It seems like free ebooks are everywhere on the web today,
so much so that it will soon be a waste of time to go to the
bookstore or even to the library. If you know where to look,
you'll find ebooks on every conceivable subject: search
engine optimization, herbal medicine, pet food, collectibles,
practical law, building miniatures, travel – the list goes on
and on.
It's an impressive thing to have an ebook downloadable
from your site. The secret here: you can do the same thing,
even if you don't have any real writing talent.
Creating Special Reports
If you already run articles on your website or within your
emailed newsletter, you already have most of the content
for an ebook. If not, you can purchase articles from article
brokers like YourOwnArticles.com that you can compile
into an ebook, or you can even have a book written for you
by a professional writer for surprisingly reasonable rates.
The key is that you want to have easily-accessible, useful
information that your customer can't get any other way. This
starts with the best content you already have on your site.
Compile that, put a good table of contents on it, index it if
you know how (pretty simple in MS Word), give it a nice
cover and put in a copyright page, then PDF the whole thing.
The PDF is the hardest part; most people don't keep full
copies of Adobe Acrobat lying around. If you want to create
PDFs for free, download a free copy of OpenOffice; it's fully
compatible with MS Word and will create PDFs for you with
its own software.
Give Away Ebooks and Reports
Now you're ready to give away your ebook. Why give it
away? Because it's a marketing tool. If you've created your
report properly, it's composed of articles that are on your
website anyway; you've just repackaged it into an easy-touse
format. What you're really doing is giving away recycled
information – information that costs you nothing because
you already own it. In addition, the information you're giving
away should have your information everywhere inside the
book. In particular, your name and the name of your
website should be on the front cover.
But don't just give it away to your own customers; they've
already read most of the articles anyway. Instead, give it
away to people who have never been to your site. Better
yet, put it where other people can give it away to people
who've never been to your site. This is a form of viral
marketing.
Upload your ebook to an article directory. These are large
repositories of articles and ebooks, free for anyone to use
provided they include a resource box with your name and
web address along with the free item. Every time someone
downloads your book and puts it on a website, you get a
free link back to your website from someone you've never
met. And every time one of this person's site visitors sees
your book, they also see your name and web address.
Link Back To Your Site
You should also link back to your site frequently throughout
the book. Don't cheat and leave important information out
so that the reader has to click to read it all; instead, give
them a full dose and a teaser: "For more information about
XXXX, go to www.mywebsite.com."
This is especially important for people who've downloaded it
from other sites besides yours; it gives them a real incentive
to go to your site.
You should also place a resources list at the end of the book,
just before the index. Don't be greedy here; give the reader
good resources that you use yourself, as long as they aren't
direct competitors or otherwise could impact your sales. But
include your own website as well, noting that it is your
website and you have much more information on this topic
there.
Instant Guru Status
Once your book has been included on someone else's
website, you are accorded Instant Guru Status. That is,
other people in your niche industry (particularly if it's a very
focused one) will start noticing and recognizing your name.
You may start getting odd emails asking you questions
about your specialty. Always answer them. A guru is there
to impart wisdom and knowledge. But gurus also make
much more money in the long run than people who are in
your niche just to make a buck.
