These days, an eBook marketing strategy really help build your business. There are a lot of ebooks floating around on the web – you just might not know it. Most are aimed at consumers. And frankly, many are quite bad. But good ebooks have the potential to make a big marketing splash, especially in the business-to-business world where they are relatively new to the scene.
What is an ebook? It's typically a 20 to 30 page "book" in PDF format, laid out in a landscape style with plenty of graphics and a relatively low word count of 3,000 to 6,000 words. It usually begins with a table of contents and introduction, and ends with a page or two of author biographical information and business promotion.
I recommend offering your eBook as non-gated content, even if you typically gate your content. This means your eBook should be available as a free download on your website without requiring an email address or other personal information. Using this strategy will increase your number of eBook downloads significantly and also make readers more likely to download other content from your website (both gated and non-gated).
Your eBook topic should be something you're an expert on and your prospects want to know about. Here are some ideas to get you thinking about topics for your ebook:
- A bakery owner creates an eBook on how to decorate cakes.
- An engineering firm produces an eBook on achieving green design certification.
- A public relations agency pens an eBook on how to write effective press releases.
- A nonprofit consultant puts out an eBook on location funding grants.
- An investment firm offers an eBook on creating a balanced investment strategy.
Ebooks offer many advantages. They position your business as a thought leader, have a high perceived value, remain relevant for years, function as a key component of a good content marketing plan, and work well with a social media marketing strategy. If your business does not currently have a high-quality eBook and an eBook marketing strategy, make creating one a marketing goal for 2009.
Source by Megan Tsai
