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How to create an eBook to drive leads

When it comes to attracting leads, the value of unique, authentic, and relevant content is a popular ingredient in the lead-generating secret sauce. One of the most effective ways to create such content is by writing an eBook.

No matter what industry you're in or what product/service you offer, there's always a need to educate prospects on how they can use it better or solve their problems more effectively.

An eBook gives you an opportunity to showcase your expertise and credibility as well as build trust with prospects. It also helps you stand out from competitors because they cannot offer something similar.

Now that I have your attention, here are some simple things to consider when creating your ebook.

Who is my target audience? You might want to create a persona chart and figure out who you are marketing to and identify some of the challenges your ebook will help them overcome.

Create an outline: Once you have a clear understanding of who you're writing for, you can begin to build up a list of potential topics for your eBook. you can move on to creating an outline for your eBook. You need to include all the topics that you want to cover in your book and then divide them into categories (e.g., chapters or sections). This will help you write the content faster because you don't have to worry about what topic goes where; instead, you can focus on writing a good piece of content for each chapter/section.

Keyword Ranking: Your ebook is designed to generate leads. To achieve this, the ebook needs high-ranking keywords in the first couple of sentences of your content and then strategically placed throughout the body of your chapter. I recommend you include main and latent semantic indexing (LSI) keywords.

Targeted messaging: Even though you might be passionate about the topic that you've decided to write about, it's important to remember that no one will care about it as much as you do. So make sure that the content is interesting enough for your targeted persona. Remember to include a standard "about the author" blurb at the end of your Ebook along with any appropriate credentials, a fun fact or two, and a link to your social media pages.

Create a writing schedule: Creating content is a daunting task, especially if you've never written anything before. To avoid burnout, start with creating a writing schedule wherein you can plan the number of days you will devote to each of the chapters. Stick to that schedule and write the book in parts so you know you're doing full justice to it.

Tone: Write in a conversational tone that speaks to the reader. Keep the jargon aside. Break down large chunks of text into shorter paragraphs and use bullet points to make it easy to read while providing value.

Back it up with data: Back up claims including marketing analysis, statistical methods, etc., and provide the necessary details for others to replicate your experiment and verify your findings.

Polishing and proofing: After you're done writing, give yourself a break before you step into the editing phase wherein you need to polish and fine-tune your writing. Read it objectively to check for grammatical errors and content gaps. It's also a good idea to get a fresh set of eyes on the eBook and get feedback.

Call to action: Remember, this ebook is designed to build creditability and trust while generating leads. Don't forget to add a CTA that will encourage the readers to ask more questions and continue the journey through your sales funnel.

Format: You may have heard that PDFs are one of the most popular ebook formats. And you wouldn't be wrong! They're quick and easy to create and can be read on pretty much any device.

So why would we suggest anything else? Well, it's because PDFs aren't reflowable. That means they don't adapt their presentation to the output device. This isn't such a problem on a desktop, but for smaller-screen devices like smartphones, tablets, and readers, it can make your ebook difficult to read.

Syndication Landing Pages: Create a landing page to funnel leads. Focus on simple messaging to build trust, establish value and capture the lead. Now, sprinkle some marketing text like:

It's time to get your free ebook!

Here, you'll find all the information you need to get started with [product/service name]. We've put together a quick guide that will walk you through what you need to know, as well as some helpful tips and tricks.

All you have to do is fill out this form and we'll send it right over.

Once you've collected enough information from your subscribers, make sure they receive everything they need —whether that's access to the ebook itself or some other useful information they can use right away.

Need help with your ebook?

We would be more than happy to talk about your ebook and work with you to make it a success.

At basemonkeys, we develop digital experiences that flaunt your brand's personality and equip it for success. We use our expertise to turn ideas into a beautiful user experience that conveys your marketing message. Combining design, development, and strategy across the full open channel of social media, Web, and mobile, we create unique experiences that help you connect with your customers.