Customer Acquisition and Lead Generation

Flip Page Feature Focus

One of the greatest attributes of a Flip Page edition is the ability to distribute print media to all clients or customers quickly and cost effectively via email. However, in order to distribute an email campaign to a customer base, well, customer emails are needed. There are a number of methods that can be used to entice a potential customer to subscribe to a brand or to create ‘leads’. The intention, at least for this blog, is not to provide insight into all of the approaches but rather to generate awareness of one - ‘The Flip Page Registration’. The Flip Page Registration is essentially a free subscription tool. It allows the publisher or business to prompt a reader or customer, at any point within the Flip Page edition, to provide data into customizable fields. A sampling of this lead generation tool can be found in this digital brochure. The information that a customer provides is then captured in a database where the publisher or business can extract it for future use ie. the next email campaign!Any marketing effort should seek to generate new leads as well as foster the existing customer relationships. Here is a potential ‘use case’ for using the Flip Page Registration...A company sends a digital flyer to the customers in its current database via email. The digital flyer is circulated from members of the database to other non-members (leads) using the common share tools that are available with each Flip Page edition. For example, Sally Smith decides to share the digital flyer to her Facebook wall. A number of Sally’s friends are intrigued by the share and click on the link on Sally’s wall. None of these new viewers are actual email subscribers to the digital flyer and are potential customer acquisitions. These non-customers view the digital flyer and are intrigued by the products that are available. As they navigate to the end of the digital flyer they are prompted with an optional form to subscribe to future flyers of that brand. The means by which the customer data was collected is non-invasive and meets regulatory controls because of the ‘optional’ nature of the registration. The customer data that is collected is customizable and provided fields can be offered as ‘optional’ or ‘required’.In the above scenario, a non-customer becomes a potential lead as they progress from having no affiliation with a brand to ‘opting in’ for future information. However, this scenario can only occur if you have the ability to capture that customer at the time of engagement. If the customer is not offered the ability to provide their data (or ‘register’) in that moment then it is assumed that they will find another way to seek out your brand. That presents a flaw in the customer acquisition process (as pictured). A new lead cannot be acquired if there are not presented with an opportunity to engage with a brand. A digital print media campaign using effective marketing practices should work to increase your brands prominence and provide increased opportunity to acquire new clients!

Digital Archives - The New King of Content

Mario

When I was young my peer group and I were avid collectors of sports trading cards. At the time, well before athletes could be followed on Twitter or read about on the web,  athletes were humanized  via trading cards. For that reason, twenty five years have passed and that collection of cards still reside within their appropriate shoe boxes in the ‘spare’ room of our home. During each spring cleanout I am questioned, by my unassuming wife, why I continue to house them. My obvious response is that they hold ‘value’. Some of it emotionally vested value and some of it actual monetary value (ie. the pictured Mario Lemieux rookie card). In my wife’s eyes those cards hold no ‘value’ unless I convert them into cash (my usual reply is that her wedding dress occupies quite a bit of space in the same room as those cards). Stalemate.

What if this same concept is applied to magazines?  A print magazine requires an enormous amount of energy, resources and expense in order to design, write, edit, promote, and distribute. A magazine offsets these expenses by offering subscriptions, newsstand sales as well as revenues generated through advertising and sponsorships.   Once a magazine has run its course from newsstand or home delivery to bathroom magazine rack where does it go? In some cases it may be sitting in an adult sized shoebox in the ‘spare’ room of a home. In most cases it has likely has become fodder for an elementary school collage.  The inner ‘hoarder’ in us is often outranked by the outer perception of tidiness. So how does a loyal reader, without hoarder tendencies, access the timeless content of their favorite magazine? Digital archives!Digital archives are a virtual shoebox of content. They don’t occupy any physical space but still offer the graphical and textual appeal of the print version.  A reader can browse through every issue that has ever been released on their PC or laptop browser or they can be downloaded for an offline read via a custom branded native App on mobile. Each archived issue can be indexed within the browser’s digital edition as well as within the App for easy navigation. For research purposes, or practical use, content or articles within the archives can be searched by current issue or by ‘all issues’ available. Of course, there are some other interesting possibilities with back issues. For example, an author could provide current commentary on an article that was written in years past.  As another example, an image depicting a location could be retaken from the current perspective to show change over time. I could likely come up with a hundred suggestions but the picture is hopefully clear – there are incredible opportunities available. There are definitely some avid collectors who already have every print issue of their favorite magazine tucked away in a closet in their home. We can assume that is the minority. But...

Would a faithful print reader be persuaded to ante up some extra dollars for access to digital back issues of a magazine?

Could unlimited access to archives be the impetus that pushes a fence sitter to subscribe rather than purchase single issues?

Does content that was created years ago not offer another low cost opportunity for a publisher to drive added revenue?

