iPad for Marketing App Review: Reeder
Google Reader users love Reeder for iPad, a year-old RSS feed reader. It’s clearly designed for RSS feed junkies who want to browse through all the latest news and information on topics they care about. Reeder is not a glossy, pretty magazine-style app. But I don’t think that matters much to people looking for a cleanly designed RSS feed reader. Using Reeder for iPad – and its sister Reeder for iPhone – has easily saved me an hour a week. Reeder for iPad has attracted a loyal following and garnered 4.5 stars on iPad. Here are a few reasons why.
First, it exploits iPad usability to improve the news-grazing experience. Gizmodo got it right when it said, “Its biggest accomplishment is solving the simple problem of making it easy to move through news items.” In that regard, Reeder clearly caters to hardcore RSS feed enthusiasts like me.
Arrows on the sidebar are perfectly positioned to scroll quickly through articles (the summary appears on the left third of the screen, the highlighted article displays on the other two-thirds). If you tap the article, it takes you to the source. A back arrow at the top of the screen makes it easy to return to the article list, and sidebar icons let you quickly change what you view. You can choose to show only starred items, unread items, or all items. It’s easy to group articles by date or feed, and mark all as read.
Another reason people love Reeder is that it syncs with Google Reader quickly and seamlessly. On start-up, it took under 30 seconds for Reeder to grab all my Google Reader feeds. That initial grab complete, it now syncs in about a second. If you read an article in Reeder, it’s marked as read in Google Reader and vice versa. This seamless syncing means you can consume feeds much faster. Sure, you could read RSS feeds for free by visiting www.google.com/reader via the Safari web browser or by downloading Google’s free iPad and iPad reader apps. But many people are choosing to pay $4.99 for Reeder because its caching significantly speeds the experience, especially when you’re relying on a mobile phone data network. In fact, Reeder’s popularity consistently earns it a place on the “Top Paid iPad Apps” list in the news category. And that’s no small accomplishment for an app developed for the fastest growing computing platform.
Finally, Reeder does what all good RSS readers should do: it allows for easy sharing (Facebook, Twitter, email) and bookmarking (Instapaper, Delicious, ReadItLater, Pinboard, Zootool). It takes just a few clicks to share an article virtually any way you want. 
If you’re a digital marketer, you can’t afford to ignore the proliferation of apps such as Reeder. Prospective and existing customers looking for information and news about your company will increasingly expect to access it any way they want, including from their iPads. And because more and more apps are publishing RSS content, it can insure you against device and app lock-in. You don’t have to develop content for a specific device or app; but rather provide content in the RSS format that many of the new apps utilize. Why not let the apps do the heavy lifting?
The Final Verdict
The reader experience: A-. It’s not beautiful, but it is clean and easy. RSS feed enthusiasts will appreciate how simple it is to navigate.
The publisher experience: B+. If you have an RSS feed, your customers can access it on Reeder by adding it to Google Reader. To boost its grade, Reeder would need to let users search for and add feeds directly from the app, instead of forcing them to do it through Google Reader.
iPad For Marketing App Review: Zite
With its March 2011 launch, Zite is one of the latest personalized magazines for the iPad. While it doesn’t have nearly the same polish as Flipboard, it’s an interesting app that could catch up quickly. Zite’s competitive differentiator is the automated algorithm it uses to find articles it thinks a reader will like. It’s clear that Zite has taken note of Pandora’s successful approach to personalization. Pandora set the standard for delivering content – music – based on user preferences. Zite shares the attributes that have made Pandora so popular: easy set up, near effortless personalization, and an element of discovery. Both Zite and Pandora deliver content that their users will like – but might not have found on their own.
When a reader loads Zite for the first time, it asks for access to his or her Twitter, Google Reader, Delicious, and Read It Later accounts. It checks out their profile along with the people and sources they follow to get a bead on their interests. Presumably, the greater access you give Zite to these services, the better content you’ll get in return.
I gave Zite access to my Twitter and Google Reader accounts and it seemed to help Zite pick which of its 2,000 topics to display on three screens. Not surprisingly given my interests, gadgets, sports, science news, business & investing, politics, and world news topics rose to the top. 
You can also search for topics. I typed “travel” and got several interesting choices: travel blogs & tips, camping, time travel, backpacking, walking, and snowboarding. I added about 15 topics, including travel blogs & tips, tapped “Done,” and 10 seconds later had my personalized magazine. 
One of the main differences between Zite and its competitors Flipboard and Pulse (see previous reviews) is that readers can’t ask Zite to grab a specific source, such as your company’s RSS feed. It doesn’t even take Google Reader feeds – it just uses them to learn reader preferences. However, it appears that Zite may let readers add specific sources in future versions. Zite CEO Mark Johnson commented on a review about the issue, “That’s something we’re pursuing in future versions, so keep on the lookout!”
