Using digital publishing in your sales and marketing strategies

In MARKETING
14 October 2021
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User appetite for content is stronger than ever as consumers demand access to information, anytime and everywhere. Due to these expectations, digital publishing has quickly become an essential part of business models around the world. In this article, we’ll explore 6 effective ways digital publications can prove useful in your sales and marketing strategies. Plus, see great examples of how Calaméo can help you implement them!

Utilize email marketing and newsletters

Creating attractive email newsletters for your clients can be a major asset to your marketing strategy. That’s because it allows you to reach a place that most people use every day—their inbox. You can optimize this platform even further by promoting valuable content up front to your readers with digital publications.

🔎 EXAMPLE: We see below how the Calaméo marketing team used an email newsletter creatively to promote the Guided Tour digital publication. Note the use of descriptive text and bold graphics for maximum impact.

Optimize advertisements

The best sales and marketing strategies leverage technology to convert audiences into buyers. With online publications you can link your readers directly to your advertiser’s website by using the Calaméo Editor. Instead of relying on your readers to have enough interest to remember to search the information displayed in a print advertisement, one simple link gets your reader to the ad in seconds.

Offer a window to your brand

Of course, you already have a website where you drive traffic via organic search, convert visitors to email subscribers and sell your numerous products. But don’t forget to showcase digital publications there, too!

Online content consumption is at an all-time high. So displaying digital publications on your website is a great opportunity to get your message across to a target audience. This will also build credibility in the eyes of potential customers. You can compile all of your online publications in your very own newsstand with the Calaméo library widget. Create a window to your brand and maximize the power of your digital content—a clever marketing tactic!

🔎 EXAMPLE: Here is how our client EU Jacksonville makes their publications consultable via their website:

Content lead generation

Content is king and can prove very effective in your sales and marketing strategies if executed successfully. Releasing digital publications can be highly useful for lead generation. Because they provide value up front, this content can help educate potential leads and showcase your product or service in a creative way.

💡 TIP: Calaméo offers PREMIUM and PLATINUM users the possibility to add elements to digital publications to help make the content more accessible and improve the user experience.

🔎 EXAMPLE: The town of Asnières, France has allowed for easy offline reading of their newsletter by enabling the share, download, and print options. When you click on the publication, you will see all of these options available in the upper right-hand corner of the viewer.

Leverage videos

Today, video is a key element to any marketing and sales strategy. Marketers who fail to capitalize on this do so at their own risk!

Videos are naturally engaging and attention-grabbing. In an age of information overload, it’s important for marketers to offer content that is easy to digest. Calaméo enables PLATINUM users to insert Vimeo, Dailymotion, or YouTube videos in their digital publications to boost conversions and to offer a rich multimedia reading experience.

🔎 EXAMPLE: The Club Med Trident magazine uses video effectively to complement the content in their digital publication:

Include strategic CTAs

Calls to Action (CTAs) in your digital publications guide your readers through the buying journey and can turn visitors into loyal customers. The Calaméo Editor enables you to create links within the pages of your digital publications. This feature can be used to encourage “soft” actions (e.g., driving the user to another piece of content) or to promote an actionable next step (e.g., Subscribe to our YouTube channel now).

🔎 EXAMPLE: Cambridge University Press encourages readers to “Start your free trial” of their learning platform using a CTA that links to their website:

There you have it. We hope you can see just how important digital publications can be for your sales and marketing strategies!

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MARKETING

4 benefits of exclusive content for your digital strategy

In MARKETING
3 September 2020

An essential asset of digital publishing is the ability to offer your audience exclusive content. While private publications can help you keep internal documents confidential, they can also help you create a stronger relationship with your readers, clients and future customers.

In this article, learn about the benefits of exclusive content and tips for your publishing strategy on Calaméo.

BUILD YOUR BRAND

Certainly, your digital publications are a powerful tool for informing your audience. But don’t underestimate their power to enhance your brand, too. Limiting the availability of your content can concentrate the link with your brand. For instance, you may wish to keep your publications on Calaméo private. But you can still make them easy to browse on your own website with our embed feature for private publications.

In addition to convenient embeds, you can also take advantage of opportunities to enhance your exclusive content with interactive content and custom branding. As a result, your digital publications will be 100% you.

💡TIP: Publishing in white label is a smart choice for brand building.

ATTRACT SUBSCRIBERS

In recent years, focusing on subscriptions has been a strong trend in digital publishing and exclusivity is a key factor. By offering content that only subscribers can access, you can tempt casual readers to sign up, establish contacts and encourage your audience to keep returning.

The flexible Subscribers feature provides a built-in solution for publishing subscribers-only content on Calaméo. First, secure exclusive publications behind a log-in window. Next, assign each subscriber a unique user name and password to use for access. In short, the first step to creating a great subscriber experience is exclusive content.

SUPPORT SALES

Personalization is already the next big thing in digital marketing. Recent studies have shown that when used well, it can help boost sales online. In fact, more than two-thirds of customers expect a personalized experience.

Those numbers are just one reason why you might want to consider tailoring your sales material to individual clients. Take a little time to customize your brochures, presentations and proposals. Then, publish on Calaméo and share with your prospects via private URL.

💡TIP: To generate a new private URL for your publication, open the share window and click on “Renew private URL.”

