Welcome to Part 20 of my User Engagement series and over several parts, I’ve been discussing the important elements which I would like all of you to go back to take a look at. User engagement is very important if you want to be successful online because it’s through traffic and conversions that you’ll achieve what you are trying to. Today, we’ll be looking at eBooks and their popularity in increasing user engagement. I must admit, many bloggers do use them in their content marketing and to increase engagement but I’m surprised at the amount of people who are using them correctly. Just like NO one will buy a product they don’t find valuable, the same concept can apply to why NO one will opt-into your form if they don’t find your eBook relevant.
I hope you have been enjoying my series so far and request you start at Part 1 because I’ve been trying to list each engagement point in priority. Let’s get started and your feedback will be appreciated.
What are eBooks?
They are digital downloadable products that provide enormous information relevant to your niche. They are usually provided for FREE for simply opting into a landing page form. This strategy usually serves a higher purpose because you’ll usually provide an eBook in exchange for an email address, which can be used to build engagement further down the line. However, there are many other types of products that can be used when trying to achieve opt-ins, eBooks have been the ones that have shown drastically high conversion rates, which is why I’d like to explore this strategy in more detail.
The Right Structure
To ensure you get the MOST out of this strategy, it’s important you follow a few simple rules. First, you want to make sure your eBook is relevant to your niche because this will just make your offer that much more attractive. There is NO point is offering an eBook on “weight loss†when my niche is based around SEO or online marketing. An eBook on “weight loss†will NOT be attractive and my targeted audience will NOT find it useful. Secondly, it’s important to provide value and something people actually need. I’ve downloaded many eBooks in the past and am shocked at the amount that doesn’t provide any value at all. What I normally do is usually opt out of the list right away because I didn’t get what I was looking for. Third, make sure you deliver it right away because any delay will make subscriber feel like you tricked them into providing their email address and NO eBook will be delivered. Now what you have to keep in mind is all of these can be solved and implemented into your strategy by simply taking time to create your eBook. What do I mean?
Pat Flynn from SmartPassiveIncome.com took 2 months to create his eBook and it generated I think 10,000 subscribers in the first 60 days. That’s a staggering amount and much of it has to do with the value he was able to provide through it. If you create something special and with value, then you won’t have any problem make sure the “3†factors above are followed, increasing your opt-in rate.
Additional Strategy
Once you have the right structure and value in place, it is time to implement your strategy. Obviously, you’ll be using landing pages and sidebar widgets to convert so it’s important to try what works, etc. Next, you want to make sure you use the following strategy I’ve outlined below, which provides awesome conversions leading to profits.
First, you want to link to and promote other products through your eBook. For example, if I have an eBook on linking building, then within it, I can link to SEO tools, services, or other resources I’m making a commission from. Just because of the fact that I provided value, I’m more likely to convert on these products through subscribers. Secondly, they are on your list so make sure you have a solid follow-up sequence in place, promoting other content and product reviews. Imagine the impact this will have if you have 100,000+ people on your subscriber list….right?
The point I’m making is eBooks can be used to increase engagement by simply providing value and then a solid follow-up sequence to other awesome content internally or abroad.
Here is a quick breakdown:
- eBooks should provide value
- Should be downloadable right away
- Should provide a solution to a common problem
- Always have a follow-up sequence in place
- Split test and optimize