It has been said that ‘Content is King’. If so, it may be argued that digitally archived content is Emperor.

How many miles are on your Print Media?

‘I got a 79 Chevy Malibu with 774,000 original miles on ‘er. Bought it 2 weeks before it was released to the public. First person in my state to drive one off the lot. Pushes 454 horse out of its big block V8...’

We all have one. A great uncle, friend of a friend, or a no-shirted neighbour who extols the unbelievable feats of their beloved ‘classic’ car. Automobile marketers use ‘mileage’ as a crutch with Honda recently promoting their CRV’s engine reaching 600,000 kilometres in a recent ad. Volkswagen has built a brand on product longevity. But you can’t argue with the thought process. As consumers, we want to know our product is going to go ‘the distance’. What about marketers? Are they any different or would they want to know that their product is going ‘the distance’ as well?

Let’s take a quick look at what’s under the hood of marketing’s longest tenured product  – print media. The ignition of a print media campaign is a concept. It is mapped out, conceptualized, visualized and ‘test driven’ multiple times before it hits the production floor. The digital production and physical production usually occur in separate facilities, and in most cases, by different entities. In order for this transition to remain seamless a working knowledge of the inner sanctities of print’s engine are necessary. The print production team puts the final touches on the print chassis, using their experience to ensure that print ably slaloms through a number of tight corners (and deadlines) before reaching its destination. The print producer or manufacturer may also serve as a pitstop, where the product will be packaged and warehoused, until it is finally distributed.  

Once complete, the printed medium rolls of the lot in spectacular fashion - high gloss exterior, variable data transmission, on-board URL and in some cases loaded with optional QR coding. It has been known to turn heads and gape mouths. It builds a lasting impression. The print engine can churn out coast to coast adventures just as easily as it can taxi a short trip across town. It can pile on miles. But like any vehicle it eventually succumbs to wear or breakdown. In some cases it will be lost to accident, in others it will get tossed to a  ‘recycler’, some will be left stranded on the roadside, and others will simply be ‘put on blocks’ indefinitely. So when the end does come how do we prolong the life of this marketing mobile?

Twitterville 500x500

How do we get more miles out of our print media?

Drive it online.

‘Information Highway’ is a 1TB expressway that started construction in the early 1970’s and has since expanded production to all corners of North America and the world. It blends the speed of the Autobahn with the range of the Trans-Canada highway. The I-HWY offers redline fast, continent to continent travel, via its global transfer stations. It also offers ample exits and rest areas along the way. Examples of common stops along the I-HWY are ‘World Wide Webs’, Twitterville, and Zuckerberg’s which can all be reached by exiting at LinkedIn Park and heading north. The Information Highway is virtually toll free which helps eliminate many of the costs associated with traditional routes. The I-HWY is also open 24/7 which means commuters can ‘test drive’ anytime. Due to the relative ‘newness’ of the I-HWY, print vehicles are subjected to less wear and tear, and seldom require maintenance. The print vehicle can be left for days on the I-HWY without the fear of auto-theft.

The I-HWY is a great destination for all print. It offers cost effective travel with lightning quick acceleration. So the next time you start up your print engine, consider how many miles you want it to travel, and get on the I-HWY with Flip Page.

HTML5 vs. Native Apps

HTML5 vs. The Native App

Remember Gary Coleman’s character ‘Arnold’ from the 80’s sitcom Diff’rent Strokes. His success could largely be attributed to a single snappy quip ‘What you talkin’ bout Willis?’  When it comes to how your content is mobilized onto smartphones, tablets and the like, it is certainly worth asking ‘What you talkin’ bout Willis?’

So let’s get down to business and figure out what Willis is talking about.

HTML5 (Web App)

HTML5 is a programming language. In laymen terms, it allows a developer to layout and present content via the web. HTML5 is often referred to as the ‘savior’ for mobile web browsing since it offers a number of advantages over current HTML4 framework. HTML5 tends to be a little less bulky than HTML4 and operates a little smoother on limited capability web devices such as smartphones and tablets. A core goal of HTML5 technology is to eliminate the need for third party plug-ins (programs) in order to provide a multi-media experience complete with video and audio.

 Native App

A Native App is a program or application that is intended to operate on the specific device for which it was constructed - hence the term ‘native’. Although Native Apps can be built for any device or platform they are typically associated with mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Also, native Apps have the ability to be stored directly on the device meaning that ‘web connectivity’ is not a necessity. Native Apps are commonly found in the platform specific App markets for which they were built - for example, Apple’s App Store or Google Play for Android devices.

So where should my content be? That’s a difficult question to answer. Let’s delve a little deeper.

