Step 1: Upload media files in to the Publicator
Step 2: Load the Zmags Enrichment area
Step 3: Create an external link area
Step 4: Save the Enrichments
Adding visual markers to a publication is a great way to highlight areas that can be clicked on, or where additional functionality has been placed. These could be pulsating Flash areas, shopping carts, play video icons or icons to denote links.
Call to Action (CTA) markers act as a guide for readers and when designing your publication it is worth keeping in mind that space will need leaving for these markers to be placed. The CTA may be an image in the publication itself or it may be something to add as a layer on top through the Zmags Enrichments area of the Publicator.
If designing for use on Facebook your Publication will be limited to a single page view and therefore it is advised to limit the number of CTAs per page to 3 so that the reader is not overwhelmed. Likewise, if designing for use on a mobile device or tablet, Flash CTAs won't display and therefore static images would be required. If using images as your CTA it is advised that these are in the PNG file format with a transparent background so they will sit on top if your publication rather than hiding and overlapping content.
How to add a Call to Action to your publication
Step 1: Upload media files in to the Publicator
The first part of the process is to upload the required image or Flash files to be used as your CTA. From the left hand menu in the Publicator, select "Media" for uploading Flash files or select "Images" to upload images to your account.
When uploading Media files the Publicator support AVI, FLV, MOV, MP4, MPG, SWF, WMV and several other file formats. Files shouldn't exceed 25MB in size as they will take considerably longer to load when viewing the publication. For Image uploads, the supported file types are JPG, GIF and PNG.
Step 2: Load the Zmags Enrichment area
After uploading the required Media or Image files the Zmags Enriched area will need to be loaded. From the "My Publications" area (available via the left hand menu) find the publication you wish to add CTA to and then click the icon in the Enrichments column.
Step 3: Create an external link area
In the Zmags Enriched area select External Link from the menu on the left via the icon that looks like a paperclip. Then on the page of your publication you wish to create the CTA click and drag to create an area where the CTA will be located.
After determining the area that the enrichment will be located there are a number of options available to add the CTA:
(Option 1) Display the CTA directly in the link box: Simply choose it from the "External source" drop-down menu.
The Effect options include Fading in and out, Pulsating and Framing the image or Flash element. Once the type of CTA has been selected the target URL will need to be set and any other options that are appropriate to your publication, like the opacity of the image or Flash file.
(Option 2) Display the CTA in a popup tooltip when the link area is moused over: Choose Media in the "Tooltip type" dropdown menu. Optionally include a "Media title" and "description".
(Option 3) Insert the Flash element as a full page: First, insert your Flash element as you would with option 1. Set the link box "Top" and "Left" properties to 0. Set the "Height" and "Width" equal to those of the publication page. You can find the precise page size under the Pages tab in Zmags Publicator by clicking Edit next to a page in the overview: see High resolution Image size.
Step 4: Save the Enrichments
After creating all the CTAs for the publication they will need saving. Select "File" from the top menu and then "Save All" to save these changes. The tab or window that the Enrichment area is loaded in can then be closed.
