Trends

Survey Shows Changes in E-Book Buying Habits

Since November 2009, analysts at Bowker Research have been tracking the habits and preferences of book consumers who say they have acquired an e-book or a dedicated e-reading device within the past 18 months.  This survey of Consumer Attitudes toward E-Book Reading is being conducted for the Book Industry Study Group (BISG), a leading trade association for the U.S. book industry.

According to recently released data from the survey, e-book consumers are buying more books—both in print and e-book formats.  More than half of e-book readers increased their use of apps to purchase books and more than one-third increased their use of general retail websites such as Amazon.com.

The gains for these digital vendors come at the expense of brick-and-mortar bookstores. More than a third of e-book buyers decreased their spending at national chains and 29% said they are buying less from their local independent bookseller.

“The e-book market is developing very quickly, with consumer attitudes and behavior changing over the course of months, rather than years,” said Angela Bole, BISG’s Deputy Executive Director.

While dedicated e-readers remain the dominant e-reading platform, the study shows that multi-function tablet devices and smartphones are gaining in popularity.
Almost 17% of respondents indicated that tablets were the devices most used to read ebooks— up from 13% in the previous survey.

Dedicated e-readers were preferred by 60.9% of all respondents, down from 71.6% in the previous survey.

Respondents who preferred smartphones jumped from 5.3% to 9.2%.

The data in the Consumer Attitudes toward E-Book Reading survey is derived from a nationally representative panel of book consumers (men, women and teens).

LINKS

PDF: Summary Report Consumer Attitudes Toward E-Book Reading

About the Book Industry Study Group, Inc.

About Bowker

 

Satisfy the Growing Demand for Short Online Videos

On smartphones and tablets, people are viewing short, online videos everywhere they go. So, does everyone who searches for products online expect to see video content on every website they visit?

Maybe not yet, but they will soon. Research has shown that organizations that include informative, but casual videos about their products, services, and capabilities not only get more traffic, but they also keep people on their websites three times longer.  Watching video content is a more passive than reading. You simply sit back, look, and listen.

Online video provides a fast way to demonstrate the features of certain products, show the personality and expertise of company personnel, and let people around the world tour your facilities.  Video also offers a cost-effective way for companies to provide better employee training and customer support for their expanding range of products and services.

Why should you care?

If you are a writer or designer, knowing how to cost-effectively produce short videos can come in handy—either to promote your own products and services or to better serve publishers and corporate clients.

Photographers who can shoot high-res video can create new niche businesses for themselves by understanding the types of short videos that businesses of all sizes want and need. For example, pro photographer Michael Soo recently filmed video testimonials for real-estate agent Terel Beppu. Jack Affleck is promoting his ability to produce “action” videos of moving subjects.

If you are an artist, creating videos about your work can help collectors better understand who you are as an artist and how and why you created certain pieces.

What about the expense?

To gain some perspective on the wide range of online videos that are being created at all budget levels, download the 12-page white paper from Knowledge Vision Systems. Entitled “Divide to Conquer: How to Tame the Online Video Content Beast,” the white paper acknowledges that “Demand for online videos is growing much faster than budgets to produce it.”

The white paper advises companies to budget for three types of videos: showpiece, workhorse, and long-tail.  (The long-tail options help you get started in online video without a lot of money or if you freeze up and look painfully awkward in front of a camera.)

Showpiece videos. These are the splashy videos that bigger companies produce for the front door of their websites, for trade-show booths, and for sales meetings. They don’t need to be updated regularly and should be produced by a video-production house.

Workhorse videos. These are the crisp, clear videos that explain a company’s most important products, introduce key technologies, and move prospective customers further along in the buying process. These videos should be focused and authoritative, with a style that conveys the personality of the organization.

Long-tail videos. These are simple, low-cost videos that can combine PowerPoint presentations, product animations, or screen grabs with voice-over narrations.  In a corporate environment, they focus on answering specific questions or educating customers about a specific process. But they can also be produced by individuals with expertise in a specific subject area.

The white paper emphasizes that “Creating video for any type of business communication doesn’t have to be hard. And it doesn’t need to be expensive…When you start to rethink your definition of online video, explore new tools, and leverage the value of your internal subject matter experts and existing content, you can tame the video content beast.”

Knowledge Vision is a flexible, online video presentation platform. Synchronizing video, presentation slides, animations, just-in-time footnotes, and virtual handouts, Knowledge Vision presentations can be embedded within any website for on-demand, live, and mobile applications.

