Trial a digital publishing platform to gauge reader interest

Making the decision to publish your content online is important in terms of how your digital publication matches your goals for your business. Whether you are a newspaper who wants to increase your local readership with special offers in an online edition, or a small business that wants to get the word out about your products and services to your ideal customer, knowing what options best fit your needs in the digital space is key to optimizing your online marketing goals.

Here are three FREE ways to test out the right solution for your specific content in the digital space:

1. Hold A Contest For Your Ideal Reader

Whether you are a newspaper, a small business or a magazine publisher, one way to test your content in the digital space from a marketing standpoint is to find a digital publishing platform that lets you upload a free trial (Realview Digital has one called Realview Rapid.) and use that free trial to hold a contest designed specifically for your ideal reader.

If you are a newspaper or magazine, think specific niche sections within your publication, such as the wedding section or automobile section, and hold a contest specifically for those readers. Advertise it in your print edition and hold it online. If you are a small business think about the one specific product or service you want your ideal customer to learn more about and hold a contest for that online that lets the customer learn more about it and a chance to win it for free. Place the contest in a digital brochure and track how many of your ideal customers open and share it.

2. Create A One-Time Digital Brochure

Creating a digital brochure for your publication or business allows you to market your brand online in ways you could never do in print. Find a digital publishing company that allows you to create one for free (Realview Digital lets you do this on our Realview Rapid portal), and give your readers an incentive to read it and share it online. If you are a newspaper, perhaps create a brochure that advertises a wedding event you are hosting, and give your soon-to-be brides an incentive to share it with their friends. If you have a small business, you can do the same with a special offer. Implement a feature that lets your readers share it via social media and track how many new readers you get as a result. If it works well, you can use it again and again!

3. Create A Special Edition

Newspapers and magazines do this all the time, but now small businesses can do it too with digital publishing. Consider how effective a special edition can be as it focuses on one particular topic. You can create this as a small business for one product or service you want to highlight. Create a small magazine, 10-20 pages, and upload it to a free trial digital publishing platform. From there you can use it as a marketing tool to help drive sales to your site, and if it works you can repeat this every couple of months to give your customers something special to expect from your brand.

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