Putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) can pay off for content marketers.
Ultimately, the goal of content marketing comes down to offering something valuable to your target audience.
Writing an ebook gives you a great opportunity to reach potential customers and impress them with your industry knowledge, while helping them answer a question or solve a problem.
While they certainly require more time and dedication than your run-of-the-mill blog post, ebooks can have huge benefits for brands and businesses. Here are eight of them.
1. Cover an In-Depth Topic
There’s a time and a place for 10-second videos and short social posts, but when it comes to covering a complicated topic, ebooks are the perfect format.
The key to success for any long-form content is finding a way to communicate your ideas in a fun and creative way. The best ebooks contain a mix of clearly organized information and compelling visual support.
People who download your ebook are likely already interested in at least some aspect of your service offerings; so if you can tell a better story than the competition, you up your odds of winning over prospective clients.
2. Establish Authority
Ebooks generally include several pages, at the very least, of valuable information about a specific skill or concept.
The more value you provide, the more readers will associate your brand with the wealth of content they’ve absorbed.
By demonstrating your industry knowledge, you’re also establishing your brand as a trusted source for solving future dilemmas.
3. Build Trust
The information in your ebook is important, but so is the language with which you convey your message.
By giving real-time examples and offering approachable explanations, you build a positive rapport with readers, maintaining their trust and cultivating long-term relationships with prospective clients.
4. Generate New Business Leads
When you’re offering something as valuable as an ebook, you can ask for something in return. Most ebooks are gated, meaning they require readers to supply their name and email address before downloading.
While you may think this kind of requirement could deter prospective clients from accessing your content, the most qualified leads are actively looking for the information that your ebook provides, and likely won’t mind being put on a list to receive similar content in the future.
5. Repurpose Content
Ebooks contain a ton of (hopefully useful) information, giving you the opportunity to build a bank of content for repurposing.
Later in the month or year, when you’re looking for resources to keep your content flowing, you’ll have everything you need right at your fingertips.
Simply reformat it in a way that makes the most sense – whether as blog posts, white papers, or even a short video.
6. Increase Traffic
Offering a free book that covers all the hot topics and major concerns within your industry can really help drive traffic to your site.
Include links to corresponding landing pages on your site so readers can gain more insights about your brand and inquire about your services when they’re ready.
7. Create a Company Manifesto
Every brand has a mantra, whether it’s publicly stated or not.
What do you believe? What’s your inspiration for creating stellar products or services? What values drive and represent your brand?
Your ebook can help set the tone for your brand’s voice and values, reaching consumers who relate to and support your mission statement.
8. Sell Without Selling
Ebooks give you an opportunity to demonstrate your brand’s capabilities by weaving in your own case studies or positive client experiences to support your claims.
Subtly demonstrating how your company overcomes industry challenges is a great way to show readers what you can offer without being pushy or aggressive.
As a marketing professional, you already have the necessary tools and insights to create valuable content. The next step is organizing and communicating your industry expertise in a way that your target audience finds informative and compelling.
