Writing eBooks For Your Local Business

As a local business owner, we’re always looking for ways to market and promote ourselves, as well as our local business. Whether it’s updating our website and blog, creating social media accounts, ordering new business cards, or attending networking events, there’s an ongoing list of options to put ourselves out there and build our expert status in our industry.

Another great option to build expert status is creating eBooks to share your insights, how-to’s, and educational information with your target audience. Not to mention, eBooks can:

• Help you build your email list when included as a downloadable resource.
• Help you bring in extra income with your blog or website when offered for a ‘low price’.
• Gives you a promotional tool to use for speaking events and promotions.

And writing eBooks doesn’t need to be difficult. Use the following tips to get yours completed sooner rather than later:

1. Get clear on why you’re writing. As outlined above, there are several reasons to write an eBook. Get clear on why you’re writing yours, and write it (or them) down so it’s on your mind.
2. Decide on your topic. Next, what will you write about? Is there a hot topic in your industry that others want to read more about and better understand? Or is there a topic your target audience has been inquiring about? It can also be helpful to look back through past blog posts or articles and see if there are any themes. If there are, then you can pull together a bunch of posts, scrub them a bit, and already have a close-to-finished product before you start!
3. Create an outline. Once you have a topic, it’s helpful to write an outline that provides all of the topics you want to include to support the main theme. And don’t feel like you have to write in order. Write the topics in the order that feels right and easiest to you. You can then go back and organize them appropriately. And remember; only you will see the first draft, and no one else has to see your work until you’re ready.
4. Hire a writer. It can be helpful to hire a ghostwriter to write for you. You give them the topic, outline, and supporting material, and they’ll do the rest. You’ll have final review to ensure it sounds like you and relays what you want it to. Plus, a good ghost writer will edit it for you to ensure that it’s grammatically correct.
5. Promote the book. Once you have the final product, it’s time to promote it! If you’re selling it online, then send and post the link to all of your networks. If you’re using it as a downloadable eBook to gain more leads, then get it loaded on your blog or website with a clear and visible Call-to-Action.

In addition, it’s also helpful to set a goal for yourself to have your eBook completed within a month. It’s reasonable and doable if you put your mind to it and use these tips. Your local business will thank you!