Every company no matter their size is looking for new ways to generate more leads. Some work diligently to learn every sales technique under the sun. Others bombard consumers with emails waxing lyrical about how some product will change their lives. Still more dip into their pockets to pay for expensive ads. That’s just like, so last century.
Savvy operators now realise they can win more custom by making ebooks a part of their content marketing strategy, providing something of value that draws an audience to them. Consumers are tired of media techniques and unremitting advertising messages and do not differentiate between one pile of ads and another. What stands out is excellent content that requires nothing of them.
Ebooks are powerful marketing tools because they don’t appear to be like marketing devices. They provide information and entertainment, not sales messages.
There are no rigid rules regarding length, presentation or topic. They might be a collection of practical tips, stories,
Cost Effectiveindustry roundups, information about how best to use your products and services, FAQs and so on. Just so long as they are entertaining and engage your readers.
For less than the cost of a one-off colour ad in a magazine you can hire a writer, design a cover and publish a wonderful lead generating ebook. These reads do not have to be very long. We are not talking about War and Peace or an international best-selling novel. Ten to fifteen pages of practical tips on a topic related to the products and services you market are easily sufficient. But there’s nothing stopping you from providing more information if you wish.
Here are the principle ways ebooks can help your business:
They establish you as a thought leader – by helping your audience resolve some want or need they may have, you become a trusted source of sound information. You forge a relationship with a prospect before they have even bought a product from you. They will already have faith in your expertise.
They build your email list – everyone is a sucker for a freebie. Increase the number of people to your email subscriber list by offering an incentive such as a free ebook. Prospects must enter a few details such as their email address before they can download the information.
They can spawn more content – after producing a compelling ebook you can mine some of the pages for even more free content such as blog posts, feature articles, podcasts and videos. Some of these may take on a life of their own as people comment on and share them, creating even more content for you that brings in more people.
They expand your audience – good ebooks can end up doing the rounds; they are passed on and shared by readers who are fired up by them.
Use Ebooks to Get Ahead While other companies spend money, time and resources dreaming up new ways to spam their audience with advertising messages you can get ahead by providing information and content that your customers and potential customers actually want to read. Publishing an ebook is a content marketing strategy par excellence.