Issuu Customer Spotlight | The LocaL

+ CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT

Columbus, GA community finds information, support & unity in digital magazine Community magazines are comforting, enjoyable and informative publications, immediately bringing to mind images of passers by in cafes, salons, and retail establishments who snatch up the free publication for the latest on local stories, art, music, food, entertainment and events.

Over the years, Columbus has expanded to become Georgia’s second biggest city, but it still retains a nice small-town feel and friendly vibe that makes everyone feel like a neighbor. The free local community magazine - “The Local Columbus” - captures that spirit in beautifully designed issues containing neighborhood stories, events, the arts and entertainment - that is until COVID-19 occurred.

Monica Jones Chief Editor & Publisher www.thelocalcolumbus.com issuu.com

Persistence through a Pandemic

“With Issuu, we whet our

When Georgia’s shelter-in-place took effect, Monica

reader’s appetite with

Jones - chief editor and publisher of “The Local” - hit a speedbump in her publishing business. Well-loved

great mobile content,

by the community, the free magazine would be found printed and available at favorite local spots, but how

coaxing them to read

could Monica and her team keep the community informed, inspired and entertained given her paying

more in print or online.”

advertisers were in a lull, and print distribution was not sensible? A veteran digital marketer, Monica decided to

Monica Jones Chief Editor & Publisher www.thelocalcolumbus.com

turn up the dial on digital distribution and promotions, with Issuu as her go-to digital publishing platform.

embed digital flipbooks of the magazine on its website

THE LOCAL COLUMBUS CHOOSES ISSUU FOR:

in the exact layout as the print edition, perfectly show-

Quick, Easy Success: easily upload, convert and

The editorial team has used Issuu for many years to

casing every article and advertiser. “We love how easy

publish a high-quality digital magazine flipbook for

it is to upload, convert, and embed on a website,” says

web, email, social

Monica. “The tactile page turns give our readers a sense they have the magazine in their hands, just “digitally”.”

“The print magazine serves about 300,000 people across about a 300-mile radius. With COVID-19, we rely solely on the digital edition to reach our loyal readers - but we’re using this opportunity to reach wider audiences. In fact, we now have readers in England enjoying our magazine!”

Digital Promotions through Social and Mobile When uploading a file, Issuu converts the publication into discrete assets that can be repurposed for social and mobile content. Monica quickly drags and drops distinct assets to create a mobile Article Story sent via social media, and optimized for mobile search. “We have a very small team and no developers, so the ability to deliver mobile articles helps the magazine’s discoverability, and increases engagement with our community.”

Mobile Article Stories: ability to rapid-fire short The full digital magazine is available on www.thelocalcolumbus.com with full-screen read and sharing

“Our free magazine helps keep the community

informed, engaged and

united. During COVID-19,

social media stories and mobile content as teasers for the next edition Professional: web-ready fonts, full screen reader and embedded link makes reading experience firstclass Reach: showcasing The Local on their website and Issuu’s discovery platform unlocks access to millions of new readers

Issuu helped us continue that mission.”

Monica Jones Chief Editor & Publisher www.thelocalcolumbus.com

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