Well before the pandemic arrived, many companies were already using digital publishing in their strategies. However, practically all business activities were compelled to adapt to online-only in the early spring of 2020. Businesses quickly pivoted to using digital publishing in creative ways. Here we’ve compiled some of the ways that digital publishing helped businesses adapt during the pandemic.
Touchless menus
Due to the risk posed by people touching the same menu, many restaurants and bars turned to touchless menus. And while posting menus online is not a new phenomenon, the pandemic was the catalyst for more restaurants to start publishing their menus digitally. More specifically: a digital format available for diners to consult instantly on their mobile devices while at the restaurant.
How it works: using their own mobile device, diners scan a QR code on their table. They are then redirected to the digital menu that is posted on the restaurant’s website or a digital publishing platform such as Calaméo. No need to touch a physical menu!
Thanks to digital publishing, restaurants are able to update their menus easily. Also, the public appreciates the convenience of reading the menu without coming into contact with a high-touch object like a physical menu. Our prediction? Digital menus are here to stay!
Digital business cards
Gone are the days of trading paper business cards with a new contact, only to lose them in the shuffle of countless other business cards in your possession. And as businesses moved online during the pandemic, there weren’t opportunities to meet face-to-face and trade business cards. Now it is easier than ever to create and publish business cards digitally. Consider switching to digital business cards so that contact information can be saved digitally in one place and there will be no risk of cards going missing.
Services
Limiting time in an enclosed space where other people are present is essential for stemming the spread of the virus. With this in mind, many businesses decided to upload their services onto digital publishing platforms. Now, customers can choose what they want before they come in person to receive their service (think: salons and spas). This avoids unnecessary time spent together inside. It also means that more time can be devoted to the service itself rather than discussing and deciding.
With many in-person businesses limiting the number of appointments they provide per day, posting their services on a digital publishing platform where customers can read and decide in advance eliminates the need to have long buffer periods in between appointments; therefore the business can accept more clients every day. It’s a win-win!
💡 TIP: Platinum members can use the “Overlay” option which inserts forms that open in your publication, useful for implementing pre-booking and virtual check-ins, for example
Digital flyers, brochures
In-person events are slowly coming back, but enthusiasm for the printed materials that come with them is not. Much like paper business cards, printed materials such as flyers or brochures are going out of fashion. Whether it’s a company brochure or a flyer announcing a new event, it’s likely that the printed materials will just end up in the trash. In addition, due to the risk of community spread, sharing materials digitally is a safer option. Not to mention the resources saved when you opt to go digital!
By using Calaméo’s platform and optimizing your content, your digital publication will wow potential clients. They won’t even miss the paper brochures and flyers of the past!
Digital publishing became a crucial tool that helped businesses adapt during the pandemic. The events of 2020 and 2021 have shown the world that digital publications are an efficient and safe way to distribute information. Now individuals and companies alike have adapted to this new way of consuming, creating, and sharing content.
The smartphone turned ten in 2017 and in just a decade it has had an enormous impact on everything from banking to ordering takeout. Digital publishing is no exception. Now more than ever, making sure your content looks great, works perfectly and offers maximum appeal on mobile devices is key.
In this post, we’ll discuss why getting it right on mobile matters in today’s digital publishing landscape.
Mobile majority
First things first: more people than ever are using their smartphones to go online. That means that if your publications aren’t optimized for mobile display, you risk missing out on a big chunk of your audience’s time and attention. Globally, mobile usage overtook desktop in November 2016 and climbed to 54% of total internet usage by July 2017. Users across the world averaged 86 minutes a day on their phones to access the internet in 2016, compared to 36 minutes on their desktops. Those figures are even higher in the United States: Americans spent 52 minutes a day online on their desktops, and 145 minutes online on their phones.
Responsive design
By making your publications easy and attractive to view on mobile screens, you can reach readers who prefer to use their phones to browse online. With Calaméo, you never have to worry about how your document will look beyond the desktop. Our powerful technology automatically optimizes your publications for cross-platform viewing. Links always stay right where you put them and your documents keep impeccable image quality on all mobile and tablet devices.
