And their impact can be multiplied by turning them into blog posts, email series, free reports, advertisements, social media posts, and magalogs—without writing another word!

How do ebooks provide such marketing power in the first place?

It is about much more than simply providing information.

In essence, carefully written eBooks drive customers to a higher level of brand loyalty.

They do this by making people feel appreciated, trusted, delighted, respected, and valued.

Forrester’s Customer Experience Index reveals why that’s so valuable. Their data shows that 91 percent of customers who feel valued stay with the brand.

Even better, 89 percent plan to increase their spending with the brand. And 90 percent will advocate for the brand.

This means that a good e-book drives bottom line by fueling powerful emotions in customers.

The concept couldn’t be simpler.

The challenge is putting it into action in the right way.

A MODEL EBOOK

Taking a look at an example might be the best way to show how an ebook sets the stage for marketing any product.

A few years ago, a supplement company specializing in probiotics hired me to write an ebook about their flagship product.

It was apparently an educational piece on probiotics in general.

He was also a bit sneaky.

That’s because it wasn’t merely educational. It not only provided well-known solutions for common intestinal disorders.

What it also did was explain the many roles of probiotic supplements in addressing many other health concerns. They included everything from reducing yeast overgrowth to improving nutrient absorption to building resistance to modern