6 Advancements In 2015 That Could Bolster Your Mobile Publishing This 2016

Mobile devices have become part and parcel of our lives today. Everyday, we simply grab our phones on our way out the door like we’re picking up our keys or wallet.

As we incorporate mobile devices closer each day into our lives, they became a means for brands and publishers to stay closer to audiences, and be just a “fingertip” away at all times. With the opportunity to gain vast audiences and the advancements of technology that support mobile devices, a mobile strategy is undeniably a must-have in every publishing business this new year.

Luckily, the past year paved way for better digital publishing platforms and tools available to us.. Here are 6 technological updates and advances in 2015 that are well-worthy to be part of your mobile strategy this 2016:

• App Indexing and Deep Links

  In the past, making your content accessible to your audience has been relatively siloed, with separate URLs for desktop and mobile content and apps tucked away in app stores. With the release and adoption of iOS 9 and Android 6.0 Marshmallow, app content can now be indexed and deep linking has moved mainstream. Both versions of the two biggest mobile operating systems include a private app index that can access specific in-app content, and recall user-generated in-app content and actions.

  Spotlight search on Apple and Google Now on Android also now index in-app content in search results, funneling users directly to the relevant location once the app is installed.
  
  Why it needs to be part of your 2016 strategy?

  As mobile technology becomes an increasingly common way for users to surf the web, you need to ensure that your digital publication (whether on a mobile website or in a mobile app) is as accessible to your audience as possible.  

  App Indexing and deep linking provide another interesting way to acquire new audiences or reengage existing organically by surfacing your content in the search results pages.
  

• Mobile Payments Capability

  Not too long ago, mobile was seen by many as simply an add-on and not the premium channel it is capable of being today. More digital payment solutions abounded last year, paving way to charging for digital publications and even supporting various payment options.
  
  Why it needs to be part of your 2016 strategy?
  
  Many publishers have been quick to adopt the new technology last year as mobile payment programs have gone relatively inexpensive and don’t require sophisticated technical knowledge to implement. 

  If you’re an independent or start-up publisher, it would be easier for you to adopt mobile payments in many ways than the big players, who have a large infrastructure to work through. So jumping in wouldn’t be much of risk. The potential is most definitely present as there are more people with mobile phones than credit cards in the world. 

• Google App Streaming

  With app streaming, Google effectively broadcasts what we are looking for within a publication app, without requiring us to download it at all. There’s no need to worry about whether readers want to invest the time and bandwidth downloading some digital magazine or newspaper app for a one-time use. It’s now possible to be able to browse within apps with the same type of experience that we browse web pages.
  
  Why it needs to be part of your 2016 strategy?

  Include this in your mobile strategy if you aim to drive organic growth and app adoption. You can create a first impression right inside Google search app and get the chance to attract and immerse your audience with your content and ultimately, download your publication app.

• Web APIs catching up with mobile device features

  Web APIs have started to allow developing web applications that are capable of controlling features of mobile devices. 2015 showcased Web APIs and standard web tecnologies improving features that create highly qualified convergence web applications.
  
  Why it needs to be part of your 2016 strategy?

  It helps your publication app connect easily to various mobile devices and allows your audiences to read your entire issue’s content even on television. Yes, you can now “watch” a magazine. If you’re in the business of instructional magazines, this just might be the ideal reimagination of your publication.

• Chrome service workers and push notifications

  We know that Android app notifications are sent by a mobile app to its users and clicked on to take a user to the app. In 2015, technology made it possible to do the same with mobile websites. We can now use mobile websites the same way we use apps – sending personalized and real-time notifications that appear directly in our notifications tray.
  
  Why it needs to be part of your 2016 strategy?

  Every communication that you send out could potentially convert into revenue and this opportunity will help you avoid spending unnecessary time, effort and energy in building lengthy newsletters that are being archived or simply ignored by your target audiences.

  Ultimately, what this means for you as a publisher is that you don’t need to invest in building an app to send push notifications to your audiences. You no longer have to decide between the potential for engagement of a native digital publication app and the reach of your mobile website. You can talk to your subscribers conveniently through push notifications.

• Location awareness

  Location-aware programs have been widely adopted by publishers in 2015. With location awareness on mobile devices you can tailor content delivery to be so much more personalized by knowing where a user is (provided the opt in to the location check). And last year brought about high-performance location-aware system to deliver publishers’ messages to relevant subscribers.
  
  Why it needs to be part of your 2016 strategy?

  Location matters, we can’t emphasize it enough. This big new data set mobile brings to your table is as important at inferring intent, demographics, audience segments and other attributes as any we have seen to date. It will bring value to your readers—helping them find your content, your advertisers’ products or services where and when they want them.Location awareness is the next big thing in smart mobile content delivery. You need to think about how location awareness can be a value-added service. For example, you can use a Javascript APIs in your custom library to determine where a reader is located and filter content based on that location. Or, you can display different content in an article depending on your user’s location.
  

Mobile publishing offers a convenient and simplified route to reach and engage with audiences. Believe it or not, mobile publishing is yet to grow bigger than it is now over this 2016 as more and more people access content via their phones. Time spent in mobile devices is increasing by the day and we should constantly look to expand mobile’s range and effectiveness to keep afloat in the business of digital publishing.

Realview can help you with your mobile strategy with clear revenue generating opportunities. Start a conversation with us today or sign up and be the first to learn about the new Realview mobile platform in the coming weeks.