	HTML5	Native Apps
Development	-use the tools and framework available in the language. HTML5 is a language under development.	-use the tools, rules and framework provided by the platform
	-universal build across many browsers	-requires different build for each platform
Marketing	-reliant upon publisher marketing to drive traffic to content	-exposed to the store traffic in each App store (Apple statistics)
		-publisher marketing increases product exposure
Revenues	-revenues generated require own paywall or transactional system	-App platform provides paywall and transaction system
	-publisher receives full remuneration of sale	-publisher is subjected to terms of App platform*
Content Delivery	-via mobile web browser	-downloaded to mobile device
	-requires ‘connectivity’	-can operate without ‘connectivity’
Strengths	-automatically updates	-App markets drive traffic
	-does not require platform‘approval’	-affluent consumers accustomed to paying for App content
		-better performance
	-browser build provides universal access	-designed specifically for device
		-‘Newsstand’ from Apple and Amazon provide marketplace specifically for publications/periodicals
Weaknesses	-not a complete language, still under development	-subjected to platforms rules, standards and policies
	-difficult to support all web browsers due to proliferation of devices	-native apps require manual updates for revisions

*A point of clarification with regards to the monetization of Apps via the Apple App Store – it is possible to offer a paid publication in the App store without relinquishing a percentage of that sale to Apple. Apple’s policy is outlined here. In summary, Apple only receives a percentage of the sale of content on sales made through their App store. If the subscription and concurrent transactions are made through a publisher’s own means (website, with print subscription, etc) Apple does not receive remuneration.

        This brief article has hopefully alleviated some of the unanswered questions and misguided information encountered with regards to HTML5 and Native Apps. Whatever path(s) you choose – know that Flip Page will be there to provide the solution.

For Flip Page Native App Features -click here

For Flip Page HTML5 Features - click here

My Name is URL

‘My Name is URL’

A Flip Page Feature Highlight

It may not generate the same hearty laughter as the Jason Lee comedy but let’s not underestimate the other ‘URL’. URL is the lazy linguists acronym for Universal Resource Locator but it is more commonly referred to as ‘web address’. A ‘URL’ consists of a couple of fixed bits of information such as a protocol name (usually the ‘http’ part) as well as a server name (‘www’ for example) and typically concludes with a domain name (ie. domain.com).

Flip Page Publishing provides a number of URL strings with which you can publish your digital print media. As an example, our dashboard offers white labelled direct URL’s such as ‘www.flippubs.com’ and ‘www.flippubs.net’. But there are a number of additional options available that you may not be aware of. If you are looking for alternatives to the above continue reading.

1. Direct URL – Located in the Flip Page Publishing dashboard, the Direct URL is the web address that is used to actively link to a specific publication or more accurately an issue of that publication. Each publication or issue of a publication has its own unique URL that is generated each time a new project is converted. The Direct URL can be accessed in the dashboard by clicking on the ‘Flipping Code’ button in the dashboard.

Sample Direct URL - http://flippubs.com/publication/?i=85813

2. Auto-updating URL – An auto-updating URL offers an added capability in comparison to the Direct URL. An auto-updating URL feeds the most recently activated issue of a publication. This type of URL is commonly used by publishers whose content updates frequently. It prevents a publisher from having to manually update their website on a frequent basis since the newest content is always delivered via the auto-updated URL. The Auto-updating URL can be found in the dashboard by clicking on the ‘Flipping Code’ button in the dashboard.

Sample Auto-updating URL -

3. Clean URL’s – Unlike the comedy series character, Flip Page URL’s can be cleaned up from their native or standard format. From above you are likely familiar with the common string of ‘http://flippubs.com/publication/?i=85813’. However you have the option of using a Clean URL to replace the Direct URL string. A Clean URL has a more traditional look than our standard Direct URL. Notice in the samples below that the Clean URL offers the same content despite the varied appearance of the URL.

Sample Direct URL – http://flippubs.com/publication/?i=85813

Sample Clean URL - http://flippubs.com/view/flippage+test+account/flip+page+publishing/features+brochure

4. Shortened URL’s – There are a number of different URL shortening services available on the web. Examples are https://bitly.com/, http://goo.gl/, http://tinyurl.com/, and http://ow.ly/url/shorten-url. These third party sites not only provide the option of rendering your Flip Page URL into a simple short string of characters but some also provide added capabilities. Some of these added functions include sharing, organizing, and tracking the shortened URL. These technologies are not part of the Flip Page dashboard but can be accessed from the links above.

Sample Shortened URL - http://tinyurl.com/9f32b3q

5. Masked Domains – a masked domain involves hiding the true or intended URL of a website or page from the user’s URL bar in the web browser. This is an ideal method for clients who are looking to maintain brand continuity among their web based media while still harnessing the benefits of our digital print media.