Knowledge Vision Systems is also beta-testing Knovio, a system through which individuals can bring online PowerPoint presentations to life by adding webcam video or voice-over narratives.

LINKS

Knowledge Vision Systems

Divide to Conquer: How to Tame the Online Video Content Beast

Knovio: Personal Platform for Creating and Sharing Video Presentations

IBISWorld Predicts Growth in Online Art Sales

A recent report from IBISWorld estimates that the Online Art Sales industry in the U.S. was worth about $287.5 million in 2011. This figure includes the sale of original or limited-edition artwork through online galleries, online auctions, online art fairs, and online art dealing and trading. The sales figures included data from 716 businesses and covered the sale of paintings, drawings, sculpture, photographs, and other media.  The sale of reproductions is not included in the report.

According to IBISWorld analysts, the market for online art sales has been growing in line with strong demand from overseas markets and increasing access to internet-based retail outlets. Even as brick-and-mortar art dealers experienced declines during the past five years, online-based art sales have stayed strong.

The growth in art sales through e-commerce and online auctions is expected to continue through 2016, fueled by global growth in consumer spending and increased access through more broadband connections. Mobile apps are anticipated to provide further room for innovation in online art sales.

One reason for the strength of the online art market stems from the nature of its customer base. The goods sold though the largest auction houses are targeted toward high-end consumers. As such, the demand tends to remain constant even during times of greater economic turmoil. Also, the trade-weighted index, which measures the value of the US dollar relative to foreign currencies, has driven export sales to newly industrialized countries. Consumers in those regions have recently found themselves with greater levels of disposable income that can be invested in “soft commodities” such as original works of art.

In addition, online art dealers operate within the larger realm of e-commerce which has shown double-digit growth over the past five years. IBIS analysts believe that art dealers who have an e-tailing or online auction presence are well-positioned to take advantage of consumers’ preference for online shopping.

The full report on Online Art Sales includes Industry trends, statistics, analysis, and market share information. The report can be purchased from IBISWorld for $825.

LINKS

IBIS World: Online Art Sales in the U.S.: Market Research Report

About IBISWorld

Survey Says Facebook is Preferred Social Network of Creatives

When it comes to connecting online with friends, colleagues and acquaintances, Facebook is the favored social-media site of people in creative fields, a new survey by The Creative Group suggests.

More than half (56 percent) of advertising and marketing executives interviewed said Facebook would be their social media site of choice if they were limited to using just one. LinkedIn and Google+ ranked second and third with 21 percent and 12 percent of the response, respectively.

 

Regardless of which social media site someone is using for business, staying active is essential, the survey confirmed: Nearly three in 10 (29 percent) executives said not keeping content fresh is the most common mistake creatives make in their professional online profiles.

The national survey was developed by The Creative Group, a specialized staffing service for interactive, design, marketing, advertising and public relations professionals, and conducted by an independent research firm.

“Those in the creative industry tend to blend their professional and personal lives, including interactions they have online,” said Donna Farrugia, executive director of The Creative Group.

Farrugia cautioned, however, that it’s important to post prudently when business contacts are part of your online network. “Social media profiles have become an important branding and marketing tool for creative professionals. Whether the purpose of your account is purely to connect with friends or drum up referrals and job leads, make sure it paints the best picture of you.”

The Creative Group offers five tips for maintaining a polished and engaging presence on social media sites:

Don’t play the name game. While sites like Facebook and Google+ have guidelines that discourage the use of symbols, numbers or profanities in your username, that doesn’t stop people from coming up with unusual aliases. However, it’s best to stick to your first and last name and select a similar vanity URL that supports your personal brand.

Choose your interests wisely. Just because you’re a fan of reality TV doesn’t mean you have to list every show you watch. No matter how talented you are, a profile that goes into too much personal detail, particularly if those details are unflattering, will work against you.

Share quality content. The average Facebook user has 130 friends, according to Facebook Statistics. You can increase the likelihood others will see your posts by sharing rich content (like photos and videos) as well as information that will elicit comments, likes and shares.

Proof your posts. Always review your status updates and comments before hitting “Enter.” Posts strewn with typos or text shorthand detract from your credibility.

Be a regular. In addition to pushing out interesting content, engage with your online contacts consistently. By commenting on and sharing others’ posts, you’ll build a stronger sense of community.

For additional tips on using social and professional networking sites effectively, download Business Etiquette: The New Rules in a Digital Age by Robert Half, The Creative Group’s parent company. The publication contains insights from industry experts on topics such as email, instant messaging, mobile devices, and phone, video, and web conferencing.

