Now that you’ve got a Dirxion digital edition, how can you ensure that it gets the proper attention of your audience? Excellent question. Here we’ll help you navigate some tried-and-true practices and essential promotion tactics that should be part of any successful online publication strategy.
Integrate your digital edition into your current social media strategies
Your digital edition is social network friendly, which means you can easily create links to your digital edition from your favorite social networks like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and more. Actively integrating digital editions into your existing social media strategy will offer visitors both new and old, quick access to your brand and will help increase reader interest and grow your online business.
And don’t forget that once inside your digital edition, users will be able to share your interactive publication on their favorite social networks by utilizing our “share” feature. So … use social media to circulate your digital edition to your customers, and then let your customers start circulating it for you. That’s working smart.
Facebook – Does your company have a fan page? Then be sure to post a link to your newest digital edition on your wall or to the sidebar of your profile page. You can even integrate your entire digital edition into your page by utilizing our Facebook App. And don’t forget to periodically include links to interesting digital edition articles or new products and announce the latest issue in your status updates. According to a Retail Omnibus study conducted by Morpace Inc., nearly 70 percent of consumers said a positive referral from a “friend” on Facebook would positively influence their purchase decision.
Twitter – Twitter is a powerful tool for promoting your digital edition, your content and communicating with your audience. While you’re tweeting, make sure to drop an occasional link to your digital edition pages. It’s a great way for new followers to not only get the information they were after, but also become more familiar with your company and your publication.
LinkedIn – Although status updates may not be followed by “connections” quite as diligently in LinkedIn as other networks, their are plenty of other ways to communicate with your audience. Many publishers (especially b-2-b publishers) have created groups with open discussions and news updates about their industry. Including links to articles of interest, providing “Answers” with links to articles and announcing new publications can be a great way of keeping your connections up-to-date with your publication.
YouTube and Flickr – Some of our clients use images and videos to promote their products on YouTube and Flickr. Don’t forget to include links to relevant catalog pages or magazine articles that use those images / video. If a customer liked what they saw on Flickr or YouTube, then they might just like to read about it, too.
Deliver targeted email campaigns with a clear call to action
An interactive publication is an asset; promote it to your customers via email campaigns. Send an email prior to launch as a teaser and then send another to launch your digital edition to your targeted audience, making sure to highlight some of the hottest content in the digital edition to prompt clickthroughs.
Don’t have the resources to build an email campaign on your own? No worries – we have a dedicated team to fully execute an e-mail marketing campaign for you! Our SmartMail program is one of the most valuable ways to reach your customers. Designed to extend the reach and increase the usage of our clients’ valuable digital publications, SmartMail allows you to easily deliver your digital publication into the hands of those that matter most. We are typically able to deliver the digital publication to inboxes before your printed publication even hits the streets! Our results speak for themselves. Since the e-mail program’s inception, our clients have seen an average clickthrough rate of 17% and overall online publication usage increase by 27%!
Advertise on external sites
Create a banner ad that notifies people about your interactive, online version, and use the banner in an ad campaign on verticals, local businesses (news stations, chambers of commerce, newspapers, real estate companies), industry blogs, etc. You can also generate an Adwords campaign for additional exposure on external sites.
Include a direct link to your digital edition within your email signature
That way, every outbound email you send will be an advertisement for your digital edition. Simple, creative, and free!
Provide above-the-fold visibility on your homepage
Featuring your digital publication in a prominent position on your home page will naturally grab the attention of your customers. Our research shows that displaying a thumbnail of the digital publication on your home page increases publication use by 21%. And if you really want your publication to make a splash, we recommend any links or banners to the digital edition be placed along the Z-Layout path of your website.
Advertise your digital edition in your printed publication
See a big bang for your buck when you advertise in your printed publication. You’ll reach your entire distribution list at almost no additional cost to you. Be sure to let your print subscribers know all about the benefits of using the digital version – quick search, immediate access, direct click to order, easy to share with friends, video/audio for deeper product info, etc.
Provide the option to view your digital edition in lieu of ordering a printed copy
This provides your customers with immediate access to what they wanted, and could drive repeat traffic if they start using it. Our studies show that one out of three people will choose the digital edition of your publication over the printed version. Additionally, offering a digital version of your publication will appeal to the increasingly “green” consumer.
Offer incentives for using your digital edition
Everyone loves a discount. Why not encourage your customers to browse the digital publication and then reward them with a discount toward their next online purchase? Or, provide exclusive content in your digital version.
Adopt a few of the promotional strategies mentioned here, and we guarantee you’ll not only keep your readers engaged with your publication but flocking to your Dirxion digital edition.
Have you had success promoting your digital edition? Feel free to share your results or other promotional ideas by adding a comment below.