Sample ‘unmasked domain’ - http://www.flippubs.com/publication?i=107307

Sample ‘masked domain’ - http://emags.oraclefantasysports.com/publication?i=107307

Domain masking does require access to the DNS records of your domain as well as some modification in the Flip Page dashboard.

6. Inline Frame or i-Frame – An i-Frame is a technique that allows you to wrap the content of a web page within another page. It is supported on all major web browsers. Some additional information can be found here http://www.w3schools.com/html/html_iframe.asp  It involves adding a small snippet of code to a page to ‘wrap’ the content. Here is an example of a client who has used an i-Frame to embed their digital publication into a page on their website. Notice that the actual URL of the publication is not displayed since the content has been embedded in a page on their website using an i-Frame.

Sample Direct URL - http://www.flippubs.com/publication?i=80757

Sample i-Framed URL - http://www.thecurlingnews.com/online_issue/index.html

7. Shadowbox – a shadowbox is a web based media viewer which provides the publisher the ability to link to additional web content without the end user navigating to another page or site. This application also hides the URL of the Flip Page edition since it is not opening a new browser window. Once again, the shadowbox application is supported on all major web browsers. Shadowbox is a third party application that does require a small licensing fee to use within a publishers website. More information can be found here - http://www.shadowbox-js.com/

Sample Shadowbox - http://flippagepublishing.com/demo/ (click on the Colonel Littleton Catalogue)

8. Branded Domain – Flip Page Publishing offers the ability to publish all of your content to your own domain with your own branded Admin Dashboard. However, there is a related cost to this feature. Please consult with your account representative for more information.

                The message here is quite simple. When it comes to URL’s, whether the intention is to protect brand identity or hide the host domain, the options are endless.

Don't Desert the Dessert!

Don't Desert the Dessert!

‘Is your business getting as much business from your clients as possible?’

Once a year, as a longstanding custom, entrenched securely as family lore, I wander off course from my usual commuter route to drop by ‘Hinckley’s Farmers Market’. Hinckley’s offers home baked pies, cookies and desserts which are by far the best in the county. Hinckley’s does not require a GPS locator since the savoury smells waft the countryside as you near. As per tradition, I zig-zag through single lane county roads the day prior to Thanksgiving to fulfill my end of the family dinner agreement – Hinckley’s ‘family sized’ Apple Crumble pie.

It isn’t just the ‘plate licking’ flavour that draws me in. It is the sheer volume as well. Despite the rapid growth of our immediate and extended families a single Hinckley’s pie has sufficiently topped off the tank for almost a decade. That is until a couple years ago. My world turned upside down. I had left work an hour early to make sure that I crept through the rickety old screen door to the dessert ‘mecca’ before closing. Like a proud father on his daughter’s wedding day I walked the familiar path to the corner of Hinckley’s where the famous Apple Crumble pie stood. But when I arrived at the altar the groom was nowhere to be found. At least not the groom that I knew and expected. Hinckley’s family sized Apple Crumble pie was anything but family size. Surely there must be more available...somewhere? I inquired with the young girl who patrolled the cash register. She simply stated that the warm spring weather had created abnormal growing conditions and that a large portion of the apples on Hinkley’s farm had been lost. So, in order to satisfy customer demand they had reduced the portion sizes. Needless to say the news was gut-wrenching.  I was distraught. I was not able to think rationally.

My dilemma was obvious and time was of the essence. There were just minutes left before the doors to Hinckley’s closed for the night and I needed to make an executive decision.

They say that ‘hindsight is 20/20’. I concur. The dessert still drew the same raves it had in the past but the smaller portions created havoc. Uncle Herman attempted to swindle extra crumble from his own nieces and nephews by placing Christmas gifts as collateral. Two cousins nearly went to blows over the few crumbs left behind on the crinkled aluminum pie plate. Even my own grandmother chimed in about the ‘inadequacy’ of tonight’s final course. Chaos reigned. What should have equated to a lengthy period of loosened belts and general after dinner lethargy was compromised and I was the defendant.

Not wanting to endure the same tribunal or the ensuing punishment I chose to review my options for the following year. I called for an internal corporate meeting to hash out a bonafide plan.

When I returned to Hinckley’s, almost exactly a year to the day later, I entered with nary a hint of trepidation. I had already prepared for the worst. I had made adaptations and welcomed the change. After the previous year’s debacle I had orchestrated a full proof plan. Hinckley’s Apple Crumble was the core effort of my plan. However, I was now backing it up with a plethora of options – pumpkin cheesecake, ice cream, and even a chocolate cake. An abundance of goodies that would appeal to my entire family unit from junior to senior. At the conclusion of our meal, my efforts were duly noted based on the limited supply of leftovers on the dessert table and the frequent accolades from my bloodline.

