This post was most recently updated on August 6th, 2016
Once you have created it, I know you will be asking me “How Can I Promote My Ebook?”
In an important way, “How Can I Promote My Ebook?” is actually the wrong question to ask.
I’ll tell you the right question a bit later.
For now, since it’s the question I most commonly here after someone creates an eBook is, I’ll focus on answering “How Can I Promote My Ebook?”
Your eBook Marketing Strategy
Your eBook Marketing Strategy is what will make your eBook worth all the effort you put into creating it.
So don’t think of this as the “Whew, I’m Done” phase of your eBook.
It’s actually the most important part of creating an eBook.
After all, you could develop the formula of the century (not just e=mc2, but one of those long elaborate ones that would take up an entire chalkboard).
If the building custodian inadvertently erases it, though, what good would it be to anyone?
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Your eBook needs to be put into people’s hands so they can actually read it.
This is what I call “giving it legs” or in other words, promoting your eBook so folks can get to read it.
I’ve talked about how you can build your business with eBook marketing cheaper, faster and more effectively than most methods.
Now it’s time to see how that works.
After your eBook has been properly sourced, researched, and created… you’ve got a finished product.
What you do with it is the linchpin in using this method.
How Can I Promote My eBook?
You have two options to promote your eBook.
The first is to give it away for free.
The second is to sell it.
Both methods can be enormously effective, and can be done with little or no budget.
Each has it’s proper place in any given business model, and each has it’s pros and cons.
The first thing you need to do is determine if you will promote your eBook as a giveaway or as a paid product.
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Giving Away Your eBook
We often think of an eBook as a lead magnet.
This is a good strategy to use when you’re trying to pull people into your business or sales funnel.
The goal here is to build up some marketing momentum for what you do and what you sell.
You can also use a free eBook to open people’s awareness to who you are as an authority, leader or expert on your topic.
A free eBook is particularly useful to build your email list.
Simply offer it as a free gift for people in exchange for their email address.
Tell them to give you their email address so you can send them the eBook containing the information you’ve promised.
This is a very effective way to build your business so long as your eBook is written specifically for the kind of people you want on your email list.
If you do web design for your main business, don’t offer people an eBook about how to run Facebook ads.
There is very little congruence between those two topics, so you’ll largely end up with people on your email list who have no interest in your web design business.
If however, you offer an eB ook about “how to optimize the design of your website,” then you’ll be far more successful in converting your email subscribers into paying customers for your services somewhere along the line.
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Selling Your eBook
The other option you have is to sell your eBook.
This will work best if you already have a following and loyal subscribers who are ready at a moment’s notice to buy your next product.
Just send them an email, or place a Facebook ad, and let them know your latest eBook is hot off the press.
If you don’t have a customer base already, then you’ll have to work harder at this, but it’s not impossible.
You should set up a dedicated landing page with information, graphics and video.
You don’t need all these components, but remember, the dedicated landing page will have only one purpose… to get people to click on the “buy now” button.
The More Interesting – The More Sales
Include things like bullet points of the major benefits of your eBook and testimonials from people who have already read it.
If you don’t have any testimonials, give away some review copies in exchange for those testimonials.
You can find people in forums, Facebook groups and the like to offer review copies.
You can even ask people on your email list to request a review copy in exchange for their honest review.
Testimonials are important when you’re asking for people to pay for something, though, so make it a priority when setting up your eBook marketing.
You can then put a “buy button” on your page and you’re ready to go.
It’s best to put your eBook in an affiliate network like JV Zoo or Clickbank.
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That way you can get affiliates to promote your eBook for you, using your dedicated landing page or sales page that you furnish to them.
Once your eBook is on an affiliate site, you can also ask other bloggers in your niche to promote it on their own sites, in exchange for the commission they’ll receive from sales.
They could put up a banner, or they could do a review post, or they have you guest post and put their affiliate link to your book in your article.
How Can I Promote My eBook?
These are all excellent ways to start building marketing momentum and general interest in your eBook.
The key to promoting it, though, is that you put it in front of the right people.
Make sure you know who would be interested in your eBook, and by extension, in your business.
Find out what places they frequent.
It could be Facebook groups, blogs, YouTube or Reddit.
Wherever your target audience is, that’s where you need to promote your eBook.
Reach out to folks where they’re at and let them know how your eBook can improve their lives.
Have you created an eBook?
Your next step should be asking “Where are the folks who will be interested in reading my eBook?”
The answer will be different for everyone, depending on your niche, and your particular slant or angle.
Once you’ve answered it, you’ll be ready to ask “How Can I Promote My eBook?”
I hope you’ve learned some good ideas about that.
I’d love to read your questions and feedback in the comments section, below.
Please share this on your social sites, too.
I appreciate it.
-Donna
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