As a marketing manager, I often work with various types of content. And PDFs have always been the main format for distributing catalogs, brochures, and other marketing collateral. They can be very handy for some tasks but are not perfect for digital marketing activities.
For example, my brochures and catalogs are often quite large and it’s time-consuming to find a way to send the file and then ask my client to download it. Plus, I never know when my clients open it, what pages they like more, or which ones they skip. So I decided to look for more convenient ways of sharing information with clients. After some research, I found out that I could make my PDFs interactive by turning them into flipbooks. It seemed like a great idea. So I tried several different flipbook makers and finally chose FlippingBook because it suited my needs perfectly. With this tool, I could create a flipbook from my PDF in just a few minutes.
With a flipbook maker, it’s easy to create an interactive PDF from my document and present it in an outstanding way. PDFs are converted into HTML5 flipbooks and become easily accessible both on desktops and mobile devices. FlippingBook allows me to make interactive magazines, catalogs, brochures, ebooks, newsletters, that are easy to track and share them any way I like: via email as a link or embed it into the website. All I need is a ready PDF.
Let me tell you about my experience with FlippingBook. I started to use this tool for creating catalogs for my client. These catalogs are for private usage and I can’t use them as an example. I just downloaded a PDF with recipes from the public source to show you how it all works. So, let me guide you step-by-step through the process of creating an interactive and engaging flipbook.
Step 1. Create an account
FlippingBook provides a free trial for 14 days. For me, it was more than enough to play with the tool and see what it can do. Also, I was pleasantly surprised that they didn’t ask for my credit card details so I was able to set up my account just in a few seconds.
Step 2. Upload a PDF
FlippingBook allows you to upload your own PDF or use a demo PDF. I uploaded an ebook with recipes and in a few minutes, it was converted to the digital flipbook.
Step 3. Customize the flipbook
FlippingBook offers several options to customize the flipbook. You can set your background, add logo, insert videos, links, and more. First of all, I changed the name of my flipbook and selected a ready skin from the menu. Navigation is pretty handy so I didn’t have any problems with the process.
In the right corner of this flipbook, you can see the logo. By default, you have a FlippingBook logo but you can change it in the paid version if needed.
Step 4. Add video and links
I wanted to make my flipbook more interactive and engaging, so I added a video with the recipe. I simply pressed the button ‘Add links/video’ and opened Content Editor.
The next steps were simple. I inserted a video link from YouTube, adjusted the size of the video, and clicked Save. And I got the video that was playing in a pop-up window right within the flipbook.
Step 5. Share the ready flipbook
When my interactive ebook with recipes was ready, I simply shared it as a link via email.
Here it is: https://online.flippingbook.com/view/356510
Also, each flipbook has an embed code so it’s possible to embed it into any website.
Step 6. Generate leads
With FlippingBook, it’s also possible to use ebooks as sales tools. I wanted to see whether my recipe book was opened or not, what pages were seen, and how readers engaged with it. I posted my ebook on the website and collected these stats.
To collect emails from the ebook I added a lead capture form on the page with the recipes. So, to access them, the reader just had to provide their email.
Example with a lead capture form: https://online.flippingbook.com/view/356510/8
Step 7. Protect PDF from copying and sharing
Last, but not least. I realized that with flipbooks it’s much easier to protect content than with PDFs. I disabled sharing and downloading options in my flipbook so nobody could copy my content. Also, there was an option to protect my flipbook with the password so that only select viewers could have access to it. Here’s how it looks.
Final thoughts
I was surprised that creating a flipbook turned out to be an effortless and pleasant process. Eventually, I had some fun while creating my flipbook. The tool works seamlessly, navigation is user-friendly.
I tried different features and found them useful for me. Built-in statistics is a very handy assistant. It’s simple and easy to understand compared to Google Analytics that requires more time and skills. Also, I finally understood how my readers interact with the ebook. For example, pages with videos are the most viewable and most of my readers skip introduction pages. Now I know how to change my documents to get the most of them. What’s more, flipbooks simplify the sharing process. What can be easier than copying and sending a link?
Flipbooks can bring your content to another level and make the delivery process easier. With them, you get more chances to present your documents at their best, engage your audience, and boost sales.
So, why not give it a try?
