Do you own a business?
Are you selling a service or product, either physical or digital?
If you can answer yes to any of these questions, then you should be writing an eBook for your clientele that both help promote yourself as an expert, and give a boost to your business.
There are many different ways to promote yours business online these days, from simple images, videos, blog posts, press releases, and other webinars… you name it!
But one advantageous way to promote your business is to write an eBook and make it available to your target market.
EBooks are easy to write, they don’t require much technical knowledge at all, and they don’t have to be a hundred page project either.
A good eBook with just 30-50 pages is a good start, and it’s plenty enough to deliver some valuable information that can make you and your business very popular.
So, if that sounds like something you would want to do, let’s cut to the chest and see why you should write an eBook and how to go about it.
But most of all, why this is going to be so beneficial for the boost of your business.
So, read on…
4 Questions you Need to Ask Yourself Before you Start
Once you’ve decided that you want to write an eBook to promote your business, there are 4 main questions that you need to ask yourself to make sure that you will start the right way.
Those questions are…
- Who is my target audience?
- What specific topic do I want to write about?
- Am I going to write it myself or hire a writer to do it for me?
- Will my eBook be free, or require a payment?
Let’s decipher each of those points to help you build the foundations for your book, so by the time you’re done with this article you will have all the information you need to start writing or hire someone (such as myself) to do a the work for you.
Who is your Target Audience?
Your target audience is your ideal customer.
It’s the person that is looking for the type of information, product, or service that you have.
It’s also the person that lands on your blog through search engines or social media, because they are searching for something at the very least similar to what you have, or at best, exactly what you have.
If you know your audience well, you should know what they want by now, and you can deliver it to them through an eBook.
If you are not too sure what your audience wants or even who is it yet, maybe you should do a survey and see what results you’re getting in response to it.
If you have an established business, however, you definitely should know who your audience is by now, and what they want.
No matter what you decide to write about in your eBook, just remember an important detail though, which is that what you think your market want it’s not always what they truly want.
If you want to learn more about that, I suggest that you read my previous post which discusses this matter in more details.
What Specific Topic do you Want to Write About?
I am sure that there are several different facets to your product or service, but before you start writing your eBook, you need to pick one and stick to it.
Actually, your eBook doesn’t even have to be about one of your business facets, it could be about your customer service, or something related to your business.
Either way, one topic per eBook is plenty enough and it’s way more beneficial for both you and your readers, because:
1) It leaves room for you to write more eBooks in the future.
2) It won’t confuse your readers.
Once you’ve opted for a specific topic to write about in your eBook, you should start by writing an outline as it will keep your writing structured, and help you not to deviate from your topic.
For more details about outlining your eBook make sure you check this post.
Who is Going to Write your eBook?
Only you can decide if you are going to write your eBook yourself, or if you are going to hire someone to do it for you, but could maybe help you make that decision right here by asking you a few vital questions.
- Do you have writing skills?
- Do you have the time that you need to put in the project?
- Do you have the time to edit your work?
- Do you know how to actually create the final product that people will receive and download on their computer?
- Do you have the money to hire someone to do all that work for you?
I am sure that after answering these questions you will know if whether or not you will want to write your eBook yourself or hire someone to do it for you.
But here is yet another important question you need to answer.
Is your eBook Going to be Free or Not?
I guess that the answer to this question will depend on the 2 main things.
- Is it your first eBook?
- What type of information you are delivering?
Why such questions are important?
If it’s your first eBook, you should definitely considering giving it away for free.
Why?
Well, because if you’ve never written an eBook before, you may never have given something for free as a thank you to your audience, and that’s something you should really consider as soon as possible.
Having a free downloadable item that you can give to your potential customer in exchange for their name and email, for example, is most definitely something that you need to consider for your business.
No matter what business you’re in.
The best way to do this is to have a blog, of course, and create an opt-in form on your blog where people can just sign up for your free eBook.