Social content
Smartphones open up an ideal avenue to bring your digital publications into the social media ecosystem. Mobile users spend a lot of time on apps—fully half the total time that they devote to digital media—and social networking apps play a big part. It has been estimated that the average person is on Facebook for 35 minutes a day and will scroll through 18 entire days on Twitter over the course of his or her lifetime.
It’s essential that sharing your publications is simple for your readers, even on smartphones. The share button on Calaméo’s viewer lets readers post about your publications on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and more from their mobile devices in just a few taps.
The next step is to share your own publications on your business’s own social media accounts. Up to 47% of Facebook users access the service exclusively through the mobile app. You can maximize your ability to engage mobile users by adding your publications to your social profiles, so that readers can easily find and view them on their smartphones.
💡 TIP: Looking for social inspiration? Our Guide to Social Strategy is full of smart ideas for digital publishers.
What’s next
Responsive design and smart sharing allow your digital publications to shine on mobile devices. Go further with the biggest trends in smartphone usage: video content and mobile shopping.
Our PLATINUM plan has everything you need to take full advantage of your content’s mobile potential. Start by using the Editor to add Shopping links and embed videos directly inside your publications. Then, consult detailed statistics to find out what engaged your audience most and how they click on mobile. The results just might surprise you!
The first thing you need to know about digital publishing is that it’s simple. So simple, in fact, that you might already be doing it! Professionals, teachers, entrepreneurs, aspiring creatives, students, freelancers and people everywhere with something to share online turn to digital publishing every day.
That’s why the second thing to know about digital publishing is why it’s such a popular choice—and how to do it better. In this article, we’ll explain all the most important basics, tips to help you find the right solution and a few special extras to make the most out of your publications online. Read on to learn more about:
Digital publishing means using online tools to make media of all kinds available via the Internet. Instead of traditionally printed books, magazines and newsletters, digital publishing makes ebooks, blogs and online publications. Readers access this content on computers, smartphones or other digital devices. In short, anyone who has documents to distribute online can benefit from digital publishing technology.
Because digital publishing covers many genres and formats, there are plenty of different options to consider. From specialized content management systems to bespoke applications, there’s something for everyone. However, digital publishing platforms stand out above the rest: They offer a convenient, fast and easy way to convert your files to online publications.
Benefits of HTML5 publications
Although a few platforms still use Flash technology, the gold standard is now HTML5 for online publications. But what exactly does it mean to make an HTML5 publication?
Let’s imagine you have a Powerpoint that you need to get online and send out to colleagues. Using a modern digital publishing platform, your PPT file is converted into a browsable publication built with HTML5 and hosted at a unique address on the web. Then to send to your coworkers, simply copy the link and share.
Effortless sharing is just one advantage of HTML5 publications. More key benefits include:
Visibility. Unlike a basic file upload, your HTML5 publications are easy to optimize for search. Help searchers find your content thanks to smart keywords, structured data and automatically indexed text.
Compatibility. Never worry about problems opening your documents again. Your HTML5 publications work with all devices, all operating systems and all browsers. Better yet, there’s no extra software, downloads or plug-ins required.
Versatility. HTML5 publications are ready for anything. You can enrich them with audio and video content, add links and images, and embed them in your own website or blog. Plus, customize the presentation with your own logo, branding and design.
Usability. Above all, your HTML5 publications are always available online. View, share and update from anywhere, anytime.
Want to go beyond email attachments and plain PDFs? No matter what type of content you have to distribute online, digital publishing can help you get more out of it.
Why businesses use digital publishing
The name might make you think it’s all about novels, but digital publishing is actually a powerful tool for a wide range of businesses. Since an online presence is essential for companies in every sector, having smart digital content matters. Depending on your goals, the best reasons to take advantage of digital publications may differ. Here are three of the most common businesses uses.
Marketing
To create irresistible online materials. Traditional marketing formats like brochures and modern channels like video work together perfectly in digital publications. Marketers can mix and match to produce content that works for their target audience. A light footprint and detailed analytics make it practical for A/B testing, too.
Communications
To connect content with people. Newsletters, magazines, how-to guides and employee handbooks need to be online. Digital publishing platforms make it easy not just to upload content, but also to manage it. Advanced privacy controls and distribution features help communications pros get their message out there, the right way.
