In the middle of Geneva, a buzzing hub of international diplomacy and commerce lies the headquarters of the International Trade Center (ITC), a UN agency dedicated to empowering micro, small, and medium-sized businesses worldwide.
Serge Adeagbo, the Content Manager and E-publications at ITC, found himself at a crossroads. As a non-profit organization, ITC had long relied on traditional print formats to communicate crucial information. However, Serge understood that in a rapidly evolving digital landscape, print's limitations were becoming a clear blocker.
The dilemma lies in the cost of producing print materials and the lack of tangible metrics to measure their impact. On top of that, the decision-making process of opting for print or digital formats for different content pieces added another layer of complexity to their workflow.
Since starting to use Foleon in 2020, they have launched 39 live Docs, marking a milestone in their digital transformation journey. Serge's proactive approach to integrating digital solutions has not only streamlined processes but also enhanced user accessibility.
"Collaborating with Foleon's experts improved our content quality, bridging the gap left by our internal content creation team. This partnership enabled us to achieve more with less, reaching a wider audience and enhancing our overall effectiveness. It's clear that the investment pays off as we expand our reach and engagement despite operating with a small team."
Serge Adeagbo, Content Manager & E-publications at ITC
Achieving more with less: how to create great content with a small team
ITC's team has established a streamlined content service that simplifies the handling of various content requests; they work as a little in-house agency. This approach ensures that their information remains relevant and effective but also allows them to meet the diverse needs of our stakeholders efficiently.
Serge from ITC wanted a better, more eco-friendly way to create content that wouldn't break the bank. Juggling print and digital content needs with a small team was a puzzle. He needed content that hit the mark with their audience without burning through resources.
"Balancing the workload with a small team, handling both print and digital projects with limited manpower, can be challenging, but we make it work. With tools like Google Analytics to understand our readers' preferences, focus on popular topics, and ensure our designs are user-friendly and visually appealing."
On top of using tracking tools such as Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager, Serge also reached out to Foleon's Professional Services team to keep up with their design needs.
"Collaborating with Foleon's experts improved our content quality, bridging the gap left by our internal content creation team. This partnership enabled us to achieve more with less, reaching a wider audience and enhancing our overall effectiveness. It's clear that the investment pays off as we expand our reach and engagement despite operating with a small team. Outsourcing to the Foleon team has been crucial in streamlining our content creation processes."
Outsourcing to Foleon was a game-changer for scaling ITC's content game. Without their expertise, diving into multimedia content would've been a real headache. Collaborating with Foleon's designers allowed them to speed up their content creation process and publish a Doc like their Trade Forum magazine in less than 3 weeks. Since they started working in Foleon, it has taken them less than 12 days to publish their Docs. Which is way less time-consuming than a printing process.
The fine balance between print and digital content
As Serge rightly pointed out, balancing print and digital content creation was a real headache. "We're seeing a lot more interest in online content because it's easy to access and track how people engage with it. But fully shifting to digital is a bit tricky for us right now. Our team is more used to traditional media, and honestly, we don't have enough people or the right skills to nail online content just yet. It's a challenge we're facing internally as we work on ramping up our digital content game."
Traditional media is how ITC's team is used to work, and as you probably know, introducing change, both to your audience and to your team, is a tricky business. Serge also faced a certain refrain from his peers when he first introduced the idea of going digital: "Some people don't quite grasp the significance of multimedia in content creation, design, and engagement. To them, it all seems pretty simple. I'm in a bit of a battle to stress the importance and necessity of creating more multimedia content as the direction we should be heading in."
Serge also hit the nail on the head when he mentioned the limitations of print material.
"The thing is, it's like a back-and-forth situation. At events, we bring, let's say, 500 printed flyers and lay them out on the table, but most of the time, they just sit there. We're left wondering who picks them up if anyone does. There's no follow-up, and there is no way to know if they actually give it a read. But with multimedia, we have all this tracking data."
Serge and his team are treading new waters in the content creation game. They've introduced a different approach to content creation where print and digital content go hand-in-hand. With flyers leading to Foleon Docs through QR codes, for instance. This way, they keep track of who reads their content and from what channel they come from.
