business ebooks

Today, long-form content rules the roost. But here’s what you didn’t know: could the head honcho in said roost quite possibly be the ebook? Today, the average content length of material that ranks #1 in Google sits at 2,450 words (see more stats on long-form content). While many people put out long-form blog posts, ebooks are a fantastic way to provide long-form content that does what most long-form blogs don’t—or an amazing way to build a “content upgrade” onto an existing post. In addition to the fact that ebooks are ideal for providing relevance and value for consumers, they’re also a highly trusted form of content that has the potential to boost the image and authority of your brand hugely. Let’s discuss how you can improve your brand across the board by creating compelling business ebooks. [bctt tweet=”Learn how to improve your brand across the board by creating compelling business #ebooks. ?” username=”ExpWriters”] Why Business Ebooks, & Why Now Right now, 57% of marketers think that ebooks are a very effective marketing tactic. Even back in 2013, 34% of B2B marketers were using ebooks, and that number has exploded since then. In addition to their widespread use and perceived effectiveness (one study revealed that including a free ebook download on a website could increase conversion rates by 10.8%), there’s also the fact that ebooks are easy to produce, highly interactive, convenient for users, and in-depth enough to offer real value on a particular topic, concern, or problem. Readers love the comprehensive, easily accessible approach to a particular topic that is the ebook. One ebook has the opportunity for far more traction than one long-form content piece. Why? You can create a landing page for your ebook which can be re-shared, and re-linked to in multiple blog pieces, social media posts, and landing pages The best part: you get personal email addresses every single time someone wants to get a copy (time to do some email marketing and start conversion funnels to your readers’ inboxes!) While most people imagine ebooks to be cheap or sales-y, the modern marketing-centric business ebooks of today are highly researched, well thought-out pieces of material that include things like graphics, links, important stats, and truly useful information. Because of all of these things, ebooks claim a unique position that allows them to drive leads to a brand and make it easier than ever before for companies to enjoy the traffic, conversions, and engagement that long-form content so often produces. How to Create Your Own Highly Successful, In-Depth Business Ebooks There’s plenty to be gained from a great business ebook, and marketers who want to produce them successfully need to follow several steps: 1. Develop a plan for your upcoming ebook Because ebooks are often several thousand words long, it doesn’t behoove anyone to go into the project blindly. Instead of assuming that you can just write the ebook as you go, sit down and develop a plan right now. For your plan to function well as a guide throughout the writing process, it will have to cover a few key points. These are as follows: Topic. First of all, you’ll have to decide which issue you’re going to tackle in the ebook and how you’ll approach it. To flesh this out, consider consulting your Q&A section or the comments on your blog or social media pages. More likely than not, readers are already giving you a great glimpse into the type of content they’d like addressed, and paying attention to these sections can provide valuable insight into the direction of your book. Target audience. Once you’ve decided on your topic, you’ll need to determine who your ebook is directed at. If you don’t already have a target audience or a series of target personas drawn up, take some time to do that now. This is a simple step, but it’s one that will ultimately impact the effectiveness and relevance of your ebook. Target keywords. Ebooks are more impactful when they’re optimized for SEO. To ensure that your ebook makes a splash with your readers, research your target keywords before you drop into the writing process. By researching keywords and discovering which ones your readers are searching for, you’ll be much more readily able to deliver highly targeted content that appears in search results and can go a long way toward boosting your conversions. General outline. Aside from the things mentioned above, your ebook plan will also need to include a general outline of the content you’re proposing to cover. Consider drawing up a map of sections; content included, sources, and key points. While this may seem unneeded, it can be an essential foundation when it comes time to write the ebook. 2. Get to writing your content Now that you’ve developed an outline for your ebook and a plan for its execution, it’s time to start writing. Without question, this is the most difficult part of ebook production. Writing a great ebook takes time, and you can’t expect to rush through it and turn out a quality product. Instead, spend as much time as is needed to craft a quality piece of content that displays your expertise, relevance, and authority. If you don’t have time to write the ebook on your own, consider hiring professional copywriters to do it for you. By working with copywriters who are familiar with ebook structure and outline, you can quickly produce a quality piece of content without shouldering the burden of its creation on your own. Once your ebook is written, it’s time to get to work editing it. While you should be sure to read through the ebook several times on your own, you’ll also need to consider hiring a professional editor to check it through for you. This helps cut down on mistakes and ensure that your final product is a streamlined and professional as it needs to be. Once you’ve reached this point, it’s time to begin to promote your ebook. This will make your launch easier and streamline your marketing process … Read more