What can be learned from this? Whether you are dealing with a ‘feasting family’ or a ‘tenured client’ there is always room for growth within the confines of your relationship. Sometimes what has appeased the masses in the past needs some ‘added sugar’ to fill the bellies of the present. With that in mind we ask ‘Is your business getting as much business from your clients as possible?’

Optimizing Print Media for Digital Display (part 3 of a series)

“Preparation A through G”

The first 2 segments (Part 1 and Part 2) of this series have covered the limitations of traditional print media when converted to a digital format and have also focused on a couple of the unique tools which provide for a quality reading experience despite those limitations. This segment will provide ample suggestions on how to manage and prepare for output to digital from ‘A’ to ‘G’.

Data has shown that an optimized digital edition (different layout and content) yields an average of 20% deeper engagement (as measured by publication specific data) than a print replicated version. Here are some hints and tips to consider when designing for digital print media.

Analyze – find out where your readers are going to be coming from and plan for the masses. Don’t assume the mobile tablet is your starting point since current data suggests the ratio of web readers to mobile web readers is 10:1.

Build – questionnaires, polls, call back cards, business reply cards, or customized forms that create an interaction between the reader and the publication or advertisers.

Creativity – Keep in mind that you are designing for digital. As an example, rather than providing textual footnotes or end notes within the layout provide them in the link ‘hover’ tip and link directly to the reference on the web. Or provide a simple question to your readers within the content, provide a clue in the ‘hover’ tip, and provide the answer as a link. Click here for sample.

Consistency – Once you have established how a reader interacts with your publication maintain that trend. For example, if a ‘play’ button represents embedded multi-media, don’t stray. Determine interactive elements, buttons, icons and stick with them. Also, as a general rule ‘If it looks like it should click, it should click’.

Design – focus on publication layout but also consider the interface. Toolbars and backgrounds are customizable and should be a consideration for the project. Click here for sample.

Dimensions –Tablets allow the user to rotate from landscape to portrait view with ease. This is not the case for PC and laptop users. Since PC and laptop displays are typically wide and short (especially HD) consider a layout that meets those requirements (opt for ‘letter’ over ‘tabloid’).

Educate – inform your reader of the tools that are at their disposal, how to navigate, special features, buttons etc. The reality is that the reading experience is intuitive (flipping or swiping pages) but the extra features may not be. Use a presentation page or plan for some additional content in the layout of your publication. Click here for sample.

Engage – Leverage additional content in the form of audio, video, slide shows, animations. Use the tools that are at your disposal.

 Expand – Do not restrict valid or quality content to page counts when designing or crafting the layout of a digital publication.

Fonts – It is well established that print media has typically preferred ‘serif’ fonts for newspaper and magazine layout. There is a general tendency to conform to ‘sans serif’ options for online reading. Consider both viable options but adjust the font size to prevent a reader from having to zoom – use a minimum size 12 with a preference for size 14.

Gauge –Interactive elements within a publication are tracked by analytics. The more interactive the publication the more data that can be compiled. As an example, if an advertiser  embeds a 40 second video into their spread ad, and the average time spent on that page is 72 seconds, it is safe to assume that the video content was relevant to the reader and the ad impression was significant.

Optimizing Print Media for Digital Display (part 2 of a series)

“Let’s Get Prigital” Using the Right Tools to Accommodate Digital Print Media

Thank-you Olivia Newton-John for the inspiration.

The reference to ‘Honey I Shrunk the Kids’ used in Part 1 of our series on optimizing for digital (click here to read Part 1) may be a little antiquated but hopefully the concept was conveyed – something that is designed for print doesn’t always render well in digital. So does that mean that all print publications must be redesigned for digital display? Not at all. Understandably, not every publisher or business has the resources to ‘go back to the drawing board’ with their digital layout. For that reason, we offer a plethora of tools that allow the publisher to adapt their print version for their online readership. Some of these tools are outlined below.

400% Vector Zoom – Vector zoom provides a scalable representation of your content without losing any data. In laymen’s terms that means when a reader ‘zooms’ they are getting the exact same quality of image or text with no degradation even when viewing it at 400%. Even better, once a reader has selected the preferred zoom level  (from 100% to 400%) our software remembers that information and maintains the same zoom level for future usage. Vector Zoom is particularly suitable for newspapers and other large formats. The legibilty of pages and fonts will be remarkably improved using Vector Zoom. When in zoom mode the reader is able to use familiar ‘push and pull’ navigation across the entire page or spread.

Article Links – An article link provides the reader with an alternative to zoom functioning when reading smaller fonts. An article link usually manifests as a ‘button’ (in the sample below a ‘magnifying glass’ icon was used) on the page of the digital edition which when clicked will provide a ‘text only’ representation of the article inside our media deck. The text based version can be translated using ‘Google Translate Tool’, shared via social media and email, printed, and even offers three type sizes for optimal reading. Article links also populate the ‘Contents’ button in the toolbar. The ‘Contents’ button provides a dropdown of all article titles in the issue and provides a ‘page-jump’ directly to that content. Article links open to our media deck which means the reader is not opening a new browser tab or window which keeps them focused on the content in the publication.

