Using Ebooks to Drive Business
Business blogging has become a incontrovertible marketing powerhouse in the past several years. If your business has been using regular blog posts to drive traffic, build leads, generate engagement, and increase revenue, you’re ready for the content rocket to fire up it’s booster engine: an ebook can be just the fuel you need.
Where do great ebooks come from?
You’re already creating a body of resources: every blog post that is firmly tied to your marketing goals and well-targeted to your audience is going to give your business altitude. It doesn’t happen all at once, but as you steadily grow your content base one post or article at a time, you should begin to see the outlines of a powerful new resource: your first ebook.
If you’re really smart, you set this up to happen from the beginning. In other words, you’ve outlined the content for your corporate blog so that by the end of the first quarter you have the content you need for an ebook.
Of course, if you don’t have a business blog, you can work your ebook backwards: Write the eBook, then start up a blog or content marketing strategy with the articles you’ve created! No matter how you mix it up, the end result is good for your company.
If you’re thinking “I can’t possibly write an ebook,” guess what? You don’t have to. Plenty of companies (Hello! Here’s Calvert Creative!) are around to write it for you. It’s an extremely common practice to hire a writer or an agency to write for you; no one expects an already-overloaded business leader to do everything themselves. Work with your marketing team or agency to communicate your goals, target market, and the urgent needs your business addresses, and they can get you on the road to your first ebook, guaranteed.
Why are free ebooks so powerful?
Your target market loves helpful information. You understood their need are are meeting it every week. All that’s required is that you compile 10 or 20 of your posts or articles into a free ebook and give your company a massive power shot. It will probably only need light editing, some solid imagery and a good table of contents. Convert it into a PDF and you have pure digital energy waiting to be deployed on your behalf.
How can your business put an ebook to use?
You can build your email list by requiring your audience to register before downloading or receiving your new eBook. Make sure you enable them to opt-in to a regular newsletter (some of which will eventually become your next ebook!); most email service providers require an opt-in, and you won’t go wrong with a double opt-in, either. The best email list is one that your target market really wants to be on. That means you are on the hook for providing the best possible value to them; it keeps you from being lazy with your marketing, and that’s just good business.
A well-written ebook is also a great way to showcase your company’s expertise. Don’t worry that you’ll be giving away any “secret sauce” — the simple fact is that the more people see you as an expert, the more they are likely to hire you. That’s how leads become revenue.
No matter what else they accomplish, your new ebook is going to drive traffic to your site. Be sure to put the word out everywhere (social platforms, your website sidebar, email signature, etc.) People are going to click over to check it out, and if it’s something they need, and you’ve been persuasive, they will give you their email address, get their free ebook, and get on your list.
Which means you’ll be able to start convincing them that you’re the one who can help them.
Now grab one of your sticky notes and write on it in magic marker: “Get Ebook Started Today!” You’ll be doing the happy dance.
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