Whether in the B2B or B2C market, it is a fact that inbound marketing and content marketing are gaining more and more space.
They are smarter strategies, focused on consumer needs, ready to attract, convert and engage people with the help of rich content, among them, ebooks. But do you know, in fact, what is an ebook? And how to create a successful ebook?
It seems simple to create more extensive content than a blog post, fit it into a cool design and upload to the internet, hoping people will love, at first sight, download, share and do that word of mouth advertising for you.
But the story is not quite like that. Creating an ebook requires professionalism, involves a team focused on generating value for the client and a good deal of knowledge.
Are you creating ebooks the right way? Let's find out?
Ebook is not just an online content
The meaning of the word ebook or e-book is an electronic book or electronic book.
If we carry the idea of a book to the internet, we will automatically think of ePubs, the whole books we download for reading on the smartphone, tablet, iPad, and Kobo, among others.
However, when we talk about creating an ebook as a content marketing strategy, we are talking about an immediate, easy-to-read content with practical and applicable knowledge.
That is, no dramas, novels or science fiction.
The ebook should be created to educate your leads on important topics in your market so that they know what you do, how you do it, and what you can do for them.
That's why it has become the leading digital bait for lead capture because you share expert knowledge in an engaging and easy-to-assimilate way, requiring in exchange contact information from these people.
Important note: according to Content Marketing Benchmarking Report 2015, 37% of B2B companies produce ebooks as a digital marketing strategy, with 55% of them considered a highly effective strategy. Are we underestimating the power of ebooks?
Why use ebooks in your marketing strategy?
Okay, you realized that the ebook is more extensive content, with knowledge dense than blog posts and that requires extra care when creating it.
And why will you want this responsibility and this job for you? Can not you just stay in the 500-word posts?
# Ebooks help educate the public
Well, blog posts are essential to get the attention of your audience, but in general, they deal with issues in a very segmented and summarized way.
For example, a blog post that talks about Facebook Marketing will not address the full potential of Facebook marketing because space is limited. So what do you do to educate your audience on this subject?
Create an ebook!
# Ebooks are the gateway to leads
Ebooks are also key to lead generation because to provide such complete content you will surely want something in return.
And if it's not money, it's information. Quality information that will help you get closer to your target audience and start a relationship that will drive business in the future.
# Ebooks help increase your authority
Talking about internet competition is matter-of-fact, but it's important to remember that for you to stand out from the competition you need to show the one that came.
A good way to do this is to create an ebook for each topic you master and share that knowledge on the web, show what you are capable of and how you can help people solve their problems.
# Ebooks are a source of friendly knowledge
Ever thought about having a cloud backup issue and having to read a 200-page book with technical terms on the subject? We guarantee that there would be far fewer self-taught people in this world.
In contrast, how about downloading an ebook of 2000 words (about 10 pages) with short paragraphs, information easy to assimilate and teach you to step by step exactly what you need? Much easier, do you agree?
# Ebooks are the starting point for a successful blog
There is so much information in an ebook that you can break it into blog posts, infographics, videos, images, calls-to-action, and various other content formats that will attract your audience and engender engagement.
Ebook is life for your content marketing and inbound marketing strategy! Do not waste time and learn how to plan a successful ebook!
How to plan (and deliver) a successful ebook
If you have a defined and documented content strategy, you already have much of what it takes to create a successful ebook.
Anyway, let's go step by step so you do not skip any steps.
# Meet your people
Surely you've heard a lot about personas and the importance they have for a powerful digital marketing strategy.
We have already talked so much about them on our blog that we have a Guide for creating personas and even a tool called People Generator.
If you have not checked these materials yet, go there to check it out! Once you know exactly who your personas are, proceed to the next step.
# Set the theme of your ebook
Any content you create should answer a question or solve a problem of your people.
To create a list of what can be an input to an ebook, always thinking about the stage of the sales funnel where the people you want to target are and how to lead them to the next stage.
# Structure your content
Before you leave for writing itself, make a skeleton of what you will address throughout the ebook.
Use titles and subtitles, search for references, insert some reminders to let no detail escape during production.
# Write!
Armed with all the information you need, start the production of the content.
Remember to use the same language as your audience, to explain technical terms, to be light, as if in a conversation.
