How to use your digital magazine for content marketing

Simply apply your digital magazine in the best imaginable way for your content marketing. This „Tips & Tricks“article will give you an understanding of how to get the most out of your content.

Content marketing is known as the key to successfully winning online customers. Before we devote ourselves to the important question of how you can optimal use your digital magazine for your content marketing it’s important to define what content marketing is, why it is so fundamental and what is important regarding content marketing strategies in advance.

What is content marketing? 

Content marketing is a strategy to produce and publish your content. The purpose of this content is to inform your target groups and present yourself as a trustful and confident expert. Content marketing is also known as the way to build and care for your online community.

Great content marketing attracts potential customers - for this reason it is also called pull-marketing. Good content is in great demand because it provides inspiration or even represents the solution to a problem. Therefor great content is consumed and often shared voluntarily.

Why is content marketing so important? 

The essential advantage of content marketing: It helps you selling your offers without becoming a seller right away. Great content sells for you - because you point out how good your services or your products are by presenting good content.

Another amazing advantage of content marketing is that it helps to keep potential customers warm. Those who are not yet interested in buying. Most people are not quite ready to buy when they visit your website for the first time. They need more relevant information.

Great content proves expertise and establishes trust. Note: It’s not only about your own products, but also about showing that your business is able to "objectively" contribute to issues relating to the topic and that you are a serious dialogue partner at eye level.

What is important in a content marketing strategy? 

Articles, videos and podcasts are the most common used formats. Texts are classic and probably make up the bulk of your content marketing strategy. Useful articles that are search engine optimized are loved by both: your readers and Google, too.

For this strategy to work, you must first put the fear of revealing too much of your expertise for free to the side. If your content is helpful and maybe even solves a problem, you have proven your expertise and your readers will be glad to return. Therefor the top priority of any great content marketing strategy should be to help.

To win customers with content marketing, pay heed to the following:  

• Create inspiring content that solves a problem, informs honestly and helps
• Make sure your content will be visible and found by your readers
• Inform your readers about your content on a regular base  
• Interact with your readers and others within your topic area, e.g. answer their questions, respond to comments, or even take part in current debates.

Content marketing with digital publications 

In the past, publications e.g. customer magazines, brochures, etc. were separate units which were either sent as a total unit (print) or put online as a total unit (PDF). That was it. No further distribution, no further use, no evaluation - and therefore no great knowledge production.

Many businesses present their content in blogs. By doing so the connecting character, which is often crucial for the context and trust of readers, might be lost. With digital magazines, content marketers now have new options: 

• The „magazine character“ is also transferred online, but each article in the magazine will still be able to be called up individually and used separately. 
• Digital magazines are responsive - which means that they can be read by their readers on any device optimally. Best case scenario: The magazines are browser-based and no additional app is required. The magazine simply opens in the browser.
• All your user data can be evaluated by using integrated analysis tools. This is how you’ll find out what your readers really care about. In real time you will be shown how many people read your customer magazine, which articles are being read more often than others and which are clicked less often. Also you will be informed about the device type and if they click your call-to-action buttons. 
• Interactive elements such as galleries, videos & widgets will keep your readers in the ecosystem or could lead them to Facebook & Co., which is where you will be able to interact with them. Like this the virtual visit to your company becomes even more informative and personal. 

How to get the most out of your digital magazine 

The advantages of digital publications are obvious. You have now created your digital customer magazine or brochure. While the process of printed publications is finalized after they have been sent to the customer, digital magazines are offering plenty options to make more out of your content now.

How to make the most of your digital magazines:

• Be aware that every single article in your magazine is an independent piece of content free to use in your content marketing strategy. Integrate all articles in your editorial plan or pass the links on to your social media colleagues.
• Spread your magazine on all of your channels that make sense. For example on your social media channels, via email and on your website. Like videos, also magazines can be presented appealingly on websites by using an embed code.
• On your social media channels one magazine can be shared multiple times. Each article in your digital magazine can be shared individually via Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter & Co. Multiple spreading does also work through email.
• Because each article of your digital magazine got its own URL, it can also be searched for and found individually by using search engines such as Google. Make sure your articles are optimized for search engines regarding content and technology. Like this you are able to reach people who didn’t  know anything about you before, but are interested in your topics or are searching for solutions.
  
  Activating your digital magazines for search engines can also be a great opportunity to still use your content after the actual lead generation, for example with white papers.
• Set specific goals for your entire publication and for individual articles as well. For example: a certain average reading time should be achieved or that readers should click a certain button that leads to a specific product.
  
  Now guide your readers through your content in a way that makes you achieve your goals. If you want your readers to notice as many articles as possible make it easy for them to turn the page. For example by teasing the next article at the end of each article and encourage them to click further. For example, if you want a certain article to be read very often, link it to as many places as possible in your magazine. If you need a certain button to be clicked, highlight it.
• Don't think of your magazine as a print edition (anymore) – use the digital possibilities. Integrate videos, display images in galleries, use call-to-action button. Everything your readers already know from your online appearance, they want to find again in your magazine.
  
  At the same time, take advantage of the simplicity by making options easier. Is it your goal to get readers to register for a webinar? Integrate the registration mask directly into the magazine. Do you refer to a phone number to be called? Link the number so your readers can call them immediately using smartphone with just one click.
• Don't "just" think online, but also include the entire customer journey. Use a QR code to refer from to your online magazine: from the print version, in stores, or even on documents (e.g. invoices). This is how you take your offline contacts on to your digital, reasonable customer journey.
• Evaluate your magazine. Take a closer look at which articles are being read how often and where your readers might jump off. Try to understand the path of your readers and draw your conclusions.
  
  Has a specific article been read a lot because there are many links to it in your magazine? Or maybe because you shared it a lot? Do your readers leave the magazine particularly often for a certain article? How does this happen? Maybe because there is a link in this article which leads readers out of the magazine? Because the readers think that nothing will come after that? Or simply because the article isn't really informative?

Conclusion

Content marketing is becoming more important for businesses. As well is the structuring of different channels and content strategies. Because nowadays companies have to deal with their customers and their concerns at eye level.

Digital magazines represent an important part in content marketing strategies. They meet all the requirements for an optimal content marketing instrument: they are responsive, interactive and evaluable. Thanks to digital options, magazines can be freshly thought and used in the customer journey.