Ditch PDF static material today! With world-class expertise and a proven track record from some of the biggest global brands, we are excited to introduce you to the future of digital content – Interactive Flipbooks!
Before diving into the concept of an Interactive Flipbook, let’s take a moment to reflect on PDFs. They’ve been around for a while, which brings us to an important question: When was the last time you downloaded a PDF? Did you actually read it and save it? Do you find yourself reopening it often?
The truth is, PDFs are static, can be a little difficult to engage be and truth to be told, a little outdated. PDFs only allow readers, such as yourself, to view the content but you can’t really interact with them. This lack of interactivity means PDFs can’t capture reader behaviour or preferences, offer personalised experiences, or engage readers beyond basic reading.
After all, the average human attention span is only 8.25 seconds. Now imagine if there is a way to transform your content into something far more engaging. That’s where Interactive Flipbooks come in. Converting PDFs into Interactive Flipbooks, or creating them from scratch, has become increasingly popular. Companies are adapting to their audiences by offering content that is not only interactive but also visually appealing, providing a more engaging and immersive experience for readers.
In this blog post, we’ll give you a comprehensive guide to everything you need to know about Interactive Flipbooks.
- What is a Flipbook?
- What is an Interactive Flipbook?
- Why use Interactive Flipbooks?
- Benefits of Interactive Flipbooks
- How to Make your Flipbooks Interactive
- Types of Interactive Flipbooks
- Interactive Flipbook Examples from Different Industries
- Interactive Flipbooks Software Solutions
What is a Flipbook?
A flipbook is a digital piece of content that resembles a physical book. Readers flip through the pages of the flipbook directly on your website. It is an innovative way to present content that replaces PDFs and other types of paper-based content like magazines, reports and brochures or catalogs.
What is the difference between a flipbook and an Interactive Flipbook? An Interactive Flipbook is an online flipbook that contains several Interactive Experiences that keep your readers engaged.
Want to learn more about the endless opportunities of transforming your static material such as magazines, reports, brochures and catalogs into engaging online content? Read our Interactive Flipbook Guide and discover how!
What is an Interactive Flipbook?
Now that we have answered the question, “What is a Flipbook?”, we can dive into the definition of an Interactive Flipbook. An Interactive Flipbook is an Interactive Experience that looks like an online book or magazine. Readers can turn the pages and flip through it just as they would with a printed version.
Moreover, Interactive Flipbooks contain engaging formats like games, videos, and quizzes. These encourage visitors to interact with the digital flipbook and, thus, your brand. Organisations use Interactive Flipbooks for a variety of reasons. For example, an eCommerce company might use one as a product catalog to showcase their products.
Another example is, a SaaS company could use an Interactive Flipbook as an eBook to teach their target audience about a specific subject related to their business. Second example is an entrepreneur could display their expertise using an Interactive Flipbook as a brochure. Any large company could use an Interactive Flipbook to create a stunning annual report for its board members. The possibilities are endless, which is why this type of Interactive Content is so valuable!
Why Interactive Flipbooks?
Customers want to receive personalisation and engagement to remain loyal to specific brands. This trend requires companies to adapt by providing better content. As a result of the quickly changing customer expectations, many diverse types of Interactive Content have gained popularity over the last few years. An astonishing 90% of marketers state that interactive tools help their companies stand out from the competition and convert more customers. Organisations can use interactivity to improve the performance of any document or ebook. An Interactive Flipbook about the company’s history, for example, is far more intriguing than several dry lines of text. The options are endless, and we hope you manage to unfold your creativity after familiarising yourself with the examples in this Interactive Flipbook guide.
Interactive Flipbook Benefits
Since Interactive Flipbooks are so popular, many companies have started to flip their old and boring PDFs into stunning Interactive Flipbooks. But why are they making the switch? Well, here are four reasons turning your PDF into a flipbook is a great choice:
1. Increase engagement with interactivity
In an Interactive Flipbook, as opposed to in a PDF, you can add as many Interactive Experiences as you want. As a result, rather than passively reading your PDF, readers interact with your online flipbook. They answer questions in a quiz, click on hotspots to learn more about your products, and collect points in a game. These Interactive Experiences boost engagement rates, create memorable and personalised experiences for the viewers.
2. Grow your email list with lead forms
With an Interactive Flipbook, you can also add gated lead forms to grow your email list. For example, you can add a gated lead form for specific sections or Interactive Experiences. Therefore, if the readers want to play the Spot the Difference game you added to your digital flipbook, they will have to fill out the form. After all, it is an amazing way to collect new leads that you can use later in your sales funnel.
