Today’s market is saturated with different FlipBook solutions and a jungle of technical terms and features. How can you know what is important and what is not when you want to easily make your publications available in a nice page flip format? See here our 5 most important criteria that will help you make an intelligent choice.
1. A CLOUD SERVICE IS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN A DOWNLOADABLE SOFTWARE APPLICATION
Most FlipBook converters require you to download, install, learn and maintain a software application on your computer. This is never a walk in a park but requires you to take the time to learn a new application. The installation and upgrading of the application requires IT skills which may turn into an additional obstacle.
A cloud based solution is instantly ready to use and has an intuitive web interface which only contains the important things that you really need to make an effective FlipBook. Best of all, you always have the latest and fully tested version available and technical support is at hand if you ever run into trouble. With a cloud service you are also not tied to a single computer or location but can work anywhere and anytime. Because of this, we recommend a cloud service rather than desktop application for FlipBook conversion.
2. GUARANTEE ACCESSIBILITY - AVOID FLASH BASED SOLUTIONS
Back in the day all FlipBook solutions were based on the Adobe Flash technology. This means that every reader needed to have the Flash Player plugin installed to be able to open the FlipBook. This was not a problem 10 years ago but is a problem today. Mobile browsers have dropped Flash support many years ago and now also the desktop browsers are doing the same. Not only is the support for the Flash Player rapidly decreasing, it is also seen as a security risk so it is often blocked on purpose.
Since Adobe Flash was the dominating technology for many years there is still today a large amount of FlipBook solutions based on it. Our recommendation is to avoid these and make sure to choose a pure HTML5 solution. A responsive HTML5 based FlipBook will work on all modern browsers and devices without the need for any plugin. This ensures that your FlipBooks are readable by anyone without having to worry about technical issues.
3. THINK AHEAD - CHOOSE A TRUSTED VENDOR WITH A BROAD SERVICE PALETTE
New businesses enter the FlipBook market at a rapid rate. These can be great at doing one thing, but what happens when you suddenly need something more? Say for example that you want to start embedding your marketing videos in your FlipBooks or integrate your online shop for direct sales. What if your chosen vendor does not have a solution for that? Working with several different solutions quickly turns the simple into something complex. Remaking all your existing FlipBooks with a different solution can be a huge task and even harmful to your marketing efforts.
We are not saying you have to look into every possible feature that you probably will never need. Simply think ahead and check that the vendor is able to offer more than what you currently need so there is room for growth and expansion. An experienced vendor with a solid customer base will also provide you with valuable reliability.
4. SEO FRIENDLY AND SHAREABLE FLIPBOOKS HELP YOUR MARKETING
When you use FlipBooks for marketing purposes you want them to be easily found and spread all over the web. Search engine optimization (SEO) and share functionalities are the foundation for this. If your FlipBook is not largely found and read it will not be very successful. You can of course actively promote your FlipBooks but time and money is always a limiting factor here. When search engines like Google find and index your FlipBooks and readers are encouraged to share and embed them, you enable promotion that is not limited only to your own efforts. FlipBook solutions either do or do not have this. All you need to do is know what to ask for and make sure your chosen vendor provides this.
5. MAINTAIN CONTROL OF YOUR CONTENT - BE WARY OF FREE SOLUTIONS
Today you can find a lot of free FlipBook solutions online. These may be good for the casual consumer that just wants to share their content with friends. Even serious publishers may be tempted by the nonexistent price tag, but we urge you to consider what you are giving up by going this route. Most if not all free solutions come with the following drawbacks:
- They include ads and third party content into your publications
- They recommend other publications to the readers
- They limit how much or what you can publish
When the content shown is not 100% your own, you are in a competitive situation. You don’t have your readers’ full attention and may lose them before they even read the first page of your FlipBook. If you spend time and money promoting your FlipBooks and they simply serve as a stepping stone to a third party website you are actually doing the work for someone else.
Your readers click on your FlipBook because they want to view your content. Providing them with a view cluttered with ads, recommendations and third party content is not rewarding your readers for their interest and makes you look unprofessional. By providing your readers with the best possible experience they will thank you and are more likely to turn into loyal fans, supporters and customers.
MAGNET E-PUBLISHING PROVIDES YOU WITH THE FLIPBOOK TOOLS AND KNOW-HOW YOU NEED
With the MagNet e-Publishing cloud service, you can upload your PDF files and have them converted into HTML5 FlipBooks in just a few minutes. If you are trying to figure out a way to increase readers or get your name out there, having a digital interactive magazine on the Internet is definitely a great choice.
Best of all, you do not need to have a lot of skills in Internet technology or know-how to get your own magazine uploaded onto the web. This process is made super easy by the MagNet e-Publishing service which is the top choice when it comes to creating online books, magazines and catalogs. With more than 10 years of experience in FlipBook production, we know what is important and have the skills to provide you with the solutions you need.
Try out the MagNet e-Publishing service.
Your trial ePaper is valid for one week. After this the ePaper will be automatically deleted from our server, but if you like how it works then you can always make a new one!