Full Screen View – Full screen view allows the reader to maximize the dimensions of the publication within their display. It is our version of ‘biggie sizing’. The publication will envelope as much of the display as possible (while maintaining proportions) aside from the space required for the toolbar and perimeter buffer. In some cases, this small adjustment is all that is needed in order to relieve legibility concerns.

Slide Shows – Sometimes layout and design restrictions leave artwork and photos on the floor beside the editing table. A slide show provides an opportunity to provide a larger version of an image, or multiple larger versions of an image or multiple different images to complement the image content within the publication. See for yourself in the video below.

These four tools will help ease the transition from print to digital when layout changes are not options. Part 3 of this series will focus on the uniqueness of tablet device layout in comparison to traditional display monitors. See you next month!

Optimizing Print Media for Digital Display (part 1 of a series)

“Square Peg, Round Hole”

Have you ever witnessed a child playing with the educational toy pictured above. The concept is simple. The circles, squares, crosses, stars, triangles etc have a corresponding hole which allows the shape to slide through the lid into the container. However, each shape only fits within the ‘hole’ to which it is respectfully assigned.  There is no amount of ramming, jarring, or smashing that exhibits otherwise – I can verify from experience.

So how do Fisher Price and Flip Page relate? The principles guiding the toy and digital print media are very similar. You simply can’t fit a square peg into a round hole (assuming you don’t have a group of NASA engineers on staff).

We won’t bore you with technical gibberish. Instead, we’ll travel the Layman’s route. Let’s take, for example, an 8.5” x 11” layout since it is a common size for a variety of different print publications. In order to view an 8.5” x 11” publication in its native dimensions you would require a monitor that can account for at least 17” W x 11” H (as spreads) but that would not leave any ‘real estate’ for additional features made available in the top/bottom or side toolbars. Additional buffer space is needed to accommodate those items.  Let us consider the display options. A 21.5” monitor offers the dimensions 18.75” W x 10.5” H. In this case, the peg will not justifiably fit in the hole. On a slightly larger display device we could likely view it in its native dimensions but on anything smaller we cannot.

So where do we go from here? Ramming, jarring and smashing is inherently difficult in the digital realm.  But we are not at a total loss. Flip Page Publishing has purchased the rights to Wayne Szalinski’s ‘electromagnetic shrink ray’ to help with publications that are ideal in print but don’t tailor to digital. But even Wayne couldn’t prevent some issues with reduction based technologies. The shrink ray can manipulate the PDF down to fractions of it size but in doing so everything gets smaller. Images and text included. And really, that doesn’t make us any different than any PDF viewing software on the market. Depending on your personal settings PDF viewers either open the file in zoomed mode or full page mode. We prefer to load a publication in full page mode with the idea being that the reader will find the content and zoom as required.

And you may or may not be aware but we have tools that make the conversion from print to digital incredibly seamless even with the use of the ‘shrink ray’. We’ll cover those in the next newsletter.

Rollovers...Not the Vehicular or Canine Command type

The word rollover has a number of different connotations or associations. In this case, there is no reason to call an ambulance or to break out the treats for Fido. In the realm of digital print media there is a single meaning that refers specifically to a unique interaction between a Flip Page publication and the consumer. Product Rollovers are identified by a pop-up or zoomed window as a consumer rolls (or maybe more accurately ‘mouse’s) over a highlighted product. A rollover generally provides another view of a product and also provides additional textual information (such as price, dimensions, weight etc) pertaining to the product that may not be included within the actual publication. The rollover feature is typically integrated into retail publications.  

What is a Retail Publication?

Retail is generally defined as the sale of goods or commodities directly to consumers or other businesses. Unlike publications that contain information, news, entertainment, editorial, or journalistic content, a retail publication typically focuses on the sale of goods or commodities. Accordingly, the official Flip Page definition of Retail Publication is any publication that focuses on the sale of goods or commodities. Common indicators of a Retail Publication are the presence of product images, product descriptions, prices, sku or product numbers, and the desire to have links to an e‐commerce portal. Common types of Retail Publications include flyers, inserts, and catalogs.

Product Rollovers offer a variety of options aside from simply linking a product to its corresponding product page. Click here for a Product URL sample.

               A basic rollover provides additional graphical and textual information that when clicked will add the product to a ‘virtual wishlist’ (click here for sample). The ‘wishlist’ is populated in the toolbar as each product is added by the consumer.

                A rollover to URL option provides additional graphical and textual information that when clicked will link to an external product page or e-commerce page (click here for sample).

