E-Book? Yes I know about Kindles et al, but how does an eBook fit in with my small business marketing plan. Are the pamphlets & flyers I produce still going to cut it in today’s world? Here’s an interesting article by Karen Leland who explains
What & How eBooks can be used.
Karen Leland
Common Questions on eBooks for Small Business
In the world of small business marketing, it sometimes seems like there is a never-ending tension between the “what’s hot now” social media to-do and the actual way to execute for maximum business benefit. Consider for example all the small businesses that have a Twitter account because they know they “should” but are really not using it effectively. The current darlings of small business branding — eBooks — are no exception.
Despite their meteoric rise in popularity — American publishers reported that in February of 2011, eBooks ranked as the #1 format among all categories of trade publishing — I still find that many small business owners are confused about the part eBooks play in their overall marketing plan. Here are the four most common questions I get asked about using eBooks to build small business brand.
What exactly is an eBook?
In short, an eBook (electronic book) is an electronic document that can contain text, images, audio and video. They can be viewed on a personal computer, smartphone and eBook reader, such as a Kindle, and are sold through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and dozens of other outlets.
One important distinction to note, however, is that only eBooks that are created as PDF documents and downloaded as such retain their formatting and graphics. eBooks that are not downloaded as PDFs fall into the category of e-publishing, and when viewed on a Kindle, iPad or other device, they are simply a straight translation of the text only. Currently the Kindle and other such devices can only support the text from these documents, not graphics.
Most of my small business clients find that because they are creating eBooks primarily for branding and marketing purposes, they use the PDF format — being able to include graphics, format, audio, video, etc is a distinct advantage.
How could an eBook help my small business become better known?
eBooks can be the perfect calling card for potential customers. Offering an eBook free on your website in exchange for a prospect’s email, providing a link to a free downloadable eBook via your newsletter, or even having a link to your eBook in your email signature line provides a much greater opportunity to show your client your knowledge, expertise and point of view.
A great read, I hope you enjoyed this introduction to eBooks for small business marketing and are thinking of ways you can use this technology . The next post will explain how to make an eBook.
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