I recently read a
blog post by Kevin Vitali in which he asked the community for suggestions on what he called “capturing leads” on his website. I commented:
“I have two words: FREE E-book! (is that three words?) okay then : FREE Report. 
“
Shortly after my comment, I received a contact from another friend in ActiveRain asking me how I “get my E-books”. I informed her that I design my own and decided that I should share more information on this subject.
First off, some are wondering WHAT IS AN E-BOOK? An E-book is a Web-based publication (green publishing, if you will), which can be put together with NO INVESTMENT – yes, you heard me right – and little time and effort, and easily displayed on your reader’s screen with Adobe Acrobat, which is FREE public software, as well.
The second question you’ll probably want me to answer is WHY WOULD I PUBLISH an E-BOOK? I’M NOT – AND DO NOT WISH TO BE- a WRITER or an AUTHOR!!! Good point. You can benefit from digital publishing in many ways.
Like blogging, e-publishing helps you position yourself as the expert on a subject, an industry, a tool, a profession, or whatever it is you want to be the guru at.
E-books could be modeled in the fashion of eGuides, “How to” Manuals, Tips, Do’s and Don’ts and FREE advice. Talk about providing value to your readership! (AKA future clients).
There’s a proverb you’ll hear a lot in the Dominican Republic that reads “Crea fama y acuestate a dormir”. According to WikiQuote, it means something like “create something that brings you fame and live off the royalties”. Creating an e-book that provides TIMELESS value and information will be time well spent because it will create a favorable perception towards your brand. (You still need to get your work done, though, don’t take the sleeping deal literal LOL).
In summary:
- Providing value
- Being the thought leader
- Building a list
WHAT MAKES A GOOD E-BOOK?
- A catchy and intriguing title that promises to deliver what your ideal prospect wants to know about or wants more of.
- Content that increases knowledge, educates, solves a problem, saves money, makes life easier.
- Compelling writing style that is compliant with the rules that govern effective web copy.
- Fun layout, powerful images: very visually attractive!
- Fabulous branding to communicate your corporate personality, your credentials and contact information.
IS IT HARD TO CREATE? Absolutely not. If you can blog, you can publish an e-book in 5 steps:
- Write your book title and chapter titles.
- Using Microsoft Word, type in information under each title. (e-books range anywhere from 5 to 50+ pages).
- Research back up information (quotes, statistics, definitions) and add them to the relevant spot in your copy.
- Take photos or buy stock photography, create custom graphs, maps or screen shots. Add them where it makes sense.
- Convert the document to PDF using a FREE PDF editor, such as Primo PDF.
For a more sophisticated look, you can get you can hire a professional e-book editor and designer. The next step is to hire a web designer to create a landing page or create a request form on your existing website.
That’s it! Easy and Free! It’s brilliant! Let me know your thoughts on e-books. If you’ve already e-published, what did you write?
Thank you for taking the time to reading my post. Have a powerful day!
For more information connect with me:
My Website| Positive Mommies Network | E-mail | Facebook | Twitter: @NaplesMarketing @PositiveMommies
This article is intended to educate and it constitutes the sole intellectual property of Elayna Fernandez and Designed 2 Impress. Any full or partial reproduction or duplication without the author’s express written consent is strictly prohibited and will be considered copyright infringement.
Elayna Fernandez is a proud mother, founder of the Positive Mommies Network, personal development marketer, blogging/social media/web design instructor, and marketing/branding professional. Her company, Designed 2 Impress, is dedicated to assisting individuals and small businesses in creating successful and consistent brand and achieve their marketing goals.