                A rollover to Product Detail page provides additional graphical and textual information that when clicked will open a Product Detail page. The product detail page offers the consumer an opportunity to share the publication, add products to shopping list, view the shopping list, or return to the publication. The product detail page also provides additional product details such as price, category, brand, and details. The product detail page also populates similar products that fall in the same category as the product being viewed (click here for sample).

                The final rollover option involves linking a product to a corresponding Product Detail page as well as a URL link. This essentially provides the benefits of both the ‘rollover to URL’ and ‘rollover to Product Detail’ page options (click here for sample).

Rollovers can do a lot more than just provide additional textual content or images. Our rollover suite provides three optional external link locations. This means that a retailer can really expand on the description of the product with links to video, brochures, warranty information, nutritional information, a vendor’s website and more! (click here for sample).

Application

The interactive nature of a product rollover tucked inside a Flip Page edition provides a unique opportunity for retailers. Not only does the Flip Page version have the potential to reach consumers outside the traditional avenue of print but it now also offers an additional element to spur online and retail sales via 'wishlist' and 'shopping cart' functionality.

Offering expansive media to a consumer in a rollover in the form of video and linked content provides an avenue for furthering product knowledge and appeal.

Is it an Issue?

A large number of publishers are looking to multi-channel their printed products into a blend of print and digital. And, not surprisingly, a large number of content creators are entering the digital realm without any physical ties to the printed medium. The former are typically attempting to brush their content on the largest canvas. The latter are generally hoping to build a foundation without necessarily digging so deep that they can’t climb out.And with that said, there are a number of digital edition publishing solutions to consider. Some solutions are paid, some are cost-effective and some are even offered free of charge. As Bob and now Drew would agree the price is right but it is necessary to consider the limitations to determine 'Is free an Issue?'

1. Is streaming video/media an Issue? There are a number of reports that indicate that streaming video ads are increasingly gaining the edge in terms of online consumer engagement. Are advertisers able to integrate commercials, product videos, radio ads, or other streaming media into the digital publication to maximize their exposure? More importantly, is this additional source of ad revenue offered to advertisers?

2. Is enhanced content an Issue? Enhanced content may include photo images that were not included in the front page story solely because there was not enough real estate available on the cover. Adding additional images via an embedded slide show not only provides more ‘story’ for the reader but it also appeases the photo journalist whose artwork is often wasted. Or, additional content may be in the form of an ‘Article Link’ that allows a reader to capture ‘more of the story’.

3. Are direct leads an Issue? There is often a dis-connect between a digital reader and a digital advertiser. A reader can be linked to an advertisers website and click-throughs can be reported but that doesn’t necessarily generate leads. What if a customizable Call Back Card was placed directly on an advertisers image? If a reader is interested in the product or service, they can click on the form, fill out their information, and the advertiser will receive the request for information in their email inbox. This provides a direct interaction between advertiser and reader that most often results in an advertiser reporting the interaction to the publisher before the opposite has a chance to occur.

4. Are custom or specialty pages an Issue? Often publications make use of a variety of custom or specialty pages to differentiate certain content from the norm. Specialty pages such as belly bands, gatefolds, blow-ins, barn doors and foldouts are excellent opportunities to highlight an advertiser or content but are often neglected in digital editions simply because the capability is not available.

5. Is branding an Issue? It takes a very long time to build a successful brand. And most content creators are very protective of that brand. So much so, that in order to promote outside products in that brand a client is required to pay for the space that they would like to occupy. Why is a digital publishing vendor excused from paying for exposure? If a publisher is willing to expose their dedicated digital reader base to their digital publishing vendor at no cost does that suggest that their digital advertisers should be afforded the same luxury? Whose brand is being promoted?

6. Is digital edition ad revenue an Issue? A digital edition should provide a source of additional advertising revenue. Being able to offer advertiser’s more than just the static image in the digital edition is paramount. See this previous blog for ideas on how to generate additional ad revenue in your digital edition using Flip Page Publishing’s customizable options and tools. CLICK HERE! Does it hurt your ability to earn ad revenue by using free software? Are advertiser’s less inclined to pay for digital editions ads if it requires no additional cost to create?

7. Is generating revenue via paid subscriptions an Issue? Print subscriptions are a necessary source of revenue for many publications. Too often, that same content that readers considered worthy of payment in print format is provided free in digital format. Worst case scenario, why not offer a print/digital bundle to subscribers rather than simply provide the digital content for free to all readers? The reasons vary but there are definitely cases where the perception was that it is difficult to integrate or too costly to offer paid subscriptions for digital edition content. This is simply not true

8. Is product support an Issue? There is nothing more frustrating than having a question and not being able to get an answer. Sometimes waiting for a new feature to be added can be maddening. Maybe it is just a case of having a really unique idea from an advertiser shot down because of lack of flexibility in the current product. Or maybe it is due to the fact that this digital edition isn’t optimized for Apple’s mobile products when the other one is...

