Ericka Lewis
Creating ebooks that offer value can help position your business as a thought-leader in your industry. It's a great way to go in-depth with topics that may be too wide to cover in your blogs and shine a spotlight on your area of expertise. Done right, ebooks can offer great value to your audience and will help you establish credibility among them.
Put the exciting, enticing, endearing, entertaining, eloquent, and effective "E" on that ebook. Here are nine tips to help you create effective ebooks:
1. Pick a topic of value
If you've done your buyer persona homework well, this step will be easy (and yummy) as cake. When it comes to brainstorming a topic, you don't need to scour Narnia for some abstract highly intellectual fluff that requires supremely evolved beings to decode. Keep it simple but meaningful. Choose a topic that offers something of value to your audience. Think about the common concerns of your audience and how your expertise can help them. What are the questions and problems they encounter in their industries and what valuable advice can you impart? Think of yourself as Bob the Builder -- Can you fix it? Yes you can.
2. Be creative
If you're writing on a topic that had been discussed time and time again, find creative ways to make it your own. Can you spin the topic in a different direction? Do you have advice to offer that may be a new resolution to what you are discussing? Use your voice, your thoughts, your expertise. Put your stamp on your ebook to the best of your abilities. Ebooks are the perfect podium to showcase not only your expertise on a particular topic, your creativity and resourcefulness, but also the edge you can bring to the table.
3. Do your research
Don't forget to supplement your thoughts with facts that can support your argument. Backing up your ideas with facts will boost your credibility and give the readers a reason to consider your advice. This will also keep your claims in check. As an expert in your field offering valuable content to your audience, you need to make sure what you are writing on the ebook offers accurate, measurable, tangible, and effective advice.
4. The title matters
Does the title reflect what your ebook actually contain? The title is your one-line pitch why your audience should consider downloading your ebook. Be straightforward but try your best to pick a title that intrigues your audience.
5. Create an outline
Create a framework of what you would like to discuss in your ebook. Focus on what you know best and get rid of fluff. Drafting an outline will give your work direction and will solidify your points. Focus on a single problem and offer the best resolutions.
6. Consider the length
Einstein said it best: "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." You don't need to write an elaborate novel to discuss a point. Keep it short, simple, and drive the point home. Break it down to sections that will make it easier for your client to digest the information. Use tables and graphics for complex figures that cannot be simplified in text. Make sure that your content can be read in an hour at the most.
7. Proofread your work
Ebooks can help position your business as a thought-leader in your respective industry. Simply put, sloppiness can essentially damage your credibility. Polish your work a few times at every stage along the way to smooth out the rough edges.
Proofreading isn't limited to grammar, typos, and misspelled words; you must also consider the flow of your content. Make sure that the voice of your content sounds authentic and appropriate for your audience.
8. Design strategically
Don't waste your work with a ho-hum layout. Design matters a lot when it comes to keeping the attention and interest of your audience. Ultimately, design is not only pleasing to the eye but makes for easier reading. Create something appealing that would make your readers want to share your ebook.
Similar to your website design, your ebook must be designed based on strategy. Research what colors reflect your thoughts well or resonates with your audience. Put some thought into how the text or the images are positioned. If there is a text-heavy section, consider breaking it up with images. You should also consider using pull-quotes to drive home your best points.
9. Promote your work
Once your ebook is published on your site, don't forget to promote it. Use social media channels to generate buzz about your ebook. Create a compelling campaign that would fuel the interest of your audience to download and share it among the people in their networks. Create ebook download CTAs to attach to your blogs and other areas of your website. Get PR coverage by asking industry leaders to issue a review of your ebook and to share it in their networks.
Apart from helping you establish leadership and credibility in your industry, ebooks are also a wonderful form of lead-generation. Those who have downloaded your ebook are already showing interest in the resolutions you can offer when it come sto their concerns. Don't waste the opportunity to show them exactly what you have to offer.
