I wrote my first e-book a few years ago, and was instantly hooked on this easy way to get - and dispense - information.
I've since written 7, and an e-course.
As I said, it's addictive.
While I knew I was going to sell the first few I wrote, with others I thought, "Hmm, should I use this as a free giveaway, or charge for it?" Well, as with most things in life, I learned that - it depends.
On what? What Do You Want to Accomplish with Your E-book Quite simply, it depends on your goal.
Is your goal to increase your subscriber list, qualify your prospects, make immediate money, etc.
An e-book can do all of this - it depends on how you market it.
Marketing for Subscribers with an E-book Almost every online marketing guru will tell you that e-books are a great way to increase your subscriber list.
Use your e-book as a giveaway.
Eg, subscribe to my newsletter and receive a free copy of the article marketing e-book, Everything You Wanted to Know About Article Marketing! which will tell you how to increase your sales by distributing free articles.
Qualifying Prospects With Your E-book E-books can also be great qualifiers.
What do I mean? You can separate the tire kickers from the serious inquirers.
While some will always just want a freebie, the vast majority of prospects who request a free, informational product are those who are really interested in making a purchase.
Think about it, the more serious you are about something, the more time you're apt to spend researching it.
So, after a speaking engagement, for example, you might say, "If you're interested in learning more, email me to request a copy of the free e-book, The Small Biz Owner's Marketing Kit! Those who are really serious are much more likely to follow up with you than those who just had a passing interest in what you had to say during your speaking engagement.
Making Direct Sales with Your E-book Creating an e-book to sell adds to your bottom line in a multitude of ways: i) it enhances your credibility within your field, which eventually leads to more clients; ii) it puts money directly into your pocket via direct sales; and iii) it gives you the opportunity to create a line of products around the e-book (eg, t-shirts, pins, coffee mugs, etc.
).
No matter how you use e-books, they are a great marketing tool every freelancer should utilize.
I've since written 7, and an e-course.
As I said, it's addictive.
While I knew I was going to sell the first few I wrote, with others I thought, "Hmm, should I use this as a free giveaway, or charge for it?" Well, as with most things in life, I learned that - it depends.
On what? What Do You Want to Accomplish with Your E-book Quite simply, it depends on your goal.
Is your goal to increase your subscriber list, qualify your prospects, make immediate money, etc.
An e-book can do all of this - it depends on how you market it.
Marketing for Subscribers with an E-book Almost every online marketing guru will tell you that e-books are a great way to increase your subscriber list.
Use your e-book as a giveaway.
Eg, subscribe to my newsletter and receive a free copy of the article marketing e-book, Everything You Wanted to Know About Article Marketing! which will tell you how to increase your sales by distributing free articles.
Qualifying Prospects With Your E-book E-books can also be great qualifiers.
What do I mean? You can separate the tire kickers from the serious inquirers.
While some will always just want a freebie, the vast majority of prospects who request a free, informational product are those who are really interested in making a purchase.
Think about it, the more serious you are about something, the more time you're apt to spend researching it.
So, after a speaking engagement, for example, you might say, "If you're interested in learning more, email me to request a copy of the free e-book, The Small Biz Owner's Marketing Kit! Those who are really serious are much more likely to follow up with you than those who just had a passing interest in what you had to say during your speaking engagement.
Making Direct Sales with Your E-book Creating an e-book to sell adds to your bottom line in a multitude of ways: i) it enhances your credibility within your field, which eventually leads to more clients; ii) it puts money directly into your pocket via direct sales; and iii) it gives you the opportunity to create a line of products around the e-book (eg, t-shirts, pins, coffee mugs, etc.
).
No matter how you use e-books, they are a great marketing tool every freelancer should utilize.
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