ebook: Does that word ring a bell? It probably does. If not, eBooks have been around since before the Kindle and other popular eReaders. They are important because they can have many of the features of whitepapers. However, unlike whitepapers, eBooks can be structured in ways that make them easy to skim; you can even add visual content. eBooks can be simple with no multimedia, or they can be enhanced and interactive. In any case, they are excellent replacements for whitepapers in that they can serve as tools to engage readers and generate leads.
If you are still using traditional promotional methods, you are probably seeing reduced ROI. The reason is that people are growing tired of the widespread use of heavy-handed marketing tactics. eBooks are not at all overbearing. They provide potential customers, clients and website visitors with interesting, relevant information on their own accord, rather than you beating them over the head with your brand’s message.
Benefits of eBooks
There are several benefits to incorporating the use of eBooks into your inbound marketing method.
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eBooks are educational. You to expound on topics at greater length and in more detail than would be possible via blogging or writing articles. eBooks can help you to educate your customers by providing them with detailed descriptions of your products. People naturally have a thirst for knowledge, and by providing that knowledge, you are able to take on the role of an expert in your field. You get a platform on which to build a reputation for trustworthiness and credibility.
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eBooks allow you to target specific areas of the market. By offering multiple eBooks on various topics related to your industry, you can get an idea of what is most interesting to your readers. What your visitors download and read gives you a map of the areas on which you need to focus and allows you to better cater to them.
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eBooks can be entertaining. Whitepapers tend to be somewhat bland and technical, whereas eBooks do not have to be this way. eBooks can present equally technical information but in ways that make it interesting and easy to read. They should be written to have broad appeal. eBooks should be geared toward a general audience rather than being aimed solely at experts. If you offer your readers the right type of content and structure it in a smart way, you will be able to interest both the experts and the neophytes.
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eBooks are affordable to publish. For much less than the cost of taking out a full-page newspaper ad, you can hire a professional writer and put out a well-written multimedia eBook. These books do not have to be hundreds of pages long like a print book; an eBook with 20-25 pages may be enough to convey your message effectively.
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eBooks can contain links. These links allow you to track the success of your marketing efforts.
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eBooks remain fresh. This solves one of the big problems with print media; which is that it gets outdated, sometimes very quickly. Some types of eBooks have built-in protection against staleness in that the content can be updated automatically.
Should you Create an eBook?
The whole point of creating an eBook is to enhance your brand. This means that you must connect your eBook to your brand in order for it to be effective. The format allows you to provide valuable information without being overtly promotional. You can subtly increase your brand’s visibility by placing your logo somewhere on the cover, thus associating your company with the valuable content. Of course, in the effort to use eBooks for promotional purposes you should ensure that the publication is professionally executed and suitable for representing your brand. You should make sure that it looks good on eReaders and that the message you want to convey is clear and easy for readers to digest.
eBooks are a great way to provide educational, informative and beneficial information to potential clients, customers and website visitors. Plus, they give you and your business authority on a pertinent topic, boost your online repuation, and may help increase leads. To get some inspiration on how to create your own, check out one of ROI’s free eBooks!
