavailable. This makes them ideal to be read in transit.

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7. Miscellaneous:

Publishing in the 21st Century and ‘on trend’.

Digital publishing is evolving at such a pace that each year new innovations are coming onto market and changing the existing status quo. Digital editions are able to fully adapt to these changes and can harness them to their advantage. They allow publishers to be fully ‘on trend’.

Be part of an ongoing development programme.

To keep up with the latest technological changes, digital editions created by The Digital Publisher are part of an ongoing in-house development programme. Publishers can therefore be confident that the technology is constantly being improved and evolved.

Track and report on your publication’s usage by seeing what works and what doesn’t.

The ‘stats packages’ on offer by The Digital Publisher allows publishers to see exactly what their readers are clicking on, the content’s popularity and what topics readers are most interested in. This information is invaluable to editors.

Advertisers can enhance their own messages using rich media.

A publisher’s client advertisers are also able to take advantage of digital editions by using rich media within their own advertisements. This often sees advertisers attain better results.

Finally, added customer value!

Digital editions provide exceptional added value for publishers’ customers, as the above reasons attest to. This further enhances reader loyalty and helps drive repeat subscriptions.

Examples:Below are two examples of magazines converted into digital editions. The first one is the members’ magazine for Britain’s biggest union, Unite. The organisation, looking to trim costs whilst simultaneously improving the reader experience, has used The Digital Publisher to create its digital editions.

www.thedigitalpublisher.co.uk/unitenov2010

The largest teacher’s union, the NASUWT, has also used The Digital Publisher for its magazine. Here is just one example:

www.thedigitalpublisher.co.uk/nasuwt-ttoday-december2010-eng

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The Digital Publisher, 7B High Street Mews, High Street, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire LU7 1EA

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The Digital Publisher, 7B High Street Mews, High Street, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire LU7 1EA

To learn more about how the NASUWT and Unite used The Digital Publisher to stunning effect - and how we could do the same for you,

please call Ian Jackson on 01525 376690 or email Ian@thedigitalpublisher.co.uk

Conclusion:

We hope this digital edition highlights perfectly what can be achieved through the use of digital editions. Whether it’s enhanced customer engagement, increased reader loyalty, better environmental credentials or improved product sales to name a few, digital editions offer a wealth of advantages for publishers.

With the advent of mobile technology and the movement towards smart, intelligent devices, this trend is set only to increase further.