3. Boost sales
You can boost sales by joining product information pop-ups to your Interactive Flipbooks. Pop-up pages are a great feature of this type of Interactive Experience. When using them, customers can learn more about specific products or services that are interesting to them without leaving the flipbook. You can also allow readers to add products to their shopping baskets for eCommerce purposes. Incorporating a shopping option in your flipbook accelerates the decision-making process.
Interactive Content generates twice as many conversions as passive content. Do not miss the opportunity to double your sales with an Interactive Flipbook!
4. Capture data insights
Finally, one of the greatest benefits of turning your PDF into an Interactive Flipbook is the possibility to capture data insights. You can use these insights to understand better how things are performing and optimise your Interactive Experience. For example, you can track who reads your flipbook, how long they read it, where they click, what Interactive Experiences they interact with, and many other data points.
5. Improve brand experience
An Interactive Flipbook can help you improve your brand experience in many ways. Providing an Interactive Experience will keep your visitors engaged and attached to your brand. Furthermore, the visual dashboards and reports allow you to track your performance. Therefore, you can work towards optimising the experience based on your customers’ interactions and preferences. For example, you might discover that most of the readers tend to skip one of the pages. This insight will help you improve the page and adapt it to your customer’s journey.
These are just a few of the many advantages of transforming your static documents into Interactive Flipbooks. Ultimately, by catering to shorter attention spans, you’ll enhance communication with your customers, employees, and overall audience.
5 Examples of Interactive Experiences to add to your Interactive Flipbook
What is a flipbook without a few interactive elements to fully engage your customers? There are many types of Interactive Experiences you can add to a Flipbook. Again, the possibilities are endless. However, we highlighted some of the most common experiences you can use.
Related: 6 Stunning Interactive Flipbook examples you need to try
1. Polls
Polls are a highly engaging experience for your flipbook because people often like to compare themselves with others. Therefore, adding a poll will generate a lot of engagement. Moreover, you can use the results to learn more about your customers and their preferences.
For instance, you could ask your customers what dress they prefer between choice #1 and choice #2. Another example could be asking your customers about the most important criteria when looking for a new CRM system (a. the price, b. the integrations, c. the features, etc.).
Another advantage of using polls in an Interactive Flipbook could be increasing employee satisfaction. If you replace static learning documents with Interactive Flipbooks, your staff will be more engaged. Moreover, adding polls to encourage interaction is among the best HR practices for making your work culture thrive.
Would you like to see an example of a poll?
2. Marketing Games
Games are always fun, or at least they should be. Adding Marketing Games to your Interactive Flipbook is a great way to encourage your customers to flip through the entire experience. The funnier you make it; the more visitors want to continue interacting with it. Funny games can include turning a Wheel of Fortune or doing a quiz to get a discount. If the games are entertaining and the reward is well-received, your audience might share your Interactive Flipbook on social media. Therefore, you will generate more awareness.
Take a look at this example of a Marketing Game:
3. Interactive Calculators
Adding an Interactive Calculator to your flipbook makes the experience engaging and insightful. Imagine replacing long text explaining complex terms with a calculator that delivers numeric results and invites users to participate actively.
An Interactive Calculator allows readers to input specific data and receive tailored outputs, such as cost estimates or product recommendations, directly within the flipbook context. This makes the content more relevant and actionable and helps in decision-making processes. For businesses, it’s a powerful tool to capture leads and gather insights into customer preferences and behaviours, ultimately driving conversions and customer satisfaction.
4. Quizzes
Quizzes are always a favourite of customers. They can be used in many places in an Interactive Flipbook since there are different types of quizzes. Moreover, quizzes are an excellent way to increase your engagement rate and get social shares.
Below you can find the best types of quizzes to include in an Interactive Flipbook.
Diagnostic quizzes
Diagnostic quizzes help your customers to find solutions for what they are looking for. For example, you could have a quiz to help customers find the best product for their hair or help them identify which antivirus is best for them, depending on their usage.
Buzzfeed style quizzes
You can include Buzzfeed-style quizzes to entertain your readers. They don’t have the goal to inform customers or to target them more efficiently; they simply make your Interactive Flipbook more entertaining. It could be anything like, “How many plants can you identify?”. Of course, the quiz should be relevant to your product offerings, so avoid making a quiz about plants if you are not selling any.
Personality quizzes
Personality quizzes are often a favourite of customers because they help them learn more about themselves. The trick here is to link the results with your products. For example, you could have the following test: “Find the perfect little black dress for yourself”, where the results would suggest a specific dress from your product catalog.
IQ or knowledge quizzes
This kind of quiz is excellent if you sell a specific type of product that customers are passionate about (e.g., plants, board games, a marketing solution for marketers, etc.). Your customers will love to be able to test their skills in your Interactive Flipbook.
For example, if you have an online board games shop, you could include a quiz about the rules of Monopoly or Munchkin. If you are selling a SaaS, you could evaluate your visitors’ expertise on specific subjects related to your product offering.