Now, if you feel that the information in your eBook is of extreme value, and that you are giving away some information that’s pretty much exclusive, or yet again, that you want to put it in the hands of fewer super targeted people… whatever good reasons you may have, then you could choose to sell your eBook.
It’s really up to you, what you decide, but if you follow my advice I’m sure it can guide you in the right direction.
Why Writing an eBook is Beneficial for my Business?
Aren’t they enough eBooks out there?
Do I really need to create yet another?
Of course there are tons of eBooks out there, and probably some in your own niche, but that is not a reason why you shouldn’t have your own, because no matter what the competition is, you are still unique.
Not only you are unique, but you could use your eBook as an advantageous way to show your market how unique you are and what you are bringing to the table.
There isn’t any doubt that the business world is a crowded one nowadays. There are more businesses and business owners today than ever before in history, but let’s not that stop you to use the wonderful tools at your dispostion to create some interest in what you do, and attract more customers to your business.
Writing an eBook to boost your business can definitely help you create an interest, and become a wonderful tool to generate more income.
If you don’t know the first thing about creating an eBook, remember that I can do it for you.
If you want more tips about creating great content for your business, make you fill out the form below.
Hi Sylviane,
I can certainly speak for my own experience and say that my eBook has been HUGE for me!!!
From an authority perspective, it has helped me earn tens of thousands of dollars in sales from just a $2.99 eBook on Amazon.
In really clarified in many ways how the process of gaining clarity translates into better and more focused strategies and goals and how the message a business is the driver of business; not technology.
Aside from the obvious, an Ebook can also serve to help a business discover itself in a deeper and more meaningful way. It forces us as business owners and entrepreneurs to think, research and learn ourselves. Those are benefits that cannot always be quantified.
My eBook was so helpful to my business that I’m now in the process of writing another one that is the next step in the evolution of clarity and focus.
For your readers… do it!!!!
Thanks for sharing your insights Sylviane!!!!
~ Don Purdum
Don Purdum invites you to read..Why My Business Tripled in Just Six Weeks!
Hi Don,
Thank you for proving my point with your tangible results with your eBook both money wise and for your business.
I’ve just published a personal development eBook this past week, and indeed seeing how such a small amount of money can add up it’s pretty cool.
I like what you’re saying here, that an eBook will also help a business discover itself. That’s is so true to.
Thank you for your valuable feedback and you have a wonderful week ahead!
I’m with you, Don (and Donna below)…in that writing eBooks has helped me make SO much money–and the great thing about doing a digital book (or ANY book for that matter)…is that once you’ve written it, it lives on and makes you money *forever*.
Hello Sylviane–this is a fantastic topic.
May I make a suggestion (or two)?
For those who want extra momentum, without costing you a penny–make sure you create a physical book too, through Createspace to expand your credibility…AND make SURE that you ALWAYS include your book on Goodreads (now owned by Amazon).
My two cents.
– Jaime Buckley
Jaime Buckley invites you to read..Why IS Disney So Set On Destroying My Childhood?
Hi Jaime,
Thanks for your suggestions. Actually my new book is actually being formatted for Amazon Kindle and Createspace right now. Now I’ve heard of Goodreads before, but thanks for the reminder, I’ll be sure to include my book there too.
Thanks for your expert advice and input here.
Take care 🙂
Hi Sylviane,
Having an Ebook helps in so many ways. As I was reading your article, nodding yes yes yes, it has taken me back to my offline business whereby I wrote two books (before the internet days) It helped my business gain authority… It was self published, but people took me more seriously.
Now writing an Ebook brands us as an Authority. It is a great segway to other parts of our business. We don’t have to give away the farm and write a long one, but after the first, comes the second and so on.
Besides branding and authority, marketing has to be part of the the entire process. Before you know it, it is a great way to sell your services to others.
Great post!
-Donna
Donna Merrill invites you to read..How To Keep Your Blog Going When You Are Unplugged
Hi Donna,
Nice to have you back.
