Why You Shouldn’t Use PDFs in Your Business
PDFs are yesterday’s news, and it’s time to evolve!
Problem 1: PDFs are not mobile-friendly
Fixed-layout means that documents designed for desktop or print, will be extremely difficult to use on a mobile device, requiring zooming in and panning around.
This is a huge user experience issue and can cause major headaches for your readers. In the mobile-first age, your audience doesn’t want the hassle of looking at something that doesn’t fit their screens.
Problem 2: They require multiple steps to access
Because they're offline documents, PDFs require you to download them before viewing.
This is already a barrier for desktop users, but for mobile users, downloading files remains an almost alien task requiring a file manager app and a 3rd party PDF viewer.
In a world where every ounce of friction equals lost opportunities, these extra steps can lead many users to abandon your content before even beginning.
If your goal is for your audience to engage with your content, you need to make accessing it easy with as few steps as possible. This means using a format that doesn't require the user to leave his or her browser.
Problem 3: You can’t edit PDFs easily
A lot of software can’t handle PDFs very well. If you want to add comments or make changes when someone sends you a PDF, many programs won’t let you do that unless they have special features built in that work with PDFs. This makes PDFs hard to edit.
Problem 4: Large PDFs are difficult to send via email
PDFs can take up a lot of space if they contain multiple pages or large images. If you are in a business wherein you need to email large PDFs to your clients, it will be a problem as there is a file size limit in Gmail, Outlook, etc. The workaround - more steps and more steps = less chance your client won’t take the next steps.
Problem 5: You can’t track reader engagement in a PDF
PDFs completely lack the ability to collect data. You may be able to see how many times a PDF was downloaded from a landing page, but you have no idea what people did with it afterwards.
You can't see how much of it people read or how long they engaged with it.
You can't see which pages and topics people found interesting.
You can't see which links they clicked on.
You don't even know if people read it or just left it in their downloads folder!
Using PDFs for business content introduces a massive black hole in your customer journey data — a blank space where you have zero intelligence.
This is highly problematic for at least 2 reasons: First, because you're clueless about whether your content actually performs, you're unable to improve or optimize it.
Second, because you can't see how your readers engage with the content, you're unable to implement any kind of lead scoring or personalized followup.
People who opened it 9 times and read every page will end up in the same "engagement bucket" as those who downloaded it but never read it.
In a world where every marketing action must be measurable, you simply can't afford to use a format you can't track.
Problem 6: PDFs are static, boring, and don’t let you embed multimedia
Content overload is a real problem. Today, only the most aesthetically pleasing, well-produced content will get through to your readers.
And this is increasingly true in the B2B world as well where business buying habits are becoming more and more similar to at-home consumer habits. According to IBM, 80% of B2B buyers now expect the same buying experience as B2C customers.
When designing content in a PDF, you can include images and hyperlinks, but that's as far as it goes. A for asthetics, they may be nicely laid out in InDesign, but this is of little value unless you intend to create printed material.
When your audience consumes content on their phones or behind their desks, those design choices may become hindrances.
Today's audiences prefer visually immersive, snackable content. They want video and bite-sized bits of information. They expect interactive, personalized content experiences that are easy to digest.
PDFs are simply not up for the task.
A few solutions to the PDF
Here are our recommendations to use instead:
Hidden pages on your website
Business Management System where the need PDF contracts, proposals, price lists, questionnaires, are no longer needed on a PDF but done in the proper system which only makes your life easier as the business owner but also improves the client journey.
Email marketing
