Entrepreneurial story: Reading software zaker selling ads like a magazine

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Zaker founder Leeson and

iphone version zaker (Sina technology map)

Company Name: Guangzhou Jian and Network Technology Co., Ltd.

Founder: Leeson and

Start-up time: 2011 from reading the world separate, set up an independent operation Zaker

Number of users: 8 million

Number of employees: 80 people

Financing record: Lenovo invested capital in 2010

Business model: Interactive sharing and customized reading software

If the PC era reading the world is an "electronic newspaper kiosk", providing the network to buy newspapers and magazines convenience, then Zaker is a mobile terminal era of "shopping malls." However, in spite of the myriad reviews in the App Store, the challenge before the zaker of a small, fresh face is whether the amount of users can be paved enough.

Du the World ""

Leeson and digital reading have been there for some time.

Back in 2007, Leeson and friends created a reading of the world, do is "electronic newspaper kiosk", the acquisition of authorized traditional publications digital publishing, the Internet for content sales, and then split with the magazine. Running for more than four years, Leeson and realised that relying on the pattern of copyright sales is limited, plus readers must sit in front of the computer reading, greatly limiting the circulation.

While the internet-based digital reading platform is stuck in the bottleneck, the mobile end product enters the Leeson and the team's view. The opportunity, why not according to mobile end to do a digital reading products? In order to quickly cut into the market, Leeson and learn from the world, in one months time quickly developed Zaker online card market. After occupying a place, ZAK er last year separated from reading the world, set up an independent company, the main mobile end of the social reading.

On the Zaker, Leeson and the building is a platform-type reading software to independent channels, free to help the content side of the production of columns, and brand exposure.

Leeson and there is an image of the analogy, "Zaker is like a shopping Mall, attract a lot of users come in, there are many stores, and each store is a media, they share shopping Mall users." ”

The platform-oriented approach is based on Leeson and an understanding of the characteristics of mobile Internet. Users to read on the mobile side, the biggest problem is too much information, to help users improve the efficiency of reading, it is necessary to provide a one-stop service, so that users do not need to click a lot of Web sites to access information.

Another consideration is that the user's reading should be extensive rather than exclusive. Of course, users can download and install a favorite media app, but it takes time and effort to read and open it, and platform-type products can provide all-inclusive information. Further, Zaker also through the system, to help users from a large amount of information to find the personalized information like, the system can automatically judge the type of article users love, so targeted to push information.

Sell ads like a magazine

To do a shoppingmall platform-type reading tool, Leeson and frankly are not easy, because the handset and the tablet computer and so on own screen is small. In this regard, Leeson and a large number of traditional media practices, "want to make the Web page like a magazine." For example, in the content of the arrangement, the use of magazine-style graphics and text mixed row, the article to take the column layout;

Leeson and said that the content presented on Zaker, 85% of the content has been authorized, the number is probably more than 500 authorized, covering the Xinhua, China Network portal content, as well as Elle fashion, GQ and other traditional media media.

Display form a large number of traditional media, Leeson and have a future business model considerations, hope that Zaker eventually "like a magazine to sell every page of advertising."

In his view, readers read the magazine when the ads, which is the traditional media reading is a conventional matter. This kind of reading habits can be easily translated to mobile internet, for Zaker ads built to save the time to cultivate user habits. and mobile terminal advertising more personalized and accurate trend, because through long-term data accumulation and personalized information push, Zaker has a clear analysis of the user's attributes, Electronic magazine layout ads can be adjusted at any time according to the reader's interest, which is beyond the traditional media advertising function breakthrough.

The advantages of independent channels are also displayed, advertising sales rights will be returned to the content side, Zaker is divided. In this way, Zaker avoids reading the world direct sale content model, through the free content, lets the reader base grow rapidly.

At present, Zaker is still at the stage of burning money, Leeson and there is no new round of financing plans. He is in no hurry to be present. On the one hand, because the brand advertisers in the mobile Internet advertising budget is very small, on the other hand, the current flow of zaker or technology-oriented flow, which means that has not yet entered the stage of public users, shop users is still the primary task.

Entrepreneurship Clinics

Guest: Gobi Investment South China office director Huang Wenshu

There's still a need to be cautious in advertising

Zaker has achieved initial success in terms of UI design and technology, but increasing the user experience is a constant concern for every social reading application, with a good user experience that includes richer content, smarter content push, and more convenient usage. At present, similar applications in China are already homogeneous, and most users use no more than 3 reading applications for a long time. To truly become the domestic reading application of the leading enterprises, but also need to continue to enhance the experience of various details, because only these details of the continuous improvement to retain the user.

Another challenge facing Zaker is its business model. The product is perfect, and finally it is to become a cash. Advertising is undoubtedly one of the most reliable, but advertising is one of the most likely to affect the user experience of the factors, the reader's acceptance of traditional media advertising may not translate to the mobile internet era of the fragmentation of the reading field. Therefore, advertising strategy needs to be very cautious. and Zaker on the tablet computer display effect is very suitable for the brand of event marketing, with its own user preferences, in the vertical consumption, service areas of accurate push marketing may be a means to try.

The winner of the Apocalypse

Filpboard: Journal of social networking sites

Flipboard was founded in January 2010 and headquartered in the United States. It consolidates the articles and images that users share on Facebook or Twitter, and can automatically transform the layout of traditional media into typography, allowing users to gain the same reading experience as traditional media on mobile terminals. This means that every Flipboard user has a personalized, real-time published "Social Networking magazine."

After the start of the integration of social networking content, Flipboard's integration has been extended to all media content. At the same time, Flipboard is socially integrated, and users can see what their friends are sharing as long as they have social networking accounts on Facebook and Twitter on Flipboard. At the same time, users can personalize the social networking source and get information from media with social network accounts.

There are outside comments that Zaker is Flipboard's "Best Apprentice" in China.

Zite, "the Smartest magazine."

Unlike Flipboard, which brings traditional media reading patterns to the selling point, Zite's selling point lies in the recommended reading of intelligent socialization, and is likened to "the smartest magazine".

By analyzing users ' preferences for social networks such as Twitter and tracking the subscription habits of Google Reader, Zite initially collects the user's interest and chooses the right content for the user's brush. Zite will further track the user's reading behavior after the user becomes a zite consumer. Through long-term tracking analysis, zite can provide smarter sorting according to the user's interest.

Zite's founding team was a typical college student, and 8 researchers from the Computer Intelligence Laboratory at Airways Columbia University in Vancouver.

Interview: South all reporter Xu Xian Yunan all illustrations: Song Xiaowei