Readers can view articles in “web” and/or “reading” mode. While reading mode is certainly cleaner and more pleasurable, some publishers insist that Zite display their content within the context of their websites. As with Flipboard and Pulse, it’s easy for readers to share articles via Twitter, Facebook, email, Instapaper, Delicious, and LinkedIn. They can also use the Read It Later app to save it or use Evernote to create a clip of the article. One of the most valuable features, however, is the ability to rate articles. The Zite algorithm takes into account a user’s ratings to refine reader preferences. Thus, the personalization gets better as you rate articles. 
So, how does Zite impact your digital marketing efforts? It underlines the importance of developing rich online content and engaging with customers through blogs. Remember, the more buzz there is around specific content, the more likely it’ll be picked up by apps like Zite. The increasing popularity of such applications – and the fact that they deliver content targeted to people’s interests – underscore their potential as a marketing channel. These applications make it easier for existing and potential customers to find you. If they love gadgets and your gadget company invests in building a gadget blog that captures the imagination of the blogosphere, then it’s likely that apps like Zite will deliver your blog content to the very gadget lovers you want to reach.
The Final Verdict
The reader experience: A-. Simplicity wins out. The design could use some polish, but I actually enjoy how simple it is to read and navigate Zite. The near effortless personalization makes this app one to watch.
The publisher experience: D. I’ve no doubt that I’ll revise this once Zite allows readers to add specific RSS feeds. Right now, the only way to get your content to Zite readers is to invest in building buzz around it.
iPad for Marketing App Review: Pulse News
The Pulse News reading application is just that: a nice interface for snacking on news you choose. The app is rapidly gaining traction, growing its user base from 200,000 in November to more than four million today. It’s also one of the apps in the App Store Hall of Fame. Pulse is one of the few cross-platform news reading apps. It’s factory installed on the Samsung Galaxy Tab and available for the iPhone. Last month Pulse announced it secured $9 million in series A funding. While the amount is well short of the $50 million recently raised by rival Flipboard, it signals that Pulse News is a serious contender in the space.
While the magazine format of Flipboard invites readers to sit down and enjoy a cup of Joe while flipping through content, the Pulse reader seems better suited for nibbling news. The filmstrip UI lets readers quickly zip through stories from each content source. To refresh, readers simply pull the strip all the way to the right and then let it snap back. A pretty cool UI touch.
When readers tap a story, Pulse provides a summary in a split screen. Tap either the article title again or the “Web” tab at the top of the article to display the original article in a web browser (still within the Pulse app). After enjoying Flipboard’s beautifully rendered pages, I felt a little cheated that Pulse gives the same browser reading experience as a PC – except in a nice, tidy iPad app wrapper. It makes Pulse feel a bit like an index, albeit a pretty one.
Even so, like Flipboard, Pulse offers another way for your company to reach its most engaged customers and prospects. If someone chooses to pull your company’s feed into Pulse, chances are they’re interested in what you have to say.
So just how does a reader get your company’s content into their Pulse app? Right now, readers can add and delete up to 60 sources on five configurable pages in a few ways. They choose from featured sources (Groupon, New York Observer, Apple News, Android News, Daily Intel, and more) or browse sources by category (Business, Entertainment, Fashion, Food, Gaming, News & Analysis, Politics, Social, Sports, and Technology to name a few). If readers want to find a particular news source, such as your company blog or Twitter feed, they can search by feed URL (a distinct advantage over Flipboard) or by keyword. The search quality is okay, but not great. I had trouble finding a few feeds. However, readers that don’t find the content they want through the search capability can pull any RSS feed they want into Pulse from their Google Reader.
In short, if your company has an RSS feed, it’s accessible to the rapidly growing Pulse user base. How you become a featured source is unclear. Pulse’s website provides an email address for publisher queries, but no information on partnerships.
The Final Verdict
The reader experience: B. While the filmstrip and split screen concepts are cool, I didn’t enjoy reading the original web page. I expect an iPad app to take better advantage of the platform.
The publisher experience: B+. Pulse seems focused on consumers, not publishers. However, because Pulse is a true RSS reader, if you have an RSS feed, you’re in luck.
iPad for Marketing App Review: Flipboard
Flipboard is a personalized social media magazine for the iPad that pulls content (mostly) from RSS feeds. Readers can add content personal to them: Twitter, Facebook, Google Reader, and the news, people, blogs, and topics that pique their interest. Flipboard renders photos, callouts, and other design elements, sprucing up the reading experience. Readers can easily flip through articles and photos, comment on posts, and like or favorite what they read. I have to say, Facebook content has never looked so good. I love seeing photos and quotes from my friends splashed across the gorgeous iPad screen. 
It’s not surprising that between March and May, Flipboard tripled daily usage – from three to four million flicks (turning the “page” in the app) per day to eight to nine million flips. Apple named it an iPad App of the Year and TIME called it one of the top 50 innovations of 2010.
The point is that the Flipboard app has legs – and it’s a viable marketing channel. It’s social, personal, and reaches a captivated, engaged, and self-selecting audience. And that means that your company should consider making its content available to Flipboard readers. For example, if you make 3D design software, you’ll want designers to add your 3D design blog to their Flipboard magazines.
