10 Top Tips for E-books

Ebooks can do a lot for your organization:

• Build authority. Good ebooks can be as influential as good commercially published hardcovers.
• Build your database. Swap your ebook for contact information or use it as bait for a newsletter sign-up.
• Build a library. Being able to offer a relevant ebook or a page full of tempting titles is a nice next step from your social media or blog.
• Build goodwill. Send a free ebook to a prospective client, a new connection, or someone you’d like to get to know.

Ebooks are a nice, economical option for sharing and marketing. They can be printed out, but they can also be updated quickly as needed.

There’s some upfront cost, but emailing or allowing a download has essentially no further cost.The example at left, an ebook currently in preparation for a client, will provide the template for a whole series of future books.

In fact, though we usually prepare ebooks as free marketing or educational materials, they can certainly be sold.

So here are our top 10 tips for using ebooks:

1. Ignore early e-book advice telling you it doesn’t matter what your book looks like — readers have higher standards now. Invest in good design and good writing.
2. Also ignore advice saying that you can just gather stuff you find online and collate it into an ebook. That was never good advice, and now piracy can get you in real trouble.
3. Once you develop a look you love, use it to package content you already own, from new patient info to past blog posts. This is a great way to get the most from your investment.
4. Include links to your website. Better yet, link to a landing page with an appealing offer.You can change up the landing page.
5. Link to a resource page that you can keep up to date, so that your ebook won’t get outdated.
6. Bundle your e-book up with video or podcasts for easy multimedia offerings.
7. Print a few copies on good-quality paper for spontaneous giving at networking events.
8. Format your successful ebook for Kindle. It’s a little more trouble, but you’ll reach a wider readership.
9. If blogging is not for you, use ebooks to get some of the same advantages without the long-term commitment.
10. Revisit and update your ebook every few years to keep it fresh and useful.

See more examples for inspiration.