Free eBooks and Small Business: 5 Reasons Why It's a Good Idea

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eBook for business


If you’re a content marketer there isn’t a day that goes by where you don’t see a tweet, post or receive an eNewsletter update about someone releasing a new eBook.

People are intrigued with eBooks; what they are, what they do and how they help a marketing strategy. However, the most common  (and maybe the most important) question people have is how can a digital piece of branded material grow a business?

eBooks are a valuable book or report of information that you release digitally. An eBook is a quick and easy read that can be anything from a series about a specific topic to a step-by-step guide. Everyone has a tablet or eReader these days so an eBook is a great way to access your audience on the go. Most eBooks are evergreen and marketers tend to continually use them long after their original publication. Because of the everlasting quality of an eBook, many small businesses will offer one eBook for free to subscribers and then release other eBooks at a price. Which then changes the most common question about eBooks to how can a FREE piece of branded material grow a business?

Here are 5 reasons why a free eBook is a great strategy:

1. It’s a great way to brand your business

By creating an eBook you send out a clear message to your clients  not only explaining who and what your business is, but also why clients should want to work to with you. Those qualities alone should reel you into wanting an eBook!

2. It’s easy to compile and deliver

As opposed to a traditional book that would require going back and forth with a publisher, an eBook is as easy as gathering blog posts into one document and compressing them into a PDF. After the eBook is complete, just attach the PDF to an email or copy/paste the link to the eBook into a webpage and ta-da! Your brand is viral with minimal effort.

3. It makes your customers feel exclusive

Releasing a free eBook to your contact list before the general public has to pay for it makes your clients instant VIPs. It also helps to solidify a relationship between you and your client list. Think of it as like a loyalty card from a grocery or clothing store. If you get “insiders only” promotions, aren’t you more likely to shop during that time or more inclined to consider shopping with that company for thinking of you first? An eBook works in the same way.

4. It’s timeless

Blogging requires frequent, up-to-date, relevant posting. An eBook is something that has universal information that doesn’t have to be constantly updated. The timeless quality of an eBook ensures that current and potential clients alike have a branded piece of content to reference your company for years to come.

5. It ultimately makes you money!

If offering the eBook for free scares you, think about the return on investment. Putting forth the money upfront to create the eBook will more than pay for itself when leads start pouring in from clients interested in your services. And that timeless quality we spoke about earlier ensures you always have potential to generate leads. Think of it as your web sales team that is constantly working to bring you business. Not bad!

These are only a few of the reasons why your small business should consider releasing a free eBook. As content creators and storytellers, we understand and appreciate the value of an eBook  *spoiler alert* which is why we are in the works of creating one ourselves! For more information about how your company can incorporate an eBook into your digital strategy to grow your business, fill out our contact us form or shoot us an email at [email protected] .