Autodesk Labs RSS feed offers insight into this 3D design software company
Readers can add your company’s content to their Flipboard magazines in a few ways. First, they can search for corporate blogs, Twitter users at your company, Twitter lists, and people related to your company. Unfortunately, readers can’t type in a specific RSS feed URL – and the blekko technology powering Flipboard’s RSS search capability is a bit spotty. When I looked for feeds, the search found them only about half the time. Hopefully this functionality will improve over time; it was integrated into Flipboard just a few months ago. 
Second, readers can also access your content via Google Reader. They simply choose what Google Reader sections they want to add and it’s pulled into Flipboard. It includes photos and images from the original feeds and looks just as compelling as content designed for Flipboard.
Finally, you can also get content into Flipboard by joining the ranks of those select publishers listed in Flipboard’s featured content section or in the other categories (magazines, news, business, tech & science, cool curators, art & photography, design, living, entertainment, sports, travel, food & dining, and style). Presumably, these publishers – from the Dalai Lama and Oprah to Rolling Stone and Houzz – are Flipboard partners. On its website, Flipboard notes that publishers can design their content for Flipboard. Flipboard Pages, a lightweight JavaScript engine parses content and lays out articles in their template optimized for the iPad. But unless you’re one of Flipboard’s select partners, you can’t use Flipboard Pages quite yet as they are not ““ready for a wider group of publishers to try this out.”
The Final Verdict
The reader experience: A. Flipboard presents content in a beautiful, compelling way and it’s fun to navigate.
The publisher experience: B-. Hopefully I can revise this grade soon. Flipboard doesn’t make it easy for publishers to learn about publishing to the app (the Flipboard website is quite light). Right now, it appears that only top-tier publishers are publishing directly to Flipboard. The good news is that as long as your company has an RSS feed, your company’s content may be found via Flipboard’s RSS search capability or accessed via Google Reader.
Tablet Apps: Your New Marketing Channel?
There’s no doubt that tablets are rocking the digital landscape. Apple reportedly sold more than 25 million iPads in the last 14 months. Since the device’s launch, 90,000 iPad apps have been developed. And Apple is no longer the only player in the game, as the tablet parade at CES 2011 attests.
Last week, I attended MediaPost’s Tablet Revolution conference and listened to several companies present research and cases studies that validate this explosive growth in tablet computing.
Universal McMahon’s SVP Michael Haggerty shared some particularly interesting tidbits about the iPad.
iPad owners are largely 25-54 year old men, but ownership among 35-54 year old women is growing fast and will likely drive the tablet category in 2011. Women enjoy the portability of tablets – and the fact that it allows them to jettison newspapers, magazines, and Kindles.
More than half of iPad owners use it several times a day, and 63% of iPads are used by two or more people. Unlike smartphones, which are very much personal devices, the iPad is a family gathering device, according to Haggerty. This certainly resonates with my experience. The iPad is in constant use by my family of five.
So what does this research mean for digital marketers? It means that as more people across a wider spectrum interact with tablets, the pressure to invest in this burgeoning channel rises. The question is: how?
Fidelity’s VP of Interactive, Chris Needham, has one answer: develop a tablet app – and use it to forge a more intimate connection with customers. Fidelity’s most attractive customers overlap nicely with iPad users (high net worth, engaged, younger). In Needham’s experience, the development process for the Fidelity app was less costly and much faster than web development.
The Fidelity app is making ROI targets and has been downloaded 700,000 times across iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. The company is getting good PR, NPS, and engagement rates on their app advertising program, with content-based ads garnering the best results. In fact, Fidelity plans to increase its iPad advertising spend in 2011 by 300% over 2010.
But developing an app and buying advertisements aren’t the only ways for digital marketers looking to interact with tablet users. Imagine marketing in this explosive channel without investing significant capital and time in app development. Over the next few months, I’ll review a range of existing iPad apps to explore how digital marketers can do just that.
Search and Social with RSS Ray
Two Upcoming Events on Social and Search
Search engine marketers used to be primarily concerned about their web site. Then they realized that syndicating content to other web sites improves search results. Now search marketers need to adapt to a new “off website” challenge – the rise of social networks. According to Nielsen, 23% of all time spent online in the US is spent in social networks.
This shift of time and attention is creating two big changes in the world of search. First, customers and prospects seeking results that are more “real-time” and/or influenced by trusted friends are increasingly searching inside social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. Second, leading search engines such as Google and Bing are using users’ actions and relationships to rank search results. It is a dynamic area with major announcement from the search engines nearly every week.
Can you improve your search results by using social networks? Join SimpleFeed CEO Mark Carlson as he explores these topics in two coming events.
On June 1 at 9am PDT Mark will be on the “Online Marketing with RSS Ray” internet radio show on wsradio.com.
On June 14th at 3:30 PDT Mark will be speaking at the Internet Retailer Conference and Exposition with Catherine Paschkewitz, Product Marketing Manager, HP Home & Home Office Store.