LINKS

About The Creative Group

Business Etiquette: The New Rules in a Digital Age

 

 

Growth of Content Marketing Creates Opportunities for Writers

WRITERS. According to a recent survey, spending on content-marketing is expected to grow in 2012. Some of this spending is likely be used to hire journalists, writers, and editors who know how to efficiently produce a steady stream of articles, blog posts, white papers, and e-books.

What is content marketing? For the purposes of the research, the survey defined content marketing as: “The creation and distribution of educational and/or compelling content in multiple formats to attract and/or retain customers.”  Content marketing is also known as brand journalism, custom content, custom content, or branded content.

Corporations have been using content marketing for decades. But online publishing and social media have made it much easier for business of all types and sizes to use different forms of content marketing.

A 2011 survey of 1,092 B2B marketers showed that 60 percent plan to increase their spending on content marketing over the next 12 months. The survey was conducted jointly by by Marketing Profs and the Content Marketing Institute.

The study also revealed that marketers, on average, plan to spend over a quarter of their marketing budget on content marketing.

Regardless of company size or industry, 9 of the 10 organizations that participated in the survey reported that they used some form of content marketing. On average, they employ eight different content-marketing tactics.

As shown in the chart below, the five most popular tactics were: Articles, Social Media (other than blogs), Blogs, eNewsletters, and Case Studies.

This was the second year that Marketing Profs and the Content Marketing Institute conducted the survey. Although analysts did discover some year-to-year changes in the data, some of the key challenges associated with content marketing remained relatively constant.

The greatest reported challenge in both the 2010 and 2011 survey was “Producing the kind of content that engages prospects and customers.” And the number of respondents who said it was a challenge “to produce enough content” has also remained steady from 2010 to 2011.

One statistic that did rise from the 2010 to 2011 surveys was the percentage of companies that are outsourcing at least a portion of their content-marketing activities. In 2010, 52 percent of companies were outsourcing some content-marketing work. That number rose to 62 percent in 2011.

Although the survey report doesn’t specify exactly what types of work is outsourced, the production of such things as videos, microsites, e-books, and magazines suggest that freelance designers, photographers, and videographers might also benefit from continued growth in content marketing.

The 17-page report, entitled “B2B Content Marketing: 2012 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends,” is available as a free download from the MarketingProfs website. In addition to discussing content-marketing tactics, challenges, and outsourcing, the report also provides data on social media usage, goals, measurements.  The best practices of some of the most successful content marketers are discussed as well.

LINKS

PDF: B2B Content Marketing: 2012 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends

About Marketing Profs

About the Content Marketing Institute

 

JWT List of 100 Things to Watch Includes Book Club 2.0, LCD Art, Lytro Camera

JWT, a global leader in marketing-communications, has released its list of 100 Things to Watch in 2012. The list was compiled by the agency’s JWT Intelligence group, which strives to make sense of the chaos of hyper-abundant information and constant innovation.

“Many of the items on our list reflect broader economic, environmental, technological and social developments we’ve been tracking, while others have potential to ladder up to bigger trends,” says Ann Mack, director of trendspotting at JWT.

Some of the 100 things on the 2011 list included new forms of books, entrepreneurial journalism, long-form content, and 3D printing.

Technology continues to have a prominent presence on JWT’s Things to Watch for 2012. Here are a few of the tech-related items making the list.

Access everywhere
Consumers will be accessing music, books, and video on a multitude of Web-connected devices wherever they are.

App overload
JWT predicts that the app-fyin of everything is just beginning: “The novelty of apps will wear off as consumers become paralyzed by too many choices.”

Apps for an aging world
Expect more apps aimed at older demographics.

Book club 2.0
Book clubs will use Web tools such as Skype video-calling and social-networking tools such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr to talk about books they have read.

Crowdsourced learning
Knowledge seekers will look beyond the traditional student-teacher structure. Learning is becoming more democratic as people connect with teachers, hobbyists, and experts looking to share their interests and impart their knowledge.

Digital-into-physical postcards
Vacationers and others will use Sincerely’s Postagram app and Postcard on the Run to turn snapshots into snail-mailed postcards. (The “objectifying of objects” in an increasingly screen-filled world is one of the 10 bigger trends that JWT sees for the year ahead.)

LCD art
Limited-edition digital works will be accessible on mobile devices, PCs, and connected TVs. And in 2012, Samsung will produce high-res screens for displaying artwork.