A new approach to content creation
Serge proposed an innovative approach to content creation, advocating for the integration of Foleon into their strategy. This initial experiment with Foleon marked a pivotal shift, setting the stage for a new chapter in their content creation journey.
With the implementation of Foleon, analytics stepped in to measure the impact of the first Foleon Doc, showcasing the platform's performance in delivering engaging and measurable content. After their first Doc went live and the results quickly showed, Serge won the support of his peers to keep exploring this new format.
ITC embraced Foleon as a natural extension of their existing content portfolio, viewing it as a complementary tool to their existing print materials:
"Even though we use more online media these days, print materials are still important, and I think we should use both. This way, we reach more people and meet different needs."
As Serge pointed out, while the emphasis on online media has grown, print materials still hold significance within their content strategy. The strategic blend of print and digital elements allows them to cater to a diverse audience and effectively meet varied preferences and needs.
Exploring the convergence of in-depth content with Foleon Docs, Serge proposed a nuanced approach to content segmentation. Rather than attempting to cram extensive content into a single digital format, he emphasized the importance of presenting information in a digestible and engaging manner:
"I think if you have, for example, a guide that's more than 400 pages when printed, we can't fit all that content into Foleon. It would be around 25 pages with a lot of content. My idea is that multimedia shouldn't be complex. It should be engaging. You can access the detailed book or PDF for more in-depth content."
By leveraging Foleon for interactive elements and summaries alongside detailed print reports, ITC aims to balance depth and interactivity, cater to different audiences, and enhance overall content engagement.
The best of both worlds: using Foleon in combination with other formats
By introducing Foleon into their already existing content strategy, Serge made sure that ITC would get the best out of each format. Foleon became an alternative to lengthy content and eventually linked to more in-depth PDF reports.
The platform serves as a game-changer for ITC, offering valuable insights into user engagement through analytics— a contrast to the limitations of print materials. Serge keenly focuses on specific metrics such as time spent on content and page views to get valuable insights into user engagement dynamics, showcasing the platform's effectiveness in tracking and optimizing content performance.
One of the standout advantages of Foleon lies in its user-friendly mobile experience, another contrast with standard PDF documents. This shift towards dynamic and interactive content is a direct response to the challenges posed by PDFs on mobile devices; as Serge mentioned,
"You see, we used to deal with PDF files, but what I'm trying to explain is the limitations of reading a PDF on a mobile device. Constantly zooming in and out can be quite frustrating. This is a common challenge faced by many organizations.".
This shift towards embracing multimedia over static PDFs underscores the strategic shift towards more engaging and accessible content formats.
Navigating the balance between lengthy content and accessibility, ITC has adopted a new approach to using PDFs alongside Foleon. Serge explained:
"When dealing with dense content like 300 or 400 pages, we don't create full Foleon Docs of that length. Instead, we make it into a PDF for accessibility. The key is to have an engaging starting point in the Foleon Doc and provide the option to access the PDF for more detailed information. We often link the PDF within the Foleon Doc so readers can download it if they prefer. The two formats really complement each other."
By integrating PDFs within their Foleon Docs, ITC created a versatile content landscape that caters to different preferences, ensuring a harmonious blend of engaging multimedia content and comprehensive PDF resources.
Conclusion
ITC's story proves that there's room for everyone in the content world. Going digital doesn't mean you have to give up printing; on the contrary, use one to empower the other. ITC found a balance between traditional print and digital content, recognizing the value of both formats and leveraging them in harmony to effectively cater to different audience preferences.
By integrating Foleon, ITC streamlined their content creation processes, allowing them to meet diverse stakeholder needs efficiently with a small team. Supported by Foleon's Professional Services team, they managed to keep up with all the incoming content requests and introduced a novelty in their format offer.
Finally, Foleon's analytics provided valuable insights into user engagement dynamics, empowering ITC to optimize content performance and enhance the overall user experience.
By combining the strengths of Foleon with other formats like PDFs, ITC found a harmonious balance between engaging multimedia content and comprehensive resources.