REWARD LOYALTY

Because everyone loves perks. And your audience is no exception! Investing in some exclusive, privately published bonus content will surprise and delight your most dedicated followers. For example, you might offer an extra magazine issue, sneak peek at upcoming events or flyer with special deals. Publishing on Calaméo ensures that your bonus content looks great in a fun format. Plus, direct downloads let fans enjoy it even offline.

No matter how you choose to publish exclusive content, measuring its performance should be part of your strategy. Calaméo’s advanced statistics contain valuable data to help you analyze the success of your private publications. For more details on where to start, check out our quick guide to digital publishing KPIs.

On Calaméo, you can publish and share up to 50 private publications—absolutely free. Get your free account and start creating exclusive content today.

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MARKETING

How to create a successful digital marketing campaign

In MARKETING
5 August 2021

Many marketing campaigns today are entirely digital, but not all of them are successful. Companies should put thought and intention into their digital marketing campaigns so that they reflect the brand and reach the right audience. Here we have compiled the top tips for creating a successful digital marketing campaign.

What is digital marketing?

Before we dive into how to create a successful digital marketing campaign, let’s first define digital marketing. More people than ever are using the Internet for almost everything in their lives. So it’s no wonder that companies are doing less traditional marketing (printed media, billboards, television, etc.). They are now embracing digital marketing, which comprises all marketing that uses the Internet or an electronic device. Due to widespread use of the Internet, digital marketing can of course reach a much larger audience via these digital channels than traditional marketing. So how exactly should your brand approach these potential customers?  

Take advantage of key moments

There are several factors to take into consideration for your digital marketing campaign, timing being one of them. You need to know when consumers will be open to your campaign.

ZMOT

According to Google’s ZMOT model, the Zero Moment of Truth is the stage in the purchasing cycle when consumers research a brand or product online before making their purchase. The Zero Moment of Truth arrives between the stimulus (needing a product) and the First Moment of Truth (buying a product). Consumers make their decisions based on Internet research, consulting several sources. Your brand needs to make a good first impression during this preliminary research stage.

Micro-Moment Marketing

The ubiquity of smartphones has changed digital marketing over the past few years. The ZMOT concept has evolved to now encompass micro-moments. Rather than one moment in which consumers sit down to research (ZMOT), their research is broken up into many (micro) moments throughout the day. These are the small increments of time during the day that consumers are on their mobile devices researching or considering a product or brand. Now, digital marketers have opportunities all day long to grab consumers’ attention and the possibility of engaging directly with them. 

💡 TIP: Read our suggestions for getting started with digital content marketing

Personalize your content

Consumers encounter a plethora of digital campaigns every day because they are constantly connected. Differentiate your brand by personalizing your content to make it unique. Make sure that your brand is recognizable (and that your content is mobile-friendly).

No matter the medium or the channel you decide to use, any material that you put online should reflect your brand ethos and be well-constructed. Otherwise, consumers won’t get a true sense of your brand and will favor another brand that feels more authentic. Consumers consult several sources before making their final decision. There is a lot of competition to vie for consumers’ attention, so make sure your digital presence is strong.

A successful digital presence can be the key factor in consumers deciding to go with your brand over another. Ensure that your content is engaging and the customer journey or path to purchasing is clear. 

💡 TIP: To personalize your digital publications, enrich your content with the Calaméo “Editor” tool!

Make it easy to navigate 

An arduous and time-consuming search or buying process can turn potential customers off. Enrich your content but make sure there is a path for the customer journey. Create an effective and clear Call to Action (CTA) to give consumers some direction. Calaméo users can put links directly in the publication so potential customers can be easily redirected to the website to make a purchase. 

Make it shareable

We all remember digital marketing campaigns that have gone viral. You can instantly recall the brand and exactly what they were promoting. Viral campaigns often include video elements or an eye-catching graphic. Sometimes they are social media campaigns that encourage users to upload their own content, or user-generated content. Not every digital marketing campaign should have the goal of going viral, but it should at least be easy to share! Make sure that your campaign is shareable and optimized for social networks. 

💡 TIP: Don’t miss our Guide to Social Strategy for digital publishers!

Don’t forget about SEO

Remember the ZMOT and Micro-Moment Marketing concepts? Consumers have to start their search somewhere once they realize they need a new item. In fact, 89% of customers begin their research with a search engine. SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is a valuable tool that will help you nab the right audience at the right time. You do this by using key words and phrases in your campaign that your target audience is searching for. Want to know more about SEO? Read our SEO trends for 2021. 

Analyze your results

You won’t know if your campaign is successful unless you are analyzing all the associated metrics and data. Are you looking at your leads, sales, page views, clicks, “dark social” shares? All of these (and more!) add up to give you a full picture of your digital marketing campaign’s success. If you are publishing with Calaméo, you can easily track your publication’s statistics. This feature is integrated in Calaméo and intuitive to use. Another option is Google Analytics. It’s a great tool for tracking how consumers are engaging with your content.

💡 TIP: Read our article on KPIs to watch for your digital publications 

A successful digital marketing campaign depends on several factors. Make sure you are taking advantage of key moments, creating content that reflects your brand, targeting the right audience, and analyzing your results. With these tools in hand, you will be well on your way to creating a successful digital marketing campaign.