Flipboard is a content discovery service for millions of people. But did you know it can also be an important part of your marketing strategy? It’s an effective tool to promote products or services.
As a marketer and digital media professional, I often get asked how to use Flipboard to market a company. Here, I am sharing some of the tips I’ve used over the years for branding success:
1. Start by creating a Flipboard account and a Magazine that represents your brand, dedicated to showcasing your company’s offerings, ethos or story. Pick an engaging title that reflects who you are and addresses your target audience.
Pro Tip: Add a short description that introduces your company and the mission statement. It will help your readers to get to know you.
2. Add articles, blog posts, images, and videos relating to your industry that you see on Flipboard and from across the web.
Pro Tip: I keep a blog for my clients where I publish useful content that centers around the company’s products, and then flip the posts into the Magazine.
3. Make sure you curate high quality content: Be selective. The content you curate should be relevant, informative, and engaging. You want to keep your audience interested.
Pro Tip: If you are selling travel tours, flip articles about useful tips that travelers are looking for. A good example is “cheap fares” or “packing tips.” This type of content is useful for travelers without being “salesy.”
4. Create your own content: It’s always more personal to share your thoughts or your brand’s perspective. Flipboard recently added the ability to write Notes and add photos from your phone to a Magazine.
Pro Tip: Make sure your content is well written. Also pick visually appealing images to enhance your articles. People react positively to content that is visually beautiful and engaging
5. Use relevant keywords in the title and description of your Flipboard Magazine. This will make it discoverable to your target audience.
Pro Tip: The words you use in your title and description don’t just serve as keywords for search, they also provide a signal to Flipboard’s Topic engine.
6. Promote your Magazine by sharing it on your website, social media profiles, and other marketing channels. Also consider investing in Flipboard ads to get more exposure.
Pro Tip: Collaborate with influencers to cross-promote Magazines and expand your reach. Flipboard boasts great user communities that are helpful and supportive. Join a community.
8. Take advantage of Flipboard’s user “comments” and “likes.”. Engage with your audience by responding to comments and thanking users for likes and shares. This will help you build relationships and create a loyal following.
Pro Tip: Also like and comment on content others have flipped into their Magazines. Other Magazines are a great place for content discovery and you can reflip stories from there into your own Magazine. 9. Keep track of your Magazine performance by monitoring Flipboard’s analytics. You will get an understanding of which content resonates with your audience, what works well, and what needs to be improved. Use this data to optimize your Magazine and refine your marketing strategy.
9. Keep track of your Magazine performance by monitoring Flipboard’s analytics and your notifications. You will get an understanding of which content resonates with your audience, what works well, and what needs to be improved. Use this data to optimize your Magazine and refine your marketing strategy.
Pro Tip: If you advertise on Flipboard you will be able to set up UTM links to track your traffic through Google Analytics.
By strategically using Flipboard you can create a content hub that will build brand awareness and drive traffic to your website or online store.
— Janette Speyer is curating AI Thinking
Janette is co-founder and partner of marketing agency Hot Ice Media. She also leads Flipboard User Group, an online community for marketers, publishers, educators and business owners leveraging the power of Flipboard to educate, and build awareness for their education centers and businesses.