# Optimize
Of course during the production of the content of the ebook, you will already be thinking about how to optimize it for the search engines but it is worth a review to make sure that it will be found with the right keywords.
To make a 10 note optimization, check out our SEO Guide.
# Illustrate your content
With the text ready, it's time to select the images, figures, illustrations, graphics, infographics and other elements that will help give life to your ebook.
Having a designer is critical right now, so you have an attractive and compelling ebook.
# Do not forget the design
The formatting of your ebook should take into consideration the devices most used by your audience to access content.
More and more we access blogs, websites and social networks through mobile devices, so itis fundamental to think of a responsive design for your ebook.
In addition, the layout should reflect the image of your company - relaxed, serious, lively etc - for the reader to create identification.
Use the colors of your logo, think of the harmony between the elements, use the blanks as a rest for reading and separate the information into small blocks for easy reading.
We finished the production part, but the work is not over yet. Your ebook needs an audience, so let's do marketing that stuff!
How and where to promote your ebook
Are you following our blog? So you have already come into contact with various content on how to disseminate your content on the internet.
Tools are not lacking in this and inbound marketing is our greatest ally in this endeavor.
# Prepare your landing page
All rich stuff, like an ebook, needs a landing page or landing page.
This landing page is made exclusively to highlight your content and invite the user to download the material.
We have a post that will help you put together an effective landing page, access it at this link. In addition, we also have a Kit Landing Pages, with templates ready to be customized and used.
# Promote your ebook on social networks
Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+ and Medium are just some of the social networks where you can promote your ebook.
Make CTAs impossible to ignore to get the audience's attention and get them to visit your landing page.
# Create CTAs for the ebook in your blog posts
Ebooks and blog posts are best friends, ever. Remember when we talk about untying your ebook on other types of content?
It is exactly so that you can link the two subjects, inviting the reader of the post to impart a deeper and more complete content about what you are talking about.
# Give the well-deserved highlight to your ebook with sponsored links
If you really want to see your ebook making success on the internet but still do not have that whole traffic on your blog, website and social networks, why not bet on sponsored links?
Target a budget to promote your best ebooks on Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Linkedin Ads, Twitter Ads and all other Ads on the internet.
# Promote your ebook to your lead base
Email marketing is a great ally right now, is not it?
You can create an email marketing campaign to promote your ebook and get people to know about your new content. In this ebook, you learn everything you need to create a winning email marketing campaign.
# Insert social sharing buttons
Ebooks serve to increase the visibility of your business and increase your authority on certain subjects, but for this, you need an audience.
A lot. So insert social sharing buttons on both your landing page and email marketing and encourage people to share your ebook with their contact networks.
Have you ever thought to see your ebook virtualizing on the internet?
# Insert an ebook banner on your website
Who said that the company website is not a place to advertise content? It may be that the "blog" or "educational content" tab does not draw so much attention. But a banner promoting your newest ebook is sure to make a lot of success.
# How about an SMS?
It is difficult to find anyone who still has a cell phone without internet access so you can combine SMS and web to highlight your ebook.
Send an SMS to your lead base stating that the ebook is now available for download and insert the link to your landing page.
Remember we talked about the responsive design for the ebook? Here it becomes super valid!
# Give your friends a touch
Word of mouth is the best of recommendations.
And why should not you ask your friends for help to give that up in spreading your ebook?When posting to social networks, check those people you think are interested in the subject.
Call in the inbox and ask them to give a force. From reader to reader you build your audience.
Creating an ebook is not fascinating? All the way you have until you see the results of conversions is a great experience for anyone who creates content.
Of course, if you can count on other professionals, such as a web designer to create the landing page, a designer to shape the ebook, an SEO professional to optimize the content, will be much easier.
But if you are still alone in this endeavor, do not be alarmed.
The first ebook we never forget, pick up a little, but in the end, everything works out. Our tips and templates are there so you can use them whenever you need them.
Oh, and as you know, the ebook is just one of the content marketing tools you can use to leverage your marketing strategy, so be sure to check out our Content Marketing Encyclopedia.
In it, you will find all the knowledge you need to become a specialist!
Ready to create your first ebook? Then come back here and tell us how it went!
Comments
Post a Comment