You’ve done the hard work as it was so much harder to publish a book before the internet. You had to go through such a process and count on someone else to decide if your book was good or not. That was tough.
Today, however, we have no excuse not to write an eBook and use it to promote our business.
Thank you for coming and you have a great week back to work!
Hey Sylviane,
I agree, I think everyone should undertake this at some point. I think the best way to start of course is with a free giveaway to your subscribers when they opt into your blog. Of course I call mine a report instead of an eBook but it’s the same concept.
I’ve been toying with the idea of writing more, actually been thinking about this for a good bit lately but like most things I just haven’t had the time to work on them. I have my lists already made up though and how I’m going to go about this so it’s definitely something I’ll be doing and hopefully before this year is up.
I think anything that you can put out there either for free or paid will help brand you as an authority which is why I created my course last year. It really did help put me on the map so anything else I provide will just help further my status along and introduce me to even more people. That’s definitely my goal.
Great share here my dear and wonderful topic. It’s worked for so many people and I was thrilled to hear about Don’t results in his comment. Bravo.
Enjoy your week.
~Adrienne
Adrienne invites you to read..Magical Monday: Blog Traffic, Success, Blogging, LinkedIn
Hi Adrienne,
Yes, everyone should get around creating some type of eBook at some point.
As you know my target market is not exactly online bloggers but more business owners, and that’s for them that I write mostly, and they too need to get that ebook out there. I hope this can help and encourage them to do so.
Yes, Don has done great with his Book, and thus far I’m selling one to two a day of mine only on Smashwords now, but I’m going to hit Amazon as well. That’s why a book leads to another. I’ve given enough of my work, this time I decided to sell it.
Thanks for coming by, my friend and have a good evening.
Hi Sylviane,
I just posted a comment but I got an error and when I looked, my comment was gone. I hope you get this one. 🙂
I published my first ebook almost two years ago and I’m thinking about doing another about blogging. Before I do, I’d like to get more experience so for now, I’m gathering notes. I just might contact you for some guidance 🙂
You are right that an ebook can certainly label us as an expert in our field. Thank you for sharing this.
Wishing you safe and fun travels!
Cori
Hi Cori,
That’s great, and yes, you should definitely publish another book. It seems that once you’ve published one you want to do another. I know that another book will follow for me. I’m even thinking a recipe one 🙂
Sure, anytime, if you need help and when you need it, I’ll be glad too.
Thank you for dropping by and have a wonderful day!
Sylviane
Hi Sylviane,
Wonderful tips for writing an Ebook. Indeed you covered all the related aspects. No doubt every blogger can write quality Ebook with the help of your awesome guidelines.
Thanks for nice sharing 🙂
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Hi Mairaj,
So glad you appreciated this information.
Thank you for coming and you have a fantastic day ahead!
Hey Sylviane,
The importance of writing an ebook for business cannot be over-emphasized. It is a great marketing tool and it helps to deliver more value to the customers/clients.
What is important here is that businesses should adopt the best approach of creating and sharing ebooks to the target market. A timely delivery of the right ebook to solve the customer’s problem is what would make the most difference.
To boost a business, the ebook must have quality. The business owner should put this at the back of the mind.
At least this post has reminded readers on how to start out with writing ebooks! Its very helpful. 😀
I left the above comment in kingged.com
Hi Sunday,
Yes, I feel that it’s vital for a business owner nowadays to have at least a book, but usually when one published one book more will follow, which is the beauty of it.
Thank you for coming by.
Hey Sylviane,
Yes, having an ebook certainly helps. I have seen a rise in subscriber base when we had offered an ebook as a content upgrade to get more signups.
Additionally, the ebook can be downloaded, so it sticks around even if your blog has been closed and even fogotten by the reader. That is how it gets a special focus, not like the blog which is one out of many open tabs.
