How to optimize your publications for social media posts

In MARKETING
18 January 2018
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Social networks are a simple, efficient channel for letting readers know about your digital publications. But not all shares are equally effective. For example, garbled text and broken links will attract fewer clicks than well-prepared content. To optimize your publications for best results in social media posts, you can take a few easy steps in just five minutes.

In this article, we’ll be highlighting quick fixes that give your publications a professional look for sharing on Facebook, Twitter and more.

Add a clear title

When you share a link to your Calaméo publication on social media, its title has a big place in the post. In fact, the title usually appears in a bigger and/or bold font. As a result, you should be sure to choose a clear, concise title for your publication. Even better, include keywords to interest your audience. Avoid including information like the file size and type that may distract or confuse readers.

 Get descriptive

A short description is a great opportunity to introduce your publication to potential readers scrolling through their social media feeds. Since the description text appears in the link preview, make it count. We recommend that you give an overview of your publication’s contents, in addition to a strong CTA. And of course, always review your social media post to double-check the formatting—making changes to the description on Calaméo is painless.

Showcase bold covers

Your publication’s cover image will be shown in the link preview on social media, so it should stand out! First, make sure your publication has a dedicated cover page. Next, consider the design. To catch the eye of curious readers, you may prefer a bold, colorful cover instead of a white background and small type. Check out the example below:

Check privacy settings

In order to share your publications on social media, you first need to verify that they are accessible to the right audience. You can share a private publication that has been authorized for access with a private URL. Or you may also configure a private publication for subscriber access. Your subscribers will then be directed to log in with the unique username and password that you have defined for each of them.

Select link options

Once all of your publication’s properties are prepared, it’s time to choose the link that you want to share on social media. You can either link to the overview page of your publication on Calaméo or directly to the viewer. Want to highlight a particular section in your post? Just add ?page= followed by a page number to the publication URL. Your link will bring readers straight to that page.

💡TIP: If you’re sharing a publication on Facebook, try using the Sharing Debugger to confirm that the title, description and cover display properly before you hit post.

Include hashtags

Tags and hashtags are a smart tool to help more people discover your publications on social media. A little research will tell you which hashtags related to your business or activity are most popular. But don’t be afraid of less-used, quirkier hashtags either—they can add personality to your posts. Tagging other accounts or pages should only be used when relevant, such as tagging a business featured in an article of your publication.

With these quick and easy tips you should be ready to optimize your digital publications for social media posts. And if you want even more ideas to develop your sharing strategy, head on over to our Digital Publisher’s Guide to Social Media.

We love to see the amazing content our users publish on Calaméo! Tag us @calameo on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Or show off your best covers with the #CalameoCoversClub hashtag for a chance to be featured on our homepage.

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MARKETING

Travel’s digital journey

In MARKETING
3 November 2022

You’re not imagining it: everyone seems to be on vacation.From calm, sunny beaches to action-packed city breaks, getting away is everywhere. Although declaring that Millennials value experiences over things is already a cliché, recent research suggests that a cultural shift really is happening. McKinsey found in 2017 that spending on experiences has grown more than 4 times faster than spending on things.

Among these experiences, young adults are increasingly making travel a priority. 55% of US Millennials said they planned to travel more over the next 12 months, while 65% said that they were already putting money aside for future travel. They’ll need to save for this major purchase. An international trip sets the average American traveler back $6080 and Millennials planned to spend just over $6800 on travel in 2018. An Expedia study examining these changes in the United States concluded that people “are increasingly changing their spending behaviors, saving strategies and even lifestyles to facilitate travel.” It’s clear that travel is here to stay.

The new normal

As travel has become a greater interest for many, the way we travel has changed. Travel agents, ticket booths and hotels compete with digital booking services, smartphone apps and AirBNB. Low-cost airlines have reduced leg room, baggage allowances and prices. Travelers looking for lunch are more likely to consult restaurant reviews posted online than to pull out a thick stack of trusted, dog-eared guide books from their backpacks.

Digital disruption has helped to reshape the role of travel media in consumers’ lives. The Internet provides countless sources of information beyond classic travel magazines and guide books, plus real-time access and instant sharing. But it has also made research more essential, curation more powerful and produced new opportunities for content to connect with consumers interested in travel. For all of these reasons, today’s best content strategies in travel find ways to bridge traditional publications and digital experiences.

Getting inspired

The first interactions with travel media occur during the “inspiration phase,” when getting away is still just a dream and people are open to new ideas about where to go. Social media is a key resource in this period. Posts on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest provide inspiration to 30% of all U.S. travelers. Younger users are even more likely to point to the influence of social media: Expedia found that 36% of “Gen Z” consumers have chosen a travel destination because of posts about it.

Although social media has become a critical channel for the broader travel industry, publishers are finding significant value in longer-form content. As the launch of Airbnbmag in 2017 suggests, traditional travel magazines offer a different kind of experience to digitally savvy travelers. Deeply reported stories, lavish photography spreads and expert advice can make a bigger impact than scrolling social media feeds.

With travelers going online for inspiration, it’s important to make this engaging content available without losing the qualities that make it special. Publishing travel magazines digitally is a smart a solution. Digital publications benefit from online accessibility while preserving a format perfect for maximum browsing.

