eBooks are more than just relaxing reading material you can have sent to your Kindle. Offering eBooks to your customers and potential customers can be a great way to boost your brand and establish your company as an authority in your industry.
If you’re wondering just what an eBook is, we’ll take you through the steps involved in creating it and how to use it to your best advantage in your content marketing strategy.
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What is an eBook and how does it work?
Simply put, an eBook is a digital book that can be downloaded from your website or marketing email and read via an eReader, on your laptop or desktop computer, or via your smartphone.
The subject matter can be anything you’d find in a traditional book, anything from the history of your company to a tutorial on how to use your product to solve a common problem.
The beauty of eBooks is that they are easy to distribute.
You don’t have to worry about shipping or storing the books and they won’t get yellowed pages or dusty book jackets as they age.
eBooks can also be easily updated as new information becomes available or as things change in your industry.
How to create an eBook:
What do you need to read an eBook?
Your customers and potential customers don’t need any special devices to read your eBook.
Most eBooks can be read using any internet-enabled device.
That includes eReaders like Kindles and Nooks as well as smartphones, laptops, and desktop computers.
What is an eBook for marketing?
An eBook is a digital book.
To best use this medium in your marketing strategy, you’ll want it to focus on a topic that will further your brand awareness, help your users with a common problem, or work to establish your organization as an authority in your industry.
Some successful eBook topics for marketing include:
- A biography of your company founder or key employee, especially for franchise or multi-level marketing companies
- Ways to use your products, such as “lesser known ways to use apple cider vinegar”
- The “ultimate” guide to your topic
- Simplifying a technical aspect of your field
- A compilation of your most popular blog posts
- An interview with one of the experts in your company
- One or more case studies where clients/customers have successfully used your product or service
4 advantages of ebooks in your content marketing strategy
- eBooks support your branding
eBooks are a great way to reinforce your branding and help establish your business as an expert in your field.
By offering advice and solutions to common user problems, you’ll gain a reputation for being helpful and offering good advice within your field of influence.
When users perceive you as an expert, they are more likely to turn to your company rather than a competitor when they need a product or service you offer.
- eBooks are quick and affordable to produce
Unlike traditional books that require months to publish after they are written, eBooks can be published quickly, within a few weeks from concept to publication.
This allows you to capitalize on trends in your industry and get your information into the hands of your customers while they are still excited and before a competitor publishes first.
- eBooks are easy to distribute
With eBooks, you don’t have to worry about shipping costs and delays, not to mention piles of inventory.
You can send your eBook to your customer instantly, or have them download it directly from your website.
- eBook marketing is subtle
Gone are the days when the hard sell, “buy now” marketing messages yielded great results.
Consumers value information over marketing.
eBooks are ideal for that type of subtle marketing.
Yes, you can let readers know that you offer products and services, but the purpose of the book is to offer information.
How you can use eBooks in your content marketing strategy
There are several ways to use eBooks effectively in your content marketing strategy:
1. You can have users download your eBook directly from your website. This is a great way to obtain marketing-qualified leads (MQLs) when users are expressing interest in your product or your area of expertise.
You simply ask them for their contact info in exchange for the free downloadable eBook.
2. Ask users to fill out a form with their contact info and email them the link to your eBook. When you receive the form, you then send them the link so that they can download your eBook.
It’s a slightly more subtle way to garner qualified leads.
3. As an enticement to take action. You can also use your eBook as an incentive for people to take an action you desire, such as purchasing a product or service, signing up for a webinar, or subscribing to your newsletter.
Making eBooks work for you with Writer Access
If you’re looking to add eBooks to your content marketing strategy, Writer Access can help. We have more than 15,000 carefully-screened writers waiting to help you create the eBook that will boost your sales, readership, and/or bottom line.
To learn more about Writer Access and to take advantage of our two-week trial offer, visit our website today.