Excellent suggestions – it is best to start the first book as a freely available product, it is a great way to think the audience base for sticking around thus far. Am thinking to do an ebook on crowd funding soon, working towards that on GuestCrew for the moment,
thanks,
Uttoran Sen,
Uttoran Sen invites you to read..15 Social Media Trends to Watch Out For In 2015
Hi Uttoran,
Yes, you’re right, when I had my eBook available on my blog, especially at the beginning like the first 3-4 months there was a raise in my opt-ins, so that’s an excellent point to add up here.
Thank you so much for your input and for coming 🙂
Hello Sylviane, What a great post, putting together an E-book for my blog is something that I have had on my to do list for sometime now!
I did take some great notes and now just need to get started.
Thanks for sharing
Chery :))
Chery Schmidt invites you to read..Discover Why Leadership Is So Important For Success
Hi Chery,
Nice surprise to see you here. I’m glad this topic was of interest to you.
Yes, there’s so much to gain from writing an eBook free or for pay.
The last time I wrote an eBook that I sold was back in 2009, and I sold a couple hundreds of them before I took it down, because it was a Squidoo guide that quickly became obsolete as they kept changing things, but still my worked had paid off as the book was sold $47 back then.
I’ve just published my second (paying book) just this past week. It’s now on Smashwords and soon will be on Amazon, and I’ve already made one to two sales a day, so that’s not bad so far.
Now with my upcoming press release and Amazon it will get even better I’m sure.
Having a free eBook to give away to your readers/your market would be a great idea.
Thanks for coming.
Hey Sylviane,
Writing an ebook does enhance your blog even further as well as your business. It’s a good way to build your email subscriber list and give your audience an extra “mph” as far as giving valuable information that they can instantly implement.
But before doing anything, one must follow the tips you suggested to be on the right track. I think the first two tips you mentioned are the most important. You want to know your target audience and you want to write your ebook geared towards their interests. These two are foundational, and when put into practice, you can definitely see an improvement in results.
Thanks for sharing Sylviane! Have a great week!
I found your post on kingged.com under the category of Making Money Online
Sherman Smith invites you to read..How These 31 Successful Bloggers Overcame Failure
Hi Sherman,
Yes, writing an eBook is one thing, but it’s important to prepare the terrain so to speak, so we are working for results in mind, and it usually pays off much better.
I know you haven’t blogged in a couple of weeks, are you on vacation?
Thank you for coming.
Actually I’m on bereavement. My grandmother just past away a couple of weeks ago and I just got back from Mississippi this past weekend. Right now I’m working on a blog post dedicated to her, life, death and how to cope with a lost.
Sherman Smith invites you to read..How These 31 Successful Bloggers Overcame Failure
Oh, so sorry to hear that, Sherman. All my sympathy to you.
Looking forward to read that post. I know all about loss, and I’m totally with you on that.
Five excellent points Sylviane!
And it’s no question that creating an ebook of some kind definitely
helps develop your expert status!
And you really did a fabulous job with this particular post demonstrating why anyone that
may be just a little intimidated by the entire process, should definitely consider
hiring you to do it for them!
You’ve certainly shed-ed plenty of light on the subject and raised several excellent points
for consideration!
I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if this post creates several assignment for you!LOL!
You really did an excellent job explaining (both) the potential long term benefits
and some of what of you definitely need to consider upfront as well!
Mark invites you to read..Asset Management:How Extremely Savvy Entrepreneurs Use Theirs To Create Massive Profits!Part Two
Hi Mark,
Thank you so much for your encouraging comment.
Well, indeed, I’m getting more and more praised and noticed these days because of my writing. As I’ve always said and written, the more you write, the easier it becomes and the better you get. I have some mileage in writing ya know 😉 But it’s blowing up now.
Actually this post has generated lots of followings on social media and even a request to publish my content. It would be great if like you said it generated clients as well. All my articles are written written with that aim nowadays.
It’s always nice to have you here. Thanks so much for coming by.
Hi Sylviane,
I answered Yes to both the questions that you raised at the start of this Blog post so I was drawn into reading its content.
