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1. Digital Publishing
The check-list you must
go through, before going
for a digital publishing
solution

2. Hello there!
It is known that the digital market has grown considerably in the last few
years. This is because more and more businesses are starting to go online
also – and for some good and strong
reasons.
Of, course everyone wants to take their businesses into the
online world.
The question is where to start and what exactly should you look for, when
you want to go for a digital publishing solution for your business.
We have created a helpful checklist for you!
Enjoy!

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1.Self-Service of Full Service?
In the digital publishing industry, there are two popular
solutions : The Self Service and the Full Service. Each of
them has advantages of its own – choosing one depends
on you and your business.
What does Self-Service mean?
The Self-Service solution is providing you with a software which you can use
in-house. By using this solution, you and your team will have full-access to the
software and to each publication which you are creating. You can modify and
add inside your e-publication anything, at any given time with your team.
What does Full-Service mean?
The full-Service solutions means that the programmers and designers of the
digital publishing company chosen by you will do all the work
involved in the process of creating an e-publication. All that you have to do
is come up with all the data and they will create everything for you after your
specifications.

4. 2. Availability: will your e-publications
be available on mobile devices and
tablets?

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Availability on mobile devices, smart phones
and tablets is becoming more important as
months are passing.
Because we are living in a high-speed world
lately – most of the people prefer to take content and information with
them, on the go.
When going for a digital publishing solution you will have to think that your
readers and audience can access it by PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android
devices and other tablet and mobile devices.
As more and more devices are being used by the general audience, digital
publishing has adapted also. If before most of the solutions used Flash to
create dynamic content (but which was not available on iPhones and iPads)
now some of them are also using HTML5 which can be viewed on all devices.
When looking for a digital publishing solution –
remember to check out this important detail also.

6. 3. Features and functionalities
The features and functionalities are a very important area for you to make
research.
You will have to be attentive to the features that e-publishing solutions are giving
you. These must be the features that you are thinking to offer to your audience.
The best way for you to decide is to create a list of what would you like to offer to
your readers and then compare it to what each solution is offering you.
The features and functionalities you may want to think about and add to your list
would be:
a). Interactive and dynamic content.
b). Videos.
c). Sounds.
d). Links.
e). Social Media and sharing options.
f). Availability on multiple devices.
g). Small online games and surveys.
h). Interactive contests.
i). Statistics (which will help you to know them better).

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4. Customization and Branding
A very important thing is to make your digital publications reflect your
brand and identity.
And more than that – you have to make sure that your e-publication will promote
your brand successfully.
Here are some things a digital publishing software must provide for you and your
brand:
a). Customization of the waiting logo, background and buttons.
b). Customization of the layout of the document (A4, Landscape, etc.).
c). If you are promoting more services under different names within your brand,
logos and other features should be also available for being changed.
d). Page and data replacement when needed (when
things are changing within your company, they must
change in your e-publication too – like offers and
relevant company information which you are making public).

8. 5. Tracking and analytics
In order for you to understand your audience and find out their needs tracking
and analytics may also be something you have to look out for in a digital
publishing solution.
These features will allow you to see how many people have visited your
e-publication, how many clicks were made and where.
This is a great tool in determining the strong points in your digital publication and
in improving.

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6. Will they give it for a test?
Testing the solution is practiced especially in the case of
the Self-Service and it should be Free!
This Free test should give you access to all the tools which you will get when
purchasing the solution.
Training should also be provided in order for you to be properly
introduced – ask them about training and also ask if there are any fees involved.
In the Full-Service case there are some e-publishing companies which will create
a Free Demo on your PDF in order to show you how your publication will look like
in digital format.

10. 7. How about support?
When evaluating a provider – always check out their support.
You will need it – especially at the beginning.
Check out how quick they are replying to your e-mails and their overall attitude –
you wouldn`t like to work with grumpy people, do you?
Once you are deciding for a solution – the support team will be your contact for
any questions or eventual difficulties.
Very important – Ask if the support is included in the software`s price!
Also – ask for manuals and video tutorials that can be of help for you in the
process of working with the digital publishing software.

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You can find out more about
digital publishing by accessing
these links:
Differences between Self-Service and Full Service –
Actionpaper Blog
How to use social media in the benefit of your e-publication
and business.
Publishing on iPad – find out more about iPad Native and
Web apps for e-publishing.
www.actionpaper.net