Sales
To modernize the sales funnel. Today, content and sales are closer together than ever. Both sales teams and ecommerce operations can make good use of digital publications. For example, email a personalized prospectus for leads to browse on the go. Or transform a PDF catalogue into an interactive, shoppable experience for customers online.
Education and digital publishing
One of the biggest challenges currently facing education is adapting to virtual learning. However, online publishing offers a user-friendly solution for digitizing teaching material. All that students and teachers need is access to an Internet connection to exchange documents securely. Because the best digital publishing platforms can handle multiple file types, converting assignments, tests and more to HTML5 publications is simple.
As a result, digital publishing can be used for many virtual learning materials like:
Study guides and lesson plans
Activities and homework
Presentations and projects
School newspapers and yearbooks
In addition, educational publishers often make sections of textbooks available online as digital publications. Expect this trend to grow while virtual classrooms continue to evolve.
Independent digital publishing
Before the Internet age, a creative career usually started with finding a talent agent. But now, online tools like digital publishing have opened the ability to produce and distribute to everyone. Authors and artists in every genre can choose to publish their work independently in digital formats. For instance, portfolios and media kits help show off your projects and skills, while previews and collections let audiences sample your creations. Even a whole book can easily become a multimedia digital publication to share or sell—no agent necessary.
Advantages of an online platform
Digital publishing is an important part of the online ecosystem. So it’s no surprise that there are many options to help you make and publish content digitally, including traditional software. However, there are several serious advantages to an online platform.
First, your digital publications are accessible 24/7 on the web. Second, you don’t need to take care of hosting your publications. In other words, there are no finicky details for hosting set-up and maintenance to handle. And finally, you don’t have to deal with separate software to download, install and keep updated.
A true online platform should offer you all the features of digital publishing right on your favorite browser. To sum it up, these three advantages add up to major convenience for your content.
Choosing a digital publishing platform
Once you’ve decided to begin using digital publishing for your online content, it’s time to decide which tools are right for you. If you’re searching for a platform to produce and host HTML5 publications, start by considering your main needs. For instance:
Storage. How many digital publications are you planning to create? How large are the files that you work with?
Reliability. How fast do you want your publications to load?
Security. What privacy options would you like to have for your publications? How do you want your audience to be able to access them?
Support. What guidance would you like to receive? What kind of assistance is available if you need help with your publications?
Of course, there are many other potential questions you might ask according to your specific objectives. Say that you have high-quality video content to include in your digital publications. In that case, you may want to make seamless integrations with YouTube a priority. When you have a good idea of what you’re looking for in a digital publishing platform, you’ll be well prepared to find the best fit.
Digital publishing UX
A good digital publishing platform will provide you with smart options to optimize the UX of your online documents. An important part of web design, UX or user experience covers everything that shapes how people interact with digital products.
In this case, there are key UX elements to consider in the publication viewer. Most of all, you want to ensure that your audience can read your publications comfortably. Choices like Right to left reading, scroll and slide views, sharp zoom and full screen availability allow you to always define the right UX for your publications.
But another big factor to keep in mind is how flexible these and other UX options are. Since everyone’s needs are different, watch out for platforms that limit you to a “one size fits all” solution. In fact, with just a little basic tech know-how you should be able to customize the UX of your publications. From the viewer to embed options, online publishing gives you an incredible opportunity to enhance the reading experience for your audience.
Publishing in multiple languages
Thanks to the Internet, the world is growing more connected every day. Even small businesses can serve global customers with ecommerce tools and online communication. However, it can take some extra effort to make sure you’re speaking your audience’s language.
For successful multilanguage publications, prioritize platforms whose features help you organize and manage your online documents. Double check that the languages you publish in are supported for display and search so that your readers aren’t frustrated by text mistakes and missing results. And don’t forget to match the viewer language to your publications—or create your own.
Ready to start?
We think you’ll love digital publishing on Calaméo. But don’t just take our word for it! You can start publishing today. It’s free, fast and easy to join.
To see great digital publishing features in action, browse our Guided Tour.