The four questions to ask oneself, definitely helped in sharpening my focus when I considered writing an eBook. Valid questions all, especially the very first one, Who is my target audience?
Too often this is where any eBook can fall apart, almost before it’s started, if it cannot be answered comprehensively.
Offering a survey to your site visitors to figure out what they really want is a pretty tried and tested way of crafting a great (much in demand) eBook.
I love the red flag you’ve raised:
Quote:
Just remember an important detail though, which is that what you think your market want it’s not always what they truly want.
UnQUote:
I’ve dropped a clanger or three in my time due to not reading my market needs accurately.
You’ve really addressed the questions of:
1) Who is going to write your eBook?
2) Is it going to be given away free?
Pretty lucidly.
I don’t believe that I’ll be making any mistakes in both those areas after reading this content.
Great Blog post Sylviane, thanks for sharing.
I came to this site via a link on Kingged.com
Hi Ivan,
I really appreciate your detailed comment and I’m thrilled to see that people seem to love this post.
I feel that the clearer you get with your business’s purpose the clearer your eBook is going to be. And the better you what your market really wants, the more successful the eBook will be.
Thank you for coming by and you have a great day!
You’re so right about how much writing an eBook can help grow your blog and business.
You’ve hit the nail right on the head by highlighting how important it is to be clear about how your target audience is.
I would add that it’s important to write your eBook to act as a showcase for your blog and what people will get out of reading your blog and buying your products or service. Include links to relevant posts on your blog – and offer something exclusive to readers as a Thank-you to them for taking time to download or buy your eBook.
I’d love to know how your own eBook helped you boost your business too, Sylviane. Are you planning a follow-up to this post? That would be great.
Hi Tom,
Yes, and I did mentioned that an eBook can serve a a thank you item, but sure it can also serve a showcasing your blog. Great point.
I’ve written a good dozen eBooks in the past, so that’s not the first one, but it’s only the second one I’m selling, an my first on a platform such as Smashwords. So far I’ve sold one to two a day, so not bad at all.
Since that post seems to do so well, yes, I think I should write a follow up soon.
Thanks for your comment and for sharing.
Hey Sylviane,
Thanks for writing this post at the right time – I am currently writing an e-book.
Many will be taken aback at the thought that there is already lots of information out there in the for of e-books, paper backs, and the like. But as you say, our thoughts are so unique – we can create our own unique version of information with a unique spin on a topic that is already well discussed.
An e-book does lots of good things to a business – it can create a good source of income, build brand, build authority and much more 🙂
Thanks once again and have a great week!
Cheers,
Jane.
Jane invites you to read..One key element to make word of mouth marketing work for you (and how to implement it)
Hi Jane,
I’m glad you liked my share here.
As I always said, if we were to stop doing things at the thought that’s it’s been done before we wouldn’t do much of anything, now would we? So that should never be a stopper, and yes, we are unique and so are our ideas and style.
Thanks for your input.
Hi Sylviane,
When you write a good ebook, people start looking at you as an expert in you niche. They start following you on Social Media channels and also subscribe your blog/podcast updates. I’ve noticed that all big IMs and even business persons are writing ebooks. It is a time consuming task and for a business owner taking out time for it may be difficult but I must say it can work like a magic for someone’s business if he/she promote the book in the right way.
Tauseef Alam invites you to read..GetResponse vs Aweber vs MailChimp
Hi Tauseef,
Yes, the one and foremost reason why we should write an eBook is for that, it tells people that we are expert enough in that area to be able to write a book about it, then of course it’s all about promoting it the right way.
Thank you for commenting on my blog.
This is some great advice and I agree with everything you have said here. An eBook can make you look like an expert in your field and giving it away for free gives your audience more value and the more value you offer them for free, the more they will be willing to trust you and your brand, and the more they will be willing to buy from you. People have the desire to buy from people and companies that they like, and when you are able to give people value in the beginning, they will be willing to buy from you later.