Try this Trivia Quiz as an example:
5. Interactive Video
Interactive Videos are also a fantastic addition to any Interactive Flipbooks. Why? Because some viewers will get tired of reading content. With this in mind, mixing different content types is an excellent way of making your experience less monotonous and more entertaining.
There are diverse types of Interactive Videos you can add to an Interactive Flipbook, depending on its purpose.
Shoppable Videos
If the goal of your Interactive Video is to display your products, then you should consider adding a shoppable video to your flipbook. In Shoppable Videos, you can visually and appealingly advertise your products while allowing customers to click on elements that are interesting to them and buy them on the spot. Great, right!
Interactive Sales Consultation
Another great Interactive Video to add to your Interactive Flipbook is an Interactive Sales Consultation video. In this type of video, you open a dialog with your viewers where you ask them questions about their needs, and you reply to them with pre-recorded answers. Interactive Sales Consultations are suitable for most B2B companies or B2C companies with complex products.
Gamified Interactive Video
If you want to use an Interactive Video to entertain and boost engagement in your Interactive Flipbook, consider adding a Gamified Interactive Video. You can simultaneously highlight your products or services and delight viewers with a small quiz or a game.
Not sure what is an Interactive Video yet? Check it out below in the example below!
Furthermore, you can use Guided Selling and Product Catalogs to shorten the decision-making process. Have a look at our marketplace to discover all the Interactive Experiences you can add to make your flipbook interactive and more engaging.
Types of Interactive Flipbooks
Companies can use Interactive Flipbooks for many different purposes and target audiences. Every written document can be enhanced with interactive elements. Therefore, there is no limit to what you can use a flipbook for.
We will give a brief description of the seven most common types of Interactive Flipbooks that you boost customer engagement with. Depending on your purpose, you can pick one or more flipbook types and create more visually appealing content for your website.
1. Interactive eBook
Interactive eBooks combine text, images, and video with rich interactive elements. Companies use this type of flipbook to present essential information in a more engaging way compared to regular eBooks. You can add polls, quizzes, assessments, surveys, and Interactive Videos to your eBook to transform it into a truly interactive piece of content. An Interactive eBook is suitable for the real estate, finance, technology, and education industries.
2. Interactive Lookbook
A lookbook is a visual and capturing way of displaying product offerings online. Adding interactivity to a lookbook drives customer engagement and sales. The reason for this is the active participation of the viewer. Interactive Lookbook examples include lookbooks with clickable images, opt-in forms, quizzes, and shoppable videos.
Interactive Lookbooks are perfect for the fashion and sports industries. You can convert your product catalogs into digital lookbooks to showcase your seasonal fashion collections. As a result, you will achieve maximum customer engagement.
3. Product Catalogs
A digital Product Catalog (also known as Interactive Product Catalog) is a flipbook where you showcase your products. Going beyond a traditional static catalog, you can add interactive elements like clickable hotspots, Marketing Games with discount code rewards, and “add-to-cart” buttons.
4. Interactive Magazine
An Interactive Magazine replaces standard magazines and creates active participation among your readers. This flipbook example is applicable to the retail industry, as it allows you to display information about products, employees, updates, news, celebrities, and many more.
5. Interactive Manual
Product manuals usually include highly technical information, which makes them tedious and boring. An Interactive Manual, on the contrary, requires the active participation of the reader. The result is a happy customer who is going through product training in a fun way.
6. Interactive Recipe Book
Although filled with diverse colourful photos, cooking books can be monotonous. An Interactive Recipe Book has interactive elements that keep the reader engaged in the process. You can make the experience more exciting for the users by adding clickable images and Interactive Videos.
7. Interactive Guide
An Interactive Guide is a type of flipbook that educates customers on how to use your products. Instead of consuming the content passively, your visitors get engaged with several interactive elements. Moreover, you can also use an Interactive Guide to enhance your onboarding documents, company guidelines, and training materials. You can’t even imagine the positive effect this would have on employee satisfaction! Adding gamification elements to your learning documents pays off: 80% US workers believe that interactive learning is more engaging, and 50% of them increased productivity thanks to gamification training features. Check out our blog post on best HR practices to explore more ways to use Interactive Content for managing people.
The seven types of Interactive Flipbooks mentioned in this paragraph are only the main ones. Unfold your imagination to create brand-new interactive books and magazines that distinguish your company from the competition. With Interactive Content, the sky is the limit. In other words, you can convert any idea into reality.
Interactive Flipbook examples from different industries
As already mentioned, there are several types and variations of Interactive Flipbooks. Therefore, this Interactive Experience can be of great benefit to all industries. Above all, every company must engage its customers to stay profitable.
