Are you running out of creative ways to promote your small business? Have you considered writing an e-book?
Now, hear me out on this. I know that writing a book seems a bit daunting for some small business owners, especially considering how busy you already are. But consider what a versatile marketing tool a book could be. You could:
- Give away your e-book as an incentive for signing up for your mailing list.
- Donate your e-book as a prize for online giveaways.
- Sell your book on your website or blog.
- Print a few copies and hand them out at your next trade show or conference.
Plus, writing an e-book on a subject of expertise helps you establish even more credibility in your industry or niche and strengthens your personal brand. There are a lot of good reasons to use a book as a promotional tool for your small business. Here’s how to do it.
Pick a Topic
Write about the things your readers want to know. Writing an e-book for business promotion and writing the Great American Novel don’t have much in common. Your book should help or instruct the reader first and foremost. Your audience will see through gimmicks, so make sure it has real value.
To be helpful, share your expertise on a particular subject. Start by considering the different ways you want your book to benefit potential customers are clients. Write a list and use that list to pinpoint your topic or title. For example, a dentist might write an e-book titled, “10 Ways to Get Your Children to Brush Their Teeth – And Love It!”
Keep It Short and Organized
You’ll be relieved to know that e-books don’t have any outrageous length requirements. They need only be as long or as short as it takes to give readers the information they need. In fact, shorter e-books are almost always better. Outline and organize your content using subheads, bullets and other formatting tricks that make the text easy to skim.
Make It Easy to Download
This goes for all e-books, but is especially important if you plan to sell your e-book. If purchasing and downloading is a chore, you increase the chances of customers abandoning their shopping carts. Use a universal file format (PDF should work) to keep things simple and ensure that readers don’t have compatibility issues.
Promote Your e-Book
Writing a great e-book isn’t enough; you have to tell people about it. Share the book on your blog and social media platforms, and place a link to download the e-book on every page of your blog or website. Include ad copy with the link that clearly explains the benefits of downloading and reading the book.
It’s important to think of your e-book as a marketing tool. Chances are, sales of your e-book alone are never going to make you rich. Be realistic about what the document can do for your business and your brand and make sure that the money and time you invest in the project are inline with what you can reasonably expect to gain in the long term.