Lawrence Berry invites you to read..The 5 Types Of Intelligence That Will Improve Your Life
Hi Lawrence,
Indeed it’s important to make sure we build those relationships before writing an eBook, so we already have a market for it and they can even spread the word about our book for us. At the same time the eBook will help us to be seen as an expert.
Thanks for you input and have a wonderful day ahead.
Hi Sylviane
You took up the four most relevant questions one needs to ask before writing an ebook.
To sell an ebook or give it free is a very crucial thing to decide. Many times one get huge response of a free ebook that sometimes he repents that he could have earned big by selling it with a few bucks.
On the contrary it equally happens to most of the people that they showcase a book for selling but eventually they have to give it free with their email subscription offer. This is because they fail to foresee if it would have huge demand or not.
Thanks a lot for sharing this post of really on a great topic.
Mi Muba invites you to read..10 idiotic blogging questions with no exact answer
Hi Mi,
Yes, it’s never easy to decide if we should give our eBook for free to get subscribers or if we should sell it, but I guess it depends on where we are in the circle of that eBook business thing, and what we are intending with it. For example, in my case, I’ve given away a lot of eBooks, and now it was time to write a book for sale.
Thanks for coming, Mi.
Hey Sylviane,
Sensational post 🙂 You make an excellent point here. I haven’t written an eBook myself yet, but i do agree that i helps a lot to boost a business. Just having one out there is a major authority booster.
When someone has a book or course, i tend to value their posts more (probably mostly unconsciously, it’s just now that i think about it – but it’s definitely there).
I’d love to write one, i’ll have to get really specific about what topic i’d write it.
Also, if i could create a nice launch and some buzz around it, i’d probably make it free for 7 days, and then just $2.97 or something. And then occasionally put it up for free again.
It also depends on what kind of audience you want to attract of course. But generally giving it away for the first time seems like a better idea to me as well.
Thanks for the great insights here and have a great weekend!
– Jasper
Jasper Oldersom invites you to read..5 Tips to Get Clients When starting Out As a Freelancer
Hi Jasper,
I’m so glad you enjoyed this post and see the value of having an eBook attached to your business.
Thanks you very much for your feedback.
Hi Sylviane,
Informative post, indeed! 🙂
Well, I did think to create an eBook, but I still do not make it happen until now. Looks like I have not had enough expertise and knowledge of it. 😆
After reading this article, I feel more confident about my eBook and I’ll start thinking about it seriously. Since I see many bloggers who make their own eBooks. 😉
Yes, I also have the same thoughts with you. Indeed, it would be better to create eBooks with a specific topic. I think, if you start with a topic you are good at is a good step. 🙂
Thanks for sharing, Sylviane.
Have a great beginning of this week!
~Nanda
Nanda Rahmanius invites you to read..9 Must-Read Articles When Your Passion on Blogging Down
Hi Nanda,
Sorry for the late reply here.
I’m sure you have enough knowledge in your niche to write several books, so yes, I would encourage you to do so as soon as possible, that will help build more credibility for your business.
Thanks so much for your feedback.
Its really funny how writing a book adds instant credibility. Despite that fact that you can drive people from your book back to your site, it also makes you an authority.
There are no requirements nowadays to prevent you from self publishing but people still have a respect for the craft. If you tell people you are an author and have a book published, it adds that credibility.
People are funny but succeeding online means understanding how people think and running with it.
Jonathan invites you to read..When Ecommerce Support Crosses The Line, It’s Annoying
Hi Jonathan,
Yes, indeed, a book adds credibility and we can use it for that very purpose in our business.
Frankly today it’s pretty easy to publish our own book. If we can’t write at all, we can always hire someone to do it for us. That’s what I do. I write for people won’t can’t or don’t want to write, and that’s perfect for both of us.
Thanks for you input.
Thank you indeed for the cool post. Yes I agree with you that writing an ebook can sure help boost up your business. But try to writ it not as you starting your website, I prefer to make it once my business is grow little bit so that people can find many resources on my site. thanks indeed again.