You have a new product. You're looking for new ways to attract customers, make sales, and establish your brand. There are many ways creating an eBook can help.
You may want to write a book on marketing to generate new leads so that you can promote your products by email. You may be thinking about selling a book online about a topic that relates to your product. This approach to e-readers can add value to your business with a new income stream.
No matter what approach you choose, digital books can be a very effective tool for selling products online.
Some say epub popularity is declining, but that data is from major publishers, not the self-publishing world. With a little finesse and know-how, you have an opportunity to take over a unique niche and sell products with an eBook.
Let's get started.
Choose a topic
There are many factors to weigh when you pick the topic of your digital book. The most important thing is to make a book you would love to read.
Yes, it's business content, but that doesn't mean it can't be fun. If you are already a thought leader in your industry, it's important to write something that's fresh and new. You'll want to think about your customers and what they want. Asking directly is usually the best place to start. Send a quick email and ask your customers what you can help them with!
If you don't already have a base of customers for the eBook that you want to write, start with a problem that your product solves.
Think about how your product can address that specific problem. This isn't an email or ad copy, so you can go into detail. Play with your idea, and approach it from every angle.
Many small business owners probably think that anyone selling kitchen accessories has it easy. All they need to do is make a book of recipes! But really, every product and industry is full of interesting stories. It just takes some time to tease them out.
Start with your brand story. For example, say you sell exercise equipment and your founder created a series of exercises after a skiing accident. As you put together your epub you'll want to think about the details of his story.
Did he ski every year? Was he skiing with his family? Was there a doctor or physical therapist who he worked with to create his exercises and equipment?
Approach your product like an investigative reporter. Examine the stories of your business and products. How will you describe the scene and make it come to life for your readers?
An engaging story will captivate your readers and encourage them to share the story with friends and family. This leads to more eyes on your products.
How to create your eBook
Making any book, even a short story, can sound intimidating. You may not think you're good at writing, or you fumble when it comes to design. It's true, creating an eBook does require many skill sets.
Luckily, selling products with an eBook is more about sharing your personality and being honest. There are also some simple approaches to streamlining the writing process.
Borrow from the public domain
It's often easier to edit someone else's writing than it is to start from scratch.
There are thousands of books available in the public domain that you can update to fit your products. Spend some time to find the book in the public domain, and then look for a section that fits the book you want to write. You may end up removing a lot of the copy that you start with, but this can be a quick way to write something interesting and original.
Use your blog
If you already write a blog for your products, combining multiple blogs with some fresh insight can make for a great eBook that sells your products. Beware though, for your online book to be successful it needs to be one of a kind and worth the extra investment.
Use pictures
Images are powerful storytellers and it may make sense for your final product to be more photos than text.
Comic books are also a smart way to share useful information. If you don't have strong drawing skills, there are many comic bookmaking tools that can help like Pixton or Make Beliefs Comix.
Multimedia pdfs are super attractive to readers. When you're creating a book to sell your products include slides, videos, or audio clips. This is a smart way to break up complex information. And there's no better medium than video to demonstrate how to use your product.
Set your schedule
You're writing your eBook for business, so this isn't a personal project that you have years to perfect. It's important to create a timeline and stick to it.
Once you decide what your book will be about, how you plan to make it, and how long it will be, create an outline of how long you think each stage of the process will take.
Writing, designing, formatting, and promotion can all take some time, so make sure your schedule is realistic. You don't want to sacrifice quality for punctuality. Using a scheduling tool like Asana or Trello can be helpful.
Writing and proofreading your product eBook
You don't have to be a great writer to sell products online with your eBook, but you do need to make an excellent book. Your copy must be free of errors or glaring issues that could distract your readers from the stories that you want to tell.
A few tips for writing and editing
Don't bother with fancy words. Some industry vocabulary might make sense for your niche, but it's more important to write with clarity.
You also want to write with your brand in mind. Look at the keywords that you use on your website, blogs, and advertising. Think about your ideal customer and speak in a tone that they will understand and appreciate.
If you're looking for more content, consider collaborating with colleagues and influencers in your niche. Their ideas will make your digital book stronger and will reinforce the value of your message. This helps new customers to trust you and your products more quickly.
Hire someone you trust to proofread your final product. It will be difficult to get a professional finished product without a professional once over. There are many sites online where you can hire someone to review your book.
Pretend you're not hiring a proofreader
For your editor to do the best job they can, you need to be sure that your copy is already as strong as possible before review. If you don't remove spelling errors or punctuation issues before you send it off, your proofreader won't be able to do their best work.
Get your book out there
Now it's time to decide how you'll distribute your digital book.
When you're writing an eBook to sell products online you'll start with a specific vision. Those plans may shift as you get closer to completion. It's good to keep in mind this one big question- Do you want to sell your book online or did you make this e-reader to market your product?
Marketing with an eBook
Most businesses will create an online book as a lead magnet. Premium content like this is a great way to build an email list. Once you have a strong list you can create automation and newsletters that will help you sell your products.
You can also offer your book for free on marketplace sites like Amazon to attract a new audience for your products.
Add your new book to your product offer
Another route is to offer your online book for sale. You can sell your eBook as a digital product from your e-commerce website. Sell it as a new product or bundle it with complementary products to create a more valuable and special offer.
Books can establish you as a thought leader in your industry. This means you can bundle your new epub with services like speaking engagements or events. These extra revenue streams can help you sell more products while establishing your brand.
Getting the word out
Once your book is complete your focus will shift to full-time promotion. You need a great plan of action to market your final product.
As you dig into eBook promotion, remember that getting the word out needs to start early.
How early? While you're writing, include adding CTAs inside your PDF book. You may want to add CTAs in several spots, not just at the end (many people don't finish books they've started).
These calls to action can be links to your website or a chance to join your email list. This can help you promote your products as soon as your book starts selling. It also makes it easy for your readers to share a story they love!
Speaking of sharing- you also want to make the most of your network of friends and co-workers. Share your plans and your finished book for feedback. Then ask everyone to share the word. Choose a selling platform that lets you share your eBook directly on social media to save time as you promote.
If just 10 friends share with 10 of their friends, that's a hundred books you put out into the world. Like a chain letter, but this is something people will really want.
Writing an eBook gives you a chance to share little-known facts and stories about your business and your products. Digital books can attract new shoppers or bring current customers closer to your brand. All it takes is some time and focus.
