The Power of Interactive PDFs in Affordable Digital Marketing

From social media to search engine optimization (SEO), affordable digital marketing options positively abound. This may be a boon for business owners and marketers alike but it also presents a problem: How can you possibly stand out in the constant flood of content marketing people are exposed to daily?

The answer is by leveraging interactive PDFs in your marketing strategy.

Come again? Yes: PDFs have gone from the buttoned-up file format typically associated with contracts to live, electrifying entities that can help you get your name out and stick with your target audience—primarily by providing them with the opportunity to engage directly with your content.

10 affordable digital marketing ideas using interactive PDFs

New to the concept of interactive PDFs? You’re not alone. Most of us are accustomed to using traditional PDFs, or Portable Document Formats, for delivering white papers or, say, reading manuscripts.

Interactive PDFs, on the other hand, incorporate everything we love about modern media: audio, images, videos, gifs, clickable buttons, links that tantalize, and pages that flip.

They’re akin to an immersive website but are beautifully contained in a streamlined document. And by drawing from a whole palette of media choices, you’ll appeal to a broader range of people with different preferences. Even better? You might boost your chances of making an impression: Research indicates that dynamic content is considered 52.6% more engaging. Above all, interactive PDFs are one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies available.

With that in mind, consider the following for your next marketing campaign:

1. Interactive catalogs and brochures – Interactive catalogs and brochures are a gold standard for both big and small businesses. Whether you’re a real estate agent or you run a boutique jewelry line, interactive PDFs allow you to display your products and services in action through gifs and videos. This allows for a more vibrant and compelling experience. Shoppable links, pop-up images, and a simplified buying process round out the allure of these formats.
2. Educational ebooks and guides – ebooks and guides have long been a natural fit for traditional PDFs, but their appeal skyrockets with the inclusion of interactive features. With or without the bells and whistles, educational ebooks and guides offer a number of perks for small businesses, including:
   • Enhanced brand awareness
   • Increased “warm” leads (meaning: you’ll provide valuable insights in exchange for your customer’s email address and/or phone number)
   • Bolstered credibility and authority
3. Interactive newsletters – Interactive newsletters take the static text-and-image newsletters of yore and turn them into an inviting (and involved) experience. This is accomplished by asking users to tap, swipe, watch, listen, and otherwise interact with your newsletter. This may draw your customers deeper into your content and give them a more memorable experience.
4. Infographics and visual data reports – It’s hardly news that we’ve become a predominately visual population. Data supports this, with reports suggesting that a single image may resonate more than 1,000 words with 40% of viewers. What’s more, marketers across the board say that infographics perform best in visual marketing. Both infographics and visual data reports are apt for interactive PDFs and can easily make them all the more captivating.
5. Workbooks and templates – Workbooks and templates may not immediately spring to mind when you’re brainstorming ideas for digital marketing on a budget. Yet, both can be a windfall for solopreneurs who are building a brand that’s based on their clients’ contributions (such as life coaches), as well as authors and educators. Incorporating both the basic elements of PDFs, like fillable forms, with the more spellbinding elements of interactive PDFs offers a flat-out more enjoyable experience.
6. Portfolios and case studies – Portfolios and case studies are a timeless method of showcasing your company’s experience and proven success. Add the visually enthralling components of interactive PDFs to the mix and you may be a step ahead of your competition.
7. Instructional manuals and tutorials – Similar to infographics and visual data reports, instructional manuals and tutorials can offer customers indispensable information about your business’s products and services. Interactive PDFs modernize both. They might also help you cultivate trust with consumers while giving them a more thorough understanding of your offerings.
8. Event invitations and programs – Whether you’re hosting a soft opening for your restaurant or offering a sale for loyalty members, event invitations and programs are given fresh life when they’re delivered in an interactive PDF. You might choose to include a song that captures the theme of your event, or a video of last year’s shenanigans. Either way, you’ll bless consumers with a more playful experience—and potentially build anticipation.
9. Feedback and survey forms – Customer feedback enables you to gather insights into your efforts and make adjustments to improve your products, services, and customer relations. In turn? You may bolster customer satisfaction and increase retention. One of the biggest perks of using interactive PDFs for feedback and survey forms is that it allows you to implement your brand’s logo, colors, and overall vibe. That alone may guarantee an answer (and further elevate your visibility).
10. Promotional coupons and offers – It’s estimated that the average consumer sees somewhere between 4,000 and 10,000 promotions per day. Break away from the crowd by delivering yours to select consumers through an enticing interactive PDF that inspires excitement.

Best practices for creating engaging interactive PDFs

Intrigued by the idea of enhancing customer engagement with PDFs? Consider these top tips:

• Select a template that aligns not only with your brand but also with your marketing campaign and specific format (such as an ebook).
• Customize your interactive PDF to reflect your brand’s image with your company’s colors, logo, and theme.
• Select which elements are appropriate for your particular campaign. Audio may work brilliantly in an event invitation but feel wholly out of place in a case study.

Distributing your interactive PDFs for maximum reach

Part of the beauty of using PDFs in content marketing is that they can be employed across channels ranging from social to email. Business owners and marketers typically convert their work into an HTML document—essentially, a link that can be shared and interacted with immediately by your customers. This can then be placed everywhere from an Instagram post to a blog post.

Maximizing business growth with affordable digital marketing

The very term “digital marketing” might evoke a vast plan that requires equally vast amounts of cash. But that needn’t be the case if you have a DIY spirit, a can-do attitude, and a willingness to implement new strategies—like interactive PDFs that give consumers a fresh, engrossing experience.

Indeed, interactive PDF benefits for small businesses run the gamut. From strengthening your consumers’ knowledge through product tutorials to sharing your company’s latest achievements in an interactive newsletter, they can add dynamism and flair to your materials.

FLIPpages simplifies and invigorates the process. Our DIY interactive PDFs let you customize your publications and share them with ease. Plus, our platform is incredibly user-friendly. Translation? A shorter distance between you and consumer interest.

See for yourself by starting your free trial today.