Lytro
The Lytro camera will enable hobbyists to take “living pictures,” that can be refocused by the photographer and viewers—after the image is recorded.

Screened dining and shopping
Interactive screens in restaurants will replace menus and help entertain diners. Interactive touch screens in and outside of stores will allow customers to learn more about specific products, explore the inventory in greater depth, or browse the catalog after hours.

Videograms
Just as Instagram has transformed the way people show off their smartphone photos, new apps will enable users to add cinematic filters and music to their footage and share it over their networks.

Voice-based microblogging
Users of services such as Bubbly will be able to send text carrying sound files from people they follow.

Voice control
Spoken commands will control everything from thermostats to televisions, perhaps making remote controls obsolete.

Zink
Zink (“Zero Ink”) printers use a special thermal paper that doesn’t require ink or toner. Through partnerships with Dell and Polaroid, Zink markets a device that prints photos directly from a camera, anywhere.

The JWT list also includes noteworthy events on the calendar, people to keep an eye on, and things to watch in marketing, retailing, travel, food and sustainability.

You can read the full list of 100 Things to Watch, in the Slideshare presentation below.

JWT: 100 Things to Watch in 2012

View more presentations from JWTIntelligence

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Book Publishing Trends that Will Affect Aspiring Authors

Books on library shelvesWRITERS. Here are a few links, quotes and predictions from a variety of expert sources in the book-publishing industry. Reading these posts can help you think strategically about how you develop your skills and manage your writing career.

E-book Market Forecast to Hit $2.5 Billion as the Book Industry Burns

In this post on GigaOM, industry analyst Michael Wolf states “I’ve never seen a market changing faster than the digital publishing market of today, where the sudden love of e-books has created a ‘digital backdraft’ that has set the entire publishing industry value chain aflame.”

He notes that book discovery is going social: “Whether readers are learning about new books from friends or general-purpose social networks like Facebook or through reading-centric networks like Goodreads, social recommendations are becoming increasingly important in the age of ebooks.”

Why 2012 Will Be the Year of the Artist-Entrepreneur

In another post on GigaOM, Michael Wolf observes that: “Everywhere you look, artists are taking more control over their own economic well being, in large part because the Internet has enabled them to do so. You see it in all forms of content, from books, to video to music.”

He says the web has democratized everything: content production, distribution, and monetization. He also sees a generational shift toward more tech-savvy artists who are creating their own apps and websites.

Ten Bold Predictions for Book Publishing in 2012

In this post on Digital Book World, Jeremy Greenfield includes these predictions:

  • “We will see more self-published best-sellers next year, with an exponential rise in the number of million-selling authors”
  • “Authors will become disenchanted with the rights they sign away to publishers. Shorter and more flexible copyright terms will become more attractive to authors.”
  • “The standard ebook royalty from major publishing houses will rise next year and will escalate with increased sales.”

David Farland Predicts That the Release of the iPad3 in 2012 Will Spell the End of Reading as We Know It Within 3 Years

In a press release issued on PRWeb, the author who founded East India Press predicts that “enhanced books” are about to change how we read. He believes we are at the start of a new era in which creative troupes of authors, artists, musicians, and publishers will collaborate to produce “books” in which text, images, and sounds come together in a collage.

The Publishing Industry, 5 Years from Now: Theories from the Frankfurt Book Fair

On the BookBaby blog, Chris Robley suggests 5 ways he believes that publishing will look different 5 years from now.  Here are two of his predictions:

The market for shorter works (10 pages to 10,000 words) will expand. He says, “Size really doesn’t matter. It only matters how useful and engaging the content is. So, pretty soon the novella will be back in vogue. Short stories will sell individually. If you’ve got something valuable and succinct to share, you no longer have to pad it out with fluff, filler, or filigree.”

Digital books will be serialized, including non-fiction books. Readers who purchase an upfront subscription will receive each chapter as soon as it’s finished. Meanwhile, as an author, you can get instant feedback from readers, so you can revise as you go. Robley writes: “By the time you release the full book, it will have gone through an invaluable editing process (for free) and it will be completely up to date.”

Publishers will recognize two types of consumers: those who like the “enhanced” ebooks that include video, audio, and interactivity, and those who prefer “old-fashioned” text-only ebooks. He predicts that publishers will “market these two kinds of products in increasingly different ways.”

Because of the increased costs involved in printing and distributing physical books, Robley also predicts that five years from now publishers will produce e-books for all of their authors, and physical books for only a few.

So, what’s your take? Would you like to share any other links to other big, bold predictions for the future of book publishing?