Have you ever heard of an eBook? Or maybe even read one? Odds are you have. eBooks have taken the business world by storm over the last few years, and now they are one of the most popular forms of marketing material out there.
If you’re a small or medium-sized business looking for new ways to reach your target audience without spending a small fortune, then you can’t really go wrong with an eBook. But what exactly is an eBook, how do you write one, and how can you make sure it generates leads for your business?
What is an eBook?
An eBook is exactly what it says on the tin – it’s a digital book. So no hardcovers or physical pages, but a digital download, usually a PDF or similar format, that can be viewed on any device. Sometimes an eBook is just a digital copy of a physically printed book (usually in fiction), but more and more businesses are turning to creating just digital eBooks. If you’ve ever downloaded something from a business in exchange for your name and email address, you’ve probably read an eBook.
eBooks are a simple way for businesses to create content. Whether you’re a business of 1 or 1 million, an eBook can be an easy way for you to get your message out there, expand your reach and showcase your target audience. eBooks can be used for anything from reports to price lists, and most importantly, for showing prospects that you understand their problems, and that you’re the right solution. For a long time now businesses have been using eBooks as a way of not only positioning themselves in the market, but gathering information from readers and generating leads for their business. And if done right, it can be very successful.
In the next 2 sections, we wanted to share with you some of our top tips for not only writing a great eBook for your business, but using it as a lead magnet to generate leads for your business.
Top Tips to Write a Killer eBook
Write With Your Audience in Mind
Before you start writing your eBook, you need to ask yourself who your audience is. Are you writing this for others in your industry, or those who don’t know anything about it but want to learn more? Put some serious thought into who your eBook is for, and design every aspect of it with that person in mind. Ask yourself who they are, what they want. What they need, and what information they need to make their buying decisions. Don’t forget to ask yourself where they are in the sales funnel as well. This will help you tailor the content to them directly, and give you more chance of converting them into a lead.
Keep Your Goals in Mind
The reason you’re writing an eBook is that you want to use it in your marketing. So when you’re planning and writing it, keep your end goals in mind. Are you looking just to increase your brand awareness? Are you trying to generate interest in a specific product or service? Or do you want to simply cement yourself as a subject matter expert, so that when customers are ready to buy, the only brand they think of is yours? Provide valuable information and guidance to your readers, but make sure your eBook will actually help you achieve your marketing goals.
Make it Clear and Consistent
An eBook is not an easy thing to write. They tend to average around 2,000 to 3,000 words depending on the topic, and the more in-depth you can go the better. But however long your eBook is, you need to be clear. So try to avoid ‘filler fluff’ to up the word count – there is no minimum! Instead, focus on making your points clearly and concisely, and be as consistent as possible. This means mapping out the structure of your eBook before you start, so you know how each section will flow into the next. This will stop you from repeating yourself and make sure you cover every point you want to touch on. It will also make the writing process a lot easier and quicker!
Include a Strong CTA
Any form of marketing needs a good strong call to action, and your eBook is no exception. So make sure your eBook wraps up with a brief explanation of your company, your experience and why you’re the perfect expert on whatever subject you’re writing about. And don’t forget to end with a final call to action to her in touch with you, and an easy link back to your contact page, or wherever you want them to end up after they finish your book. For extra awareness, try to include your contact information in the design of the final page, to give readers every opportunity to get in touch with you.
How to use your eBook for lead generation
Now you have created your ebook it’s time to start using it to start generating leads! To maximise its impact, you need to know how to effectively use your ebook for lead generation. In this section, we will explore some proven marketing strategies to promote your ebook and attract the right audience, ultimately generating more leads for your business.
Promote Your Ebook on Your Website
The easiest way of promoting your eBook is to add a banner or link to it on your website so that your existing visitors see it. You can do this in the footer of your website, but consider having a dedicated page too, which you can link to from your other pages. Make it easy to find and easy to read, with the eBook download link prominent.
Create a Website Landing Page
Now that your eBook is written, you need somewhere for it to live. The best option for this is a landing page on your website. This page should only be about your eBook, explaining what it is and giving readers the chance to download it. Take the time to research your keywords and weave them into your copy, create new images to promote the eBook, include a promotional video, that all-important call to action, and generally make it the most irresistible piece of marketing you can. Designing landing pages is very different to designing normal web pages, so if you’re struggling, we recommend you hire someone to do it for you or get in touch with us for a free consultation.