Here are some of the most popular Interactive Flipbook examples from different industries to inspire you:
1. Retail industry
Interactive Lookbooks and Product Catalogs can do wonders for the retail industry. Displaying your fashion collection in contrasting colours and beautiful combinations is no longer enough. Level up by adding shoppable Videos for entertainment or Quizzes to discover consumer preferences. Companies operating in the retail industry can significantly boost engagement and sales by allowing their customers to interact with an online flipbook.
2. Hospitality industry
The hospitality industry can also leverage a flipbook to create a personalised experience for their clients. Restaurant owners, for example, could make a brand-new digital menu for their clients. The accommodation sector can also use flipbooks to provide an interactive overview of their services. These engaging experiences will set any restaurant or hotel apart from its competitors.
3. Real estate industry
Furthermore, the real estate industry can benefit from an Interactive Flipbook by providing a highly engaging experience for customers. A flipbook is a fantastic way of showcasing properties in the form of a catalog. With more than 90% of home buyers visiting websites to evaluate alternatives, realtors must ensure a memorable customer experience. A flipbook filled with videos, calculators, and hotspots will differentiate your name in the highly competitive real estate industry. Save time and help your customers make the best investment decision. Save time and help your customers make the best investment decision.
4. Book publishing industry
The rise of the internet and digital technology has caused a shift from print to digital in the publishing industry. Many readers purchase books and magazines in a digital format because of convenience. One of the newest approaches is an Interactive Magazine that engages readers with multiple embedded videos, polls, and quizzes. Do not let your readers get bored with a regular magazine. Entertain them with Interactive Experiences instead!
To sum up, displaying your products or services has never been more engaging. An Interactive Flipbook will help you create the most memorable customer experiences, regardless of the industry. These industry examples were just some of the Interactive Flipbook ideas you can implement in your marketing strategy. Unfold your imagination and create unique flipbooks for your customers and employees to drive engagement.
Interactive Flipbook Software Solutions
Interactive Flipbooks are becoming one of the most popular tools for communicating with customers. Therefore, there is an increasing number of flipbook software solutions. The best flipbook solution for your company depends on your goals, budget, and target audience.
Flipbook software allow you to upload your PDF and convert it into a flipbook with a few quick steps. The differences between the solutions include price range, degree of interactivity, data collection possibilities, and third-party integrations. Some flipbook solutions have a free version that allows you to create a flipbook with a watermark. Moreover, some solutions are limited to transforming your document into a digital flipbook, while others are more sophisticated and provide more options. If you want to maintain high levels of customer engagement, we recommend opting for a platform that allows you to add interactive elements. Using Quizzes, polls, Interactive Videos, and Marketing Games will encourage your visitors to interact with your brand.
Our no-code Interative Flipbook platform provides you with the exceptional opportunity to add a large variety of features to your flipbook. In fact, Dot.vu is the only solution that enables you to create an Interactive Flipbook without writing a single line of code, yet full of interactive elements that are part of the flipbook, not embedded from other platforms. Our platform has also been selected as the winner of ‘Best Interactive Content Platform‘ in the 2024 Martech Breakthrough Awards.
You can try different platforms and concepts to select the flipbook software that matches your requirements. Our marketplace has many Interactive Flipbook templates you can customise easily, without any coding or design experience.
How to Create an Interactive Flipbook on Dot.vu?
Dot.vu offers the easiest way to create Interactive Flipbooks. Starting from a blank canvas using our flipbook layout templates, or uploading your PDF or image files, you can work in the most convenient way for your needs. Here are a few simple steps to follow:
- Create a free account on Dot.vu to access our flipbook maker.
- Explore our flipbook templates to get inspired. We offer many different ideas for brochures, catalogs, guides, menus, booklets, reports, and more.
- Customise layout templates or upload your own PDF or image file.
- Add or remove pages at your convenience.
- Drag-and-drop interactive elements directly on our platform to enrich your flipbook. You can add assessments, input forms, Interactive Videos, Personality Tests, Interactive Quizzes, Marketing Games, and more.
Create Your Interactive Flipbook and Boost Customer Engagement Today
We hope this blog post has clarified your questions about what a flipbook is, why it is better than PDFs, and examples of adding Interactive Experiences to your flipbooks. While the old way of using PDFs may be outdated, the concept doesn’t have to be. By converting them into Interactive Flipbooks, you can offer a more engaging and immersive experience that keeps your audience interested.
So, are you ready to flip your PDFs into Interactive Flipbooks? You can either sign up for a 14-day free trial to test one of our templates, or schedule a meeting with an Interactive Content expert to learn more. Don’t wait any longer – it’s time for you to discover how our platform can boost engagement, capture attention, and drive more conversions for your business.