Research assistant

Digital editions also let publishers create compelling multimedia experiences to connect with readers. A 2016 Google study revealed how persuasive video content can be as travelers move from the inspiration phase to planning their trip. Offering useful information about destinations is good business for travel brands: 67% of travelers are more likely to buy from a company that does, and online video helps 60% decide on where to go, what to do and which brands to choose.

External links play a big role in helping travelers in the planning phase, too. Younger travelers now consult more than 10 different sources when researching a trip, compared to just 3 sources in 2002. On average, they’ll click through 38 different websites before making a travel-related purchase. That means even traditional travel publications need to create digital links so readers can keep exploring. By curating reliable, relevant information into a single online resource, digital publications can serve as a hub for travelers to research their destination.

Mobile experiences

Once the trip is underway, digital travel media comes along for the ride. Thanks to improvements in Wi-fi coverage and the falling cost of data plans, many people stay connected throughout the entire time that they travel. As Internet access on airplanes has become increasingly common, for example, companies like Air France and SmartLynx are taking advantage of digital publishing to bring readers to their in-flight magazines online.

Travelers also seek out practical information on the ground, since not every detail of the itinerary is worked out in the planning phase. 3 out of 4 travelers aim to book some or all of their activities after arriving at their destination. That’s where city guides come in.  Fast load times and mobile responsiveness for digital publications in HTML5 mean travelers can browse online using their smartphones, or download the whole edition for easy access on the go.

No trip would be complete without logging in to document the experience. According to Econsultancy, 97% of Millennials have posted a personal travel photo or video on social media. Travel publishers can harness their desire to share by creating a hashtag for users to add to their posts. Calaméo publisher Lonely Planet’s #lonelyplanetfr boasts more than 100,000 photos tagged on Instagram, while REEF Magazine’s #hamiltonisland has been used 410,000 times. These images can then be used in digital publications and social media to help reach users who are in the inspiration phase—driving traffic, growing audiences and converting new travelers.

Welcome aboard

All signs indicate that travel’s digital journey is only just beginning. As long as more and more people dream of exploring the world, new tools will help us get inspired, make plans and get out there. And although changes in the travel media industry may have moved pretty fast, big opportunities are continuing to develop. For publishers learning how to make the most out of both the digital space and traditional strengths, it’s time for takeoff.

Read this article in our 2nd issue of Calaméo Magazine, as well as many others on the theme of tourism:

And if you haven’t read all the other issues of Calaméo Magazine yet, you can find them right here.

MARKETING

Brand identity vs. brand image: what’s the difference?

In MARKETING
21 April 2022

As shown in our latest infographic, brand identity is a very important component of your brand. And brand image is just as crucial! However, “brand image” and “brand identity” are often confused, so let’s define each of these concepts.

What is brand identity?

Brand identity is what you, as a company, want your brand to represent: the image of it that you want to project, and how you want it to be perceived by the public.

Brand identity includes the following elements:

  • your brand style guide (logo, typefaces, colors, etc)
  • the tone of your words
  • your values
  • your history
  • your positioning

Brand identity is therefore entirely dependent on your company and its overall strategy. The clearer and more precise your identity, the better. This will allow you to follow a logical guideline for your company and for the public.

💡 TIP: reinforce your brand identity in your digital publications with our White Label feature (available to PLATINUM users) and personalize the viewer so that it matches your brand style guide.

What is brand image?

Brand image is how the public perceives your brand, what they really think of it. It’s a feeling, and, in a way, the reputation of your brand.

Brand image depends on:

  • your public speaking and communications
  • your marketing activities
  • client experience

A positive brand image is essential for your brand. Not only will the public think highly of your products, but this will also help increase your sales because your customers will be your best ambassadors when they tell their friends and family about you. On the other hand, a negative brand image could be catastrophic. If your products are only associated with bad things, there is little chance that they will sell.

💡 TIP: to improve your brand image, it is important to offer high value-added content such as digital publications. Tutorials or magazines are good ideas of content to propose, but there are many other types of content you can publish with Calaméo.

How do they influence each other?

The influence of brand identity on brand image

Brand identity contributes to maintaining a good brand image. For example, a new product with a high price will be perceived positively by the public if the brand has a luxury positioning that is part of its identity. The high price will be perceived as a guarantee of quality by the consumer, who will therefore have a good image of your product and your brand, because it is in line with your identity.

On the flip side, if your brand contradicts its identity, it can create bad press. Imagine creating a new product whose manufacturing method goes against the values displayed by the brand. In this case, your customers may have the impression that you have lied to them about your motivations and convictions.

Therefore, you must master your brand identity and stick to it.

The influence of brand image on brand identity

Brand image is a good indicator of the effectiveness of your brand identity. As a matter of fact, a good image will reinforce the idea that your identity is clear, controlled, and understood by the public. It then be a matter of continuing to make your decisions in the same way.

In contrast, a bad brand image will require changes. This could mean an entire or partial rebranding of your identity: choosing a new logo or new values, for example.

Conclusion

Brand image and brand identity are therefore two very important elements for your brand. One represents the image that your company wants to give to your brand, the other is the real image that the public has in mind, its feeling towards your brand.

Ultimately, these two crucial elements depend on each other, so make sure not to neglect either one.