In a recent blog post, we noted that calls-to-action (“CTAs”) are “must haves” in the B2B marketing world. No matter the tactic, if you don’t direct your audience towards the next step they likely won’t take it, and that would be a huge lost opportunity.
A successful CTA includes an enticing offer such as industry information and insight, and it doesn’t hurt to present this information in an entertaining format. An e-book fits the bill in all these areas.
When I first heard of the “e-book” in the B2B marketing world, I was unsure of the difference between an e-book and a white paper. After all, isn’t an e-book just a fancy looking white paper? Well, The B2B Social Media Book defines an e-book as “the white paper’s modern cousin.” The main difference? E-books are often less technical, and they feature more engaging, entertaining content as such as images, social sharing, and calls-to-action.
With all the competing online information available, your content really needs to grab a prospective reader’s attention- it needs to be entertaining and informational! For this reason, the e-book is becoming a go-to resource for content marketers, and you do NOT need rocket science to create one!
Here are some tips for creating an awesome e-book that your prospects will want to download:
- Create an editorial calendar around your topic. An e-book is generally about 10-15 pages, perfect for recycling a collection of related blog posts. However, it shouldn’t be an afterthought, but rather carefully planned out. Set up a table of contents or topics that you will cover with a logical flow. Build an editorial calendar around this goal. This way, you can create blog posts for “dripping” and a collection that readers interested in the collective topic will want to download.
- Write on an evergreen topic. Unlike a blog post, the reader will likely download and save the e-book for later reference, so it has a bit of a longer shelf life. It’s fine to write about something hot and current, but just be sure it has at least a few months shelf life.
- Create a catchy title. Just like when constructing a blog post, you can either make or break its success with the title. Just like other tactic, try to step into the shoes of your ideal reader. Think of their pain points, their interests, and package it so they are clear on the takeaways.
- Design a visually appealing template. It doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. There are free online resources for e-book templates that you can customize and populate. Hubspot has a free template for Word that you can download, or if you want to make things really interesting, SlideRocket has a free online template that you can even embed video into.
- Use bold images. People connect with concepts more easily when they can compare it to something they already understand. I am a big fan of using bold images to illustrate a point as well as entertain.
- Include social sharing tools. One plus of the publication being an “e”-book is that people can share it instantly. Include social sharing tools so readers can share landing page.
- Include a call to action. Sure, the e-book itself may be a download from a call to action from a landing page or other tactic, but it also may be just the beginning step of the sales cycle. What do you want the lead or prospect to do next?
E-books are proving to be a fun and effective method for educating and engaging an audience. Please tell us how you’ve used an E-book to establish thought leadership and capture readers’ attention. What are your favorite e-book examples and templates?