EBooks are a valuable source of leads and sales but most businesses tend to ignore it. This is either because they don’t know the benefits or can’t figure out how to create business eBooks. To start things off, here are a few advantages of using eBooks for marketing:
- They establish you as an experienced professional in your industry. Your customers are more likely to seek solutions for their problems, as they can see that you are knowledgeable.
- Users are more likely to perceive an eBook to be more useful when compared to a blog post or articles. This perception makes them more willing to trade information in order to gain access.
- Contrary to popular belief, eBooks are quite easy to produce. They take a couple of weeks at most.
- Unlike direct advertisement, eBooks bring attention to your company without annoying your customers.
- Like blogs and articles, you can include links in your eBooks to make them more interactive and interesting for your audience.
All of these can contribute to gaining leads and conversions for your business. eBooks also give you the power to show off what you know without sounding too braggy. They are the perfect bait to make customers want more from you.
Now that you know the benefits, here’s a few tips on how you can make eBooks effective:
- Bait Your Audience
Use your eBook as bait to create a domino effect. Don’t just write about a single topic – try to incorporate your other services and platforms into the eBook. Make your customers want more from you – don’t give everything away at one go. If you’re offering your eBook for free, you can collect customers’ information in return. You can then use this information to direct them to back-end services/products you offer.
- Answer Customers’ Problems
Like most forms of marketing, what you put out there has to solve a problem for your customers. You can find out what your customers’ most asked questions are and base your eBook on that. Social media, comment sections and surveys are some ways to find out what the most popular questions are. There may even be multiple questions, use them to your advantage to cover a multitude of topics. Offer them the solution to their problem in return for them taking a desired action – signing up, subscribing to your newsletter, “liking” your social media posts etc.
- Quality Information
Don’t skim on the content. For you to be trusted and reputed, you have to sound like an expert, meaning you can’t write general article/blog style content. This is the tricky part – as I mentioned before, you have to use the eBook as bait but how do you know where to stop? It is important to give valuable information but make sure to avoid providing them with step-by-step solutions to all their problems. This will make your services insignificant.
- Multiple Platforms
Make sure that you format your eBook to suit multiple eBook readers and platforms. If a customers paid or gave out their details in order to get the eBook and are unable to view it, they are bound to be irate. More platforms equals more readers – especially if you can sell your book through online bookstores. Although this doesn’t guarantee sales, it does spread word about you/your company.
- Awareness
Spreading awareness about your book involves making it available for different screen sizes and formats. You can convert the content into shorter blog posts, have a podcast about the same topic or short YouTube videos explaining the basics. Basically, if you want your eBook to go viral, you have to put in the effort. Social media also plays a huge role in spreading awareness – post about the eBook, respond to comments, find customers who’ve read it and start a conversation with them. Connecting with your audience is necessary for success.
Some points to remember:
- Price – Since eBooks don’t usually have printing or publishing fees, they are usually priced at extremely low rates, some companies even give them for free. Overpriced eBooks will drive customers away.
- Don’t be too pushy – Do not overtly advertise your services. Provide links in the middle if necessary but don’t flood the book with mentions about your company or services. Like many other platforms, viewers will get frustrated with too many ads.
- Keep an eye out for experts, peers and competitors – Follow your peers, industry experts and competitors to see what they’re talking about. This will help you find topics better and stay on the same level as your competitors.
- Don’t bank on just one eBook – Since eBooks are so popular these days, sometimes it takes more than one to get a breakthrough. Once you’ve published one eBook, start brainstorming after 2-3 weeks for a new eBook. This will customers another chance to get your eBook.
Regardless of the leads and sales, eBooks are a great way to make yourself known in the industry. This is the first step in building a trusted customer base. It provides the perfect opportunity to showcase your knowledge and grow your brand. Take advantage of this and start brainstorming about the perfect eBook for you. If you need any help, you can always talk to us!