Shelley Lowery: Internet Marketing: eBook Publishing
Using an Ebook as a Viral Marketing Tool
If you're looking for a simple way to put a portion of your promotions on autopilot, creating a 'viral' ebook may be your answer.
Ebooks are one of the most popular products online, as they are not only very cheap and easy to create, but they also provide people with instant gratification. Once they complete their purchase, they can download their ebook in a matter of minutes.
Putting Your Promotions on Autopilot
Ebooks are not only the 'perfect' online product, but they're also the 'perfect' viral marketing tool. The term 'viral marketing' refers to a virus -- not a computer virus, but a marketing strategy that spreads like a virus, which can produce results.
When doing business on the Internet, in order to be successful, you must continually promote your products and services -- ebooks provide the perfect solution.
Ebooks will enable you to promote your products and/or services automatically without any cost or effort on your part.
Spreading the Marketing 'Virus'
If you've been on the Internet for a while, you have probably been to some web sites that have given you a free ebook. The ebook usually contains some helpful information with regard to the subject and provides information about the web site's products or services.
These sites aren't giving away this information just to be kind to their visitors. They are giving it away to significantly increase their sales.
The key to using an ebook as a viral marketing tool is to write a short information packed ebook that identifies a specific problem, provides some basic information to assist your readers, and promotes your products and/or services as the solution.
Although giving your visitors your promotional ebook is a great start, that's not exactly going to provide you with a wealth of free promotion. You need to take your strategy one step further.
Encouraging Distribution
The key to using this technique successfully is to allow your ebook to be freely distributed. In other words, you give the ebook to your visitors and allow them to give it to their visitors.
Although this will provide you with some additional promotion, if you really want to create a viral marketing machine, you need to give your visitors a reason to want to distribute your ebook.
How? By enabling your readers to customize portions of your ebook with their own information.
Here's how...
There are special software programs that will enable you to create fields within your ebooks that may be customized by your readers. This technology can be used in a number of ways, including...
- Create a 'teaser' version of an ebook you're selling that will encourage your reader to purchase the full version. Create customizable affiliate links the reader can click on to purchase your ebook. Allow your affiliates to freely distribute it and earn commissions simply by giving your ebook away.
- Create a catalog ebook that includes images and descriptions of all of your products. Create customizable affiliate links the reader can click on to purchase your products. Or, include a purchase form that includes a customizable field for your affiliates to place their ID and enable your readers to purchase right through your ebook.
- Create a content rich ebook that will be used to generate traffic to your web site. Your ebook should relate to your web site and provide information about your site with links throughout. Create special fields that will enable your readers to customize your ebook with their company name, linked web address, etc., and allow them to freely distribute it.
- Create a 'how-to' ebook you can use as an incentive to gain new subscribers. In order for your visitors to get a copy of your ebook, they must subscribe to your publication. Once they have subscribed, you can send them download instructions within their welcome message. Create special fields that will enable your readers to customize your ebook with their company name, linked web address, etc., and allow them to freely distribute it.
Selecting the 'Right' Ebook Software
Although there are many HTML compilers on the Internet, not all will enable you to create customizable fields within your ebooks. However, eBook Starter will.
eBook Starter uses a powerful branding system called, variables. Variables are powerful little codes that can be used within your eBooks for customization purposes. They provide you with the ability to create customizable fields within your ebooks that may be specified by your readers. eBook Starter
Creating customizable ebooks is a great way to encourage your visitors and/or affiliates to distribute your ebooks. Why? Because there's something in it for them...
- They can make money by including their affiliate link within the ebook
- They can increase traffic to their site by including their web address within the ebook
- They can increase brand awareness by including their company name
When you create your customizable ebooks with your visitors and affiliates in mind, it's a win-win proposition that will increase your ebook's distribution considerably.
Think about the possibilities...
10 of your visitors download your ebook
Your 10 visitors each give away 10 ebooks - 100
Those 100 each give away 10 ebooks - 1000
Those 1000 each give away 10 ebooks - 10,000
Those 10,000 each give away 10 ebooks - 100,000
Those 100,000 each give away 10 ebooks - 1,000,000
This is just a small example of how powerful your viral free ebook can be. Your ebook will continue to work for you even years down the road! Now that's viral marketing.
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About the Author: Shelley Lowery is the author of eBook Starter. Create your ebooks quickly and easily with the first and only ebook software that is an actual WYSIWYG ebook editor. Give your ebooks the look and feel of a real book, notebook, manual or report in just a few simple steps.
Visit eBook Starter to download your free demo today...
Copyright © 2008 Shelley Lowery. All rights reserved.
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