9. Is mobile optimization an Issue? Digital publishing has witnessed exponential growth recently and one of the leading causes of that growth is the advance of mobile products on the market. Larger screens on smartphones and tablets, increased connection speeds and freely available public wi-fi are driving the mobile web. The growth in mobile web usage is also leading to a growth in mobile platforms and operating systems. Keeping a digital edition accessible on all of the different platforms and operating systems is crucial.

10. Are native Apps an Issue? Native Apps have a market. A big one. According to Apple, as of March 5, 2012 there have been 25 billion App downloads across 315 million iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch users in 123 countries. That’s just Apple’s piece of the pie. Include Google’s Android Market and Amazon’s Kindle market and the figures must be staggering. It is well worth the low cost of entry to enter these markets and place some bait on the end of the line to see if you can generate some nibbles.

11. Are additional features an Issue? There is a lot of functionality available in a great digital publishing software provider. They carry large tool belts that are bound to lead to early arthritis. Providing all of these tools is necessary to help make each publisher’s product as customizable as possible. Refer to our Digital Brochure to see what can be created with digital publishing software that rivals Tim Allen’s.

12. Are margin ads an Issue? It may just be a simple ad in the side margin of a publication. But, it exists, quietly hoping to draw your reader away from your content and into someone else’s. We have clearly identified that ads in a publication require payment but why do ads outside a publication populate at no additional cost? The ad’s content is tied closely into the content in your publication as well. Should the adage ‘Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer’ ring as true as it does? We tend to think it shouldn’t.

Digital Publishing is an effective method of conveying a message to a growing group of digital content consumers. There is no question that reaching out to this growing reader base is essential. Determining how to reach this audience and what solution will create the greatest return for my investment must also be considered. With those factors in mind, I ask ‘Is free the issue?’

Presenting the Presentation Page

Digital Print Media is growing in leaps and bounds (pardon the pun, but it only occurs every four years so you have to be quick or you miss the opportunity). The current success of digital print media is inherently related to the explosion of tech-mobile products as well as the intuitive nature of the product itself. Flip Page editions flip, turn or in some cases swipe rather similar to their paper cousins. Navigating for content has never been a roadblock on the digital print media highway. However, additional tools and features in the ‘unpaper’ version may not be as in intuitive to a new digital reader. In order to maximize the effectiveness of your Flip edition it is advisable to educate your reader of the extensive array of tools available. With educating readers as the primary focus to consider may we present…Presenting the Presentation Page. The presentation page is optionally located in three positions in a Flip Page edition. It can be located on the left side of the front cover, the right side of the back cover or a combination of both. The dimensions of a presentation page are the equivalent dimensions of the publication itself.

In terms of reader education the presentation page provides a number of possibilities. A simple combination of text and graphics will help the reader understand some of the additional tools available outside the typical page flipping options. The content of the publication will determine the tools to highlight for the reader. As an example, a digital catalogue or flyer should explain to the reader how to use the ‘Shopping List’ or ‘Wishlist ‘ functionality whereas a digital textbook may want to focus on the ‘Notes’ and ‘Bookmark’ tools. If the intention is to grab attention and promote retention then we should mention video and audio embedding. Rather than a simple text/graphics introduction why not present the reader with a video or audio track that outlines what is available inside your Flip Page edition. Embedding a video showing the reader how to use the ‘Wishlist’ or ‘Notes’ tools combined with written instruction covers most learning styles. Production value does not need to be the main concern. The goal is to educate the reader – Oscars collect dust too. If the instruction requires more real estate simply link the reader to the back presentation page and make them aware more detail is available.

Although it is our recommendation to warm up a reader to new media there will come a time when the training wheels can be removed. Once the trainers are off there are a number of other applications for the presentation page.

Consider the presentation page prime real estate for an advertiser. Unless prepared otherwise the front cover is the landing page for every viewer of a Flip Page edition. Consider this location a full page ad with guaranteed exposure. Keeping in mind that this page can also include multi-media such as video/audio and it becomes ideal ad space.

Presentation pages are not limited to chalkboards for the unlearned or billboards to earn. A presentation page is a perfect opportunity to welcome a reader to new media. This especially holds true for a Flip Page edition launch. This page may also serve as a location to draw your reader into your content. Serve them up a sample of the content on the presentation page and page jump them over to the rest of the article using a page link. The presentation page may simply be a location to drive home your brand with a large logo and a captive video.

The reality is that the presentation page is a veritable clean slate for creativity. If using digital print media to adapt to the present is a goal make sure to present readers with knowledge they will need to interact successfully.