What is Flipboard and How Do I Use It for Business?

Launched in July 2010, Flipboard was, at the time, the world's first social magazine that allows users to access publishers, photo sharing sites, online sources, and social networks all in one place.

The service collects content from websites, news feeds, publications and social networks and presents it in a magazine format that allows users to “flip” through the videos, articles and images shared. Users can also save stories into Flipboard Magazines.

Getting Started

Signing up for the website service is really simple. You can sign up using either your Facebook or Email account.

The first thing that you will encounter is a feature called “Cover Stories,” really a listing of the day's big news as chosen by the service.

You will be prompted to follow a few topics that you are passionate about and Flipboard will then create your personal magazine. Scroll down the page and you will see stories from topics, publications, people and Flipboard magazines that you follow. You can always access and even add more magazines, topics or interesting people to follow.

Flipboard has a wide variety of world class publications spanning from The New York Time to Fast Company to PEOPLE Magazine and anything in between.

The stories are arranged in a nicely varied grid that alternates between big, full-bleed photos and small clusters of stories. You can also connect your social media accounts: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram to the website and easily flip though posts and pictures in one place. Looking to embed sound clips and videos as well? No problem. Flipboard does that too.

Use the + button to add or collect any story or interesting publication into your own magazine.

All your magazines will show up on you Flipboard profile. The service at times almost feels like Pinterest due to the flipping and at other times it might feel like an RSS reader. It is actually a good combination that makes it feel like a personalized magazine.

Using Flipboard for Business

For small businesses, Flipboard is a powerful tool that can levels the playing field with larger competitors. The magazines produced by the platform are of high-quality feel and look, meaning all content you publish will be sleek and professional looking.

As a small business owner, you can use Flipboard to:

1. Curate a Magazine

The platform offers you an extremely easy way to create and compile a magazine that includes content from authority websites and prominent sources in your field. This will definitely increase your credibility and establish your expertise with a whole lot of new potential customers. Grab content online using the Flipboard bookmarklet or add content to your magazine by clicking the + sign that appears on the content available on the platform.

2. Tell Your Story

Use the platform to create a magazine that tells your readers a story about your product or company. Collect stories/content that contribute to the story that you want to tell your customers. This could be press mentions, demo videos, blog posts or customer feedback.

3. Do Market Research

You can use the platform for internal market research. Check out the articles from your competitors and use the info as a way of gauging what they are up to and how they are positioning themselves.

4. Take Advantage of Low Pricing

Registering as a user is free and it will cost you nothing when using the service as a publisher. The site is, however, less clear on the cost of advertising.

Image: Flipboard

This article, "What is Flipboard and How Do I Use It for Business?" was first published on Small Business Trends