Best of Both Worlds
The shift from traditional printed brochures to digital formats is picking up pace and is not looking to slow any time soon. This doesn’t necessarily mean that printed brochures are no longer needed, more like once a printed brochure has been created a digital version is a significant part of the project. The added functionality and interactivity that the digital versions can utilise is growing and their place in digital strategy is assured, as their ability to be shared easily makes their reach almost infinite. How to Utilise Digital Brochures for Effective Marketing?
Understanding Digital Brochures
What is a Digital Brochure? In a previous post, we have gone into great detail about the different types of digital brochures and their different uses, but for this piece, we will stick with the definitions of digital brochures that we use on the website:
Digital PDF Brochures, Interactive PDF Brochures and Digital Online Brochures
Designing Engaging Brochures, Fullstop.
Whether designing a traditional brochure or a Digital Brochure – Creative Design is Key. No amount of clever technology or interactivity will be able to make up for a badly designed brochure. Professionally designed brochures start by defining your target audience and understanding their preferences before anything else. Once the fundamentals are understood then the next stages of incorporating visually appealing graphics, images, and videos can take place, but not before.
The best brochure will be well put together so that content is organized in a way that makes sense to the reader and the flow through the whole publication is intuitive and natural. If a brochure is going to be created for print and digital then layouts will allow for the potential resizing and formats of different screen sizes.
Interactive Elements in Digital Brochures
Once the core elements of the brochure have been considered, only then should you focus on the process of adding interactive features like clickable links, buttons, and navigation. These should naturally complement the underlying design and aid the reader, rather than overwhelm.
Digital brochures also invite the creation of new content or the utilisation of existing audio and video that has been used elsewhere such as websites, social media or presentations. Being able to reuse this form of interactive material helps to improve engagement, improve brand recognition and improve the chances of being shared.
Another way of increasing interactivity and engagement that should be considered is the inclusion of interactive forms, surveys, and quizzes.
Integrating Call-to-Actions (CTAs)
One of the most compelling reasons to create a digital brochure is the ability to place strategically positioned CTAs throughout the document. Any unique hyperlink from the brochure can be tracked and monitored allowing for AB testing of propositions or promotions.
Buttons and Links need to be supported by the right content and tone and by using compelling and action-oriented language will encourage conversions and improve engagement.
Tracking and Analyzing Performance
One of the many benefits of a digital brochure over a traditional brochure is its ability to be edited and updated quickly and efficiently. If you use analytics tools to monitor brochure engagement and conversions, you can very quickly apply this intelligence to amend the brochure and improve engagement, without costly recalls or reprints. Simply replace the file with the most current version and all subsequent downloads will be the most recent version. If the brochure is hosted online then any updates will be seen the next time the brochure is viewed.
By measuring click-through rates, time spent, and user interactions you will be able to compare one brochure with another, one section compared to another or even one spread compared to another. Making these data-driven improvements based on performance insights ensures you can be 100% confident that your brochure is working and delivering on your goals or targets.
Conclusion
There is no escaping the impact that digital brochures can make on your marketing activity and aspirations. The ability to engage and interact with your audience is invaluable and creating a digital version as well as a traditional version means you can broach the gap between on and offline communications.
The opportunities for utilising existing audio and video content improve overall ROI and creates greater brand engagement. The chance to get creative should be grasped and maximised, don’t settle for just a digital version, make sure your digital version is everything it can be and more.
How to Utilise Digital Brochures for Effective Marketing?
We will always emphasise the importance of creativity, interactivity, and data analysis in maximizing the impact of digital brochures. If you want to know more about how we can do that for you, get in touch today.
