Sharing smarter documents: How filesharing services fall short

In MARKETING
9 November 2018
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Filesharing tools have become an important part of modern digital life. Services like Dropbox store files on the cloud and synchronize them on different devices so that users can share and collaborate. However, they aren’t always the best option for distributing your documents online.

In this article, we will explain five ways that these services can fall short. Plus, learn why digital publishing can offer a great alternative to filesharing.

Lacks polish

Most popular filesharing services began as a tool that allowed users to work on a single file across multiple computers. For teamwork and individual use alike, filesharing is strongly associated with drafts and projects in progress. This can make it a poor choice for sharing finished work. We recommend publishing your reports, presentations and newsletters digitally for professional results.

Statistics not included

Whether you’re sharing sales material with a potential customer, circulating a memo to your team or publishing a magazine, you want information about how it is being viewed. Filesharing services generally do not provide readership statistics, so you won’t know if your audience has opened your document a dozen times or not at all. As an alternative to filesharing, opt for creating a digital publication on Calaméo. You’ll get insights on views and a full range of advanced statistics.

Limited enrichment

Although some filesharing services let users add external links and images to their documents, the possibilities for creating interactive publications are limited. With the Calaméo Editor, you can add links, video, audio and more to your publications in just a few clicks. Then all you have to do is share!

Privacy headaches

Filesharing services often require users to choose between making their documents available to everyone and approving viewers for private documents one-by-one. Want a single, private link to send to your whole mailing list? It’s easy with Calaméo. Just select “Allow access with a private URL” in your publication’s Properties. If you need more security, set up password protection for your documents with our Subscribers feature.

One look fits all

Since filesharing solutions focus on drafting, editing and modifying documents, they offer few options for tailoring your publication’s final appearance to your needs. Digitally published documents benefit from a dedicated viewer and on Calaméo, it’s fully customizable. You can add a logo, change the colors and even add your own buttons so that your publication matches your brand perfectly.

While filesharing services can be great for collaboration, digital publishing is a better fit for sharing professional, interactive documents with your audience. You’ll enjoy publications that look polished, smart privacy controls and advanced readership statistics. And the best part? Publishing on Calaméo is a breeze.

Sign up for free and start sharing smarter documents today!

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MARKETING

Using digital publishing in your sales and marketing strategies

In MARKETING
14 October 2021

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!

MARKETING

All you need to know about newsletters: Part one

In MARKETING
10 March 2022

We have all seen a bad newsletter: messy visuals, too much text, a confusing format, boring content. In short, neither engaging nor fun to read. Luckily, the Calaméo team is here to help with all you need to know about newsletters! Publish newsletters that people actually want to read, with the aid of digital publishing and Calaméo’s easy-to-use platform.

  1. What is a newsletter?
  2. Why send a newsletter?
  3. Define your objectives
  4. Engaging text
  5. Simplified formatting
  6. Spice up your visuals

What is a newsletter?

A newsletter is a publication about a specific subject that is destined for a limited audience. Newsletters have been around a long time – even the ancient Romans used them – and are still a great means of communication today. Most newsletters are not very long (only a few pages) and include both text and visuals. Newsletters are similar to magazines, but magazines are typically longer and written for a wider audience. On Calaméo, your newsletter appears in its entirety in a flipbook, scroll, or slide format with turning pages and interactive details, rather than a flat and mundane PDF. (This article will focus on online newsletters that are hosted on digital publishing platforms like Calaméo, not email newsletter campaigns.)

Example of a newsletter from Neuropedia.

Why send a newsletter?

There are many reasons for creating and distributing newsletters. Companies may want to send out internal newsletters to employees to update them on company policies, events, or big news. An external newsletter is a great sales and marketing resource to send to clients and prospects. Clubs may send newsletters to members, religious institutions to congregants, local government administrations to residents, and educators and academic institutions may send newsletters to students, parents, or staff.

If you are currently distributing a paper newsletter, consider making the switch to a digital version. Not only will you save natural resources, your publication will also be dynamic and engaging, available online for consultation 24/7. If you are sending your current digital newsletter in a PDF format, now is the time to publish it on Calaméo and take advantage of our fabulous interactive features! Read on for our tips on publishing digital newsletters.

Define your objectives

There are questions you will need to ask yourself before creating your newsletter. First, what is the purpose of this newsletter? Are you creating a newsletter in order to share information, sell or market a product, or another reason?

Next, who is your audience? A group of people with similar interests who already know the topics included in the newsletter? Or a larger group that is unfamiliar with you or your organization? These questions will help you decide if you need to include background information or if you can use subject-specific language without needing explanatory text or visuals.

Finally, how often do you want to publish issues of your newsletter? Weekly, monthly, quarterly? PREMIUM and PLATINUM members can plan publications in advance to save time and keep to a regular schedule. Defining objectives around your newsletter will help you construct a relevant publication that people will actually read.

Engaging text 

Throughout the pandemic, newsletters have been an excellent tool for keeping employees and clients (and other audiences) updated regarding changing health regulations and conflicting information. They are excellent channels for providing up-to-date news.

So special consideration should be taken while creating the content of your newsletter. The body of your newsletter should have enough text to relay your information but not so much that your reader gets lost in the details. Make the content of your newsletter dynamic and engaging. Your articles should avoid too much fluff or filler; get to the point and show your subject knowledge or industry expertise by sharing relevant information. If your company has made a recent policy change, or your club has updated its calendar, those should be included. Announcements should appear in a prominent location in your newsletter. 

Simplified formatting

Formatting is usually an afterthought. However, good formatting will help your newsletter flow and draw readers’ eyes to critical content. You want your readers to retain the most important information and leave your publication feeling better informed, not overwhelmed by a wall of text or wasted space. 

Have these tips in mind for a well-formatted newsletter:

  • Keep it simple
  • Limit the amount of text on each page
  • Stick to your brand style guide (use same font and color scheme as your other publications)
  • Include calls to action in visible places
  • No unnecessary visuals
  • Avoid background images 
  • Make use of Calaméo’s Zoom feature (PREMIUM and PLATINUM accounts)

Spice up your visuals

A good newsletter must include graphics (but not too many–see above!). Because newsletters are a visual format, take advantage of charts, graphs, and other visual aids to help share your information and illustrate your articles. Avoid clip art and other amateur graphics, especially if your newsletter is a professional publication.

The beauty of using an online digital platform like Calaméo to host your newsletter is that you can use our Editor tool to enrich your publication with dynamic visuals, like videos and GIFs. With Calaméo, you can also embellish the viewer. Personalize the theme of your viewer, add your logo, or even use our White Label feature.

💡 TIP : Make sure to optimize your documents before publishing!

Stay tuned


Part one of our newsletter series was all about the content of your newsletter, and part two will focus on the important steps to take before and after sending to ensure its success. Stay tuned for the next article in this series about newsletters. And in the meantime, sign up with Calaméo today to get started on your digital publishing journey!