Utilise your Social Media
Post on your social media, mentioning the new eBook and linking back to your landing page where readers can learn more and get their copy. Be careful not to spam your social media though – this will have a detrimental effect on your reputation. Instead, work it into your existing content, maybe posting a link to the most relevant section of your eBook. Don’t forget to add an encouraging or helpful message too – people are less likely to engage with your content if it’s just a blatant attempt at selling to them.
Remember that social media is a multi-step process. Even if people don’t click through immediately to get their copy of your eBook, they may come back to read it later, or might know of someone who would find it useful. It’s worth keeping the links live for as long as possible so they can be shared with others.
Paid Advertising
Consider using paid advertising to promote your eBook. Platforms like Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and LinkedIn Ads can help you reach a wider audience and target specific demographics or interests. Set a budget for your advertising campaign and create compelling ad copy that highlights the benefits of your eBook. Monitor the performance of your ads and make adjustments as needed to optimise their effectiveness.
Paid advertising can significantly increase the visibility of your eBook and generate more leads for your business.
Free Information
If there’s one thing nobody can resist, it’s a freebie. We strongly recommend that you give away your eBooks for free – in exchange for a little information. Asking people to pay even a small amount for a digital book will result in a lot of lost leads, whereas if all you’re asking for is their name and email address, you’ve got a much higher chance of success. Plus, this way, you now have the contact information of a potential customer who is interested in your services, so you can reach out with a special offer when the time is right.
Run Advertising Campaigns
Use PPC advertising campaigns to drive traffic to your eBook landing page. This will cost you money, but if you set a budget that you’re happy with and monitor your results closely, you should be able to build a successful campaign.
Use your current email marketing list
Why not promote your eBook to your existing email subscribers directly? It’s guaranteed to get attention if people are already subscribed to your emails.
Publish Guest Blog Posts to Promote Your Ebook
Publish Guest Blog Posts to Promote Your Ebook – it’s an effective way to generate leads and attract customers. Creating guest blog posts is a great way to share your eBook with potential customers. You can use guest blog posts to talk about the topics covered in the eBook, share insights, and provide insight into your company’s message and values. Make sure to include a link to your eBook so readers can download it easily. This will ensure that more people are exposed to your content and can make an informed decision about whether it is something they would be interested in.
Take Advantage of Virtual Events and Webinars
Take Advantage of Virtual Events and Webinars to use eBooks for marketing and generating leads. You can present your eBooks to more potential customers and leads by hosting virtual events and webinars or presenting it in an existing webinar on the same or similar subject. This will give your whole brand more visibility, and allow you to reach out to a wider audience, as well as give you the opportunity to promote your eBook.
Leverage Influencer Outreach
Send your eBook to influencers in your industry and ask them to post about it on their social media channels. It’s a great way to get exposure for your eBook and build awareness. If the influencer agrees to post about it, make it easy for them by providing a written review they can post as-is. This will keep your brand identity intact while still getting the word out about your eBook.
Create a Website Landing Page
Now that your eBook is written, you need somewhere for it to live. The best option for this is a landing page on your website. This page should only be about your eBook, explaining what it is and giving readers the chance to download it. Take the time to research your keywords and weave them into your copy, create new images to promote the eBook, include a promotional video, that all-important call to action, and generally make it the most irresistible piece of marketing you can. Designing landing pages is very different to designing normal web pages, so if you’re struggling, we recommend you hire someone to do it for you or get in touch with us for a free consultation.
Promote, Promote, Promote
Once your book is ready and you have a landing page for it, it’s time to promote it! You should use as many channels as you can to get your eBook out there – if your customers are there, then you should be too. A few ways you can promote your new eBook include email newsletters, social media posts, paid PPC advertising, within blog posts as a call to action, in a banner on your website, and even within your networking groups. People aren’t going to be able to find your eBook without you telling them about it, so use every method you have to let them know.
Final thoughts
Of course, you don’t have to do all of that yourself! If you’ve never written an eBook before and aren’t sure where to start, you can always ask for help.
At Lion Spirit Media we are experts in creating roaring content for your business that lets everyone in the jungle know who you are and how awesome you are. Our team of content writers are on hand to learn everything about your business and write and design a killer eBook just for you, along with all the content you need to market it and get people downloading. If you’d like to know more, just get in touch with the team today.
0 Comments