Storytelling has always been a powerful tool to captivate audiences. Today, thanks to digital innovation, it takes on a new dimension with digital storytelling. By combining narrative and interactivity, enriched publications allow you to create immersive stories that leave a lasting impression. Here are our top tips for mastering the art of digital storytelling and engaging your audience.
Structure Your Story Carefully
Every great story relies on a clear structure: a captivating introduction, a smooth development, and a memorable conclusion. Use headings, subheadings, and short paragraphs to guide your readers through the narrative. On Calaméo, you can enrich your publications by adding a table of contents and internal links to make navigation easier.
Leverage Visuals
Images and videos are essential tools to enhance the impact of your digital storytelling. Integrate photos, illustrations, or GIFs to make your content dynamic. A well-chosen image or an immersive video can evoke strong emotions and anchor your message in the reader’s mind.
Create Interaction
The advantage of enriched publications lies in their interactivity. Incorporate quizzes, forms, or clickable links to invite readers to dive deeper into your world. The more they interact, the more invested they become in your story.
Enhance Readability
Opt for readable fonts, strong contrasts, and an airy layout to make reading enjoyable. A clear presentation helps maintain attention and makes it easier to understand your story.
Once your publication is online, analyze reader behavior using Calaméo’s statistics tools. Identify the most-viewed sections and adjust your content accordingly to maximize the impact of your storytelling.
Conclusion
Digital storytelling is a powerful way to leave a lasting impression and create an emotional connection with your audience. By using enriched publications on Calaméo, you can turn your stories into immersive, interactive experiences.
As long as people have been selling things, they’ve been finding ways to attract customers. In other words, marketing goes a long, long way back. But did you know that some of the most important innovations in the history of marketing came from France?
Since we’re originally from Paris ourselves here at Calaméo, we took a look at five modern marketing innovations Made in France. Read on to learn more (and grab our très chic infographic to share)!
Free shipping (1852)
Before we dig in to the first innovation on our list, try to remember a time without free shipping. Does it seem like we were still paying those painful “shipping and handling” fees only a few years ago? Although free shipping feels like a 21st century necessity, customers of the French department store Le Bon Marché were already enjoying it in 1852. Any purchase over 25 Francs would be delivered to your home—at no extra charge.
And that’s not all. Le Bon Marché was the birthplace of a shopping revolution, thanks to new techniques such as newspaper advertising, in-store lounges and hands-on product displays. One last very modern feature to mention? A generous returns and exchanges policy.
Michelin Guide (1900)
Another of today’s marketing trends with a surprisingly long history is content marketing. Many trace its origin to France in 1900, when a tire company called Michelin published its first guide to the restaurants of France. With its free Guide, Michelin was hoping to encourage more French people to get behind the wheel and go grab dinner somewhere new. More hungry drivers traveling meant more tires to sell and marketing history was made.
Over the years, the Michelin Guide has evolved and grown into a powerful standalone brand. The coveted three-star rating still indicates that a restaurant is “worth a special journey” to visit. And content marketers everywhere are still trying to repeat its success.
Eiffel Tower ad (1925)
By the early 20th century, outdoor advertising was booming. Posters covered city walls, shops put up signs and billboards were appearing all over. More importantly, lots of these signs began making use of electricity to catch people’s attention in the 1920s. But something totally new was French automaker Citroën’s renting out the Eiffel Tower to use as a giant, electric ad. In 1925, the brand lit up the landmark with more than 250,000 bulbs spelling out CITROEN down the iconic structure.
This innovation capitalized on a famous monument, Paris’s century-old “City of Lights” nickname and new technology to make Citroën a part of the skyline. Plus, it created a true event: the ad illuminated the Eiffel Tower every year until 1934.
Online news (1984)
The history of marketing in France took a big step forward in 1984, when media companies first started publishing news and other types of content online. However, it wasn’t quite the “online” that we know today as the internet. Although the world wide web was born in the 1960s, another kind of network was developed in France: the Minitel. Accessed via telephone, Minitel terminals let users connect to an entire ecosystem of online information and services.
Almost as soon as Minitel became available to French consumers, media companies like the newspaper Libération published content to the service. While the Minitel network was closed in 2012, French marketers proved that they were ready to experiment with new channels, monetization and technology.
Beauty AR (2017)
In the same vein, the last French marketing innovation on our list has to do with using technology to connect with customers. Released in 2017, the “Virtual Artist” feature on French beauty company Sephora’s app takes advantage of shoppers’ mobile phones to help solve a difficult problem: how to try out new makeup outside of the store. Using the app’s augmented reality tech, beauty fans can virtually apply different products and shades—then shop what they love.
Because the Pokémon Go phenomenon had already gotten quite a few users acquainted with augmented reality on their phones, Sephora’s Virtual Artist came along at a great time. And the beauty AR trend is still going strong today.
That concludes our quick look at milestones in the history of marketing from France. What’s next for marketing innovations: virtual reality, the 5G network or voice? Only time will tell what the next entry on our list will be. Until then, click here to download our infographic to save and share.
Need to get innovative with your own marketing strategy? Sign up today for your free Calaméo account and kickstart your business’s digital publishing.
In the digital world, the design of an interactive catalog plays a key role in capturing attention and delivering an optimal user experience. With Calaméo, you can transform your publications into truly immersive media. Here are our top tips for creating a striking interactive catalog design.
1. Make the right first impression
The cover of your catalog is the first thing your readers will see: it must be attractive and reflect your brand identity. Use high-quality visuals, clean typography and a color palette coherent with your graphic charter. Don’t hesitate to add a catchy headline that makes readers want to discover the content.
2. Focus on a well balanced layout
Good design relies on a clear, structured layout. Use white space to air out your content and highlight important elements. Use grids to align text and images, and create a visual rhythm by alternating different page formats.
The advantage of an interactive catalog is that you can enrich your content with multimedia elements. On Calaméo, you can add videos to present your products, or insert clickable links to your online store.
4. Promote your products with attractive visuals
Images play an essential role in a catalog. Opt for professional-quality photos, and don’t hesitate to zoom in on details or use 360° views to highlight your products’ features.
5. Make it easy to read
Use legible fonts and avoid overloading your pages with too much text. Adopt a clear hierarchy with distinct headings and sub-headings, and play with contrasts to highlight key information.
6. Test and optimize
Before publishing your interactive catalog, test it on different devices to make sure it adapts perfectly to all screens. Then, analyze your readers’ feedback and behavior using statistics to continually improve the design.
Conclusion
A well-designed interactive catalog is a great tool for captivating your readers and enhancing the value of your products. With Calaméo, you’ve got everything you need to create digital publications with a striking design.
Are you ready to bring your interactive catalog to life? Request your free 14-day trial of Calaméo PLATINUM and try out all our professional tools right now!
READ MORE: Design : 5 tips to create beautiful layouts
Ready to craft stories that captivate? Ask for your free 14-day Calaméo PLATINUM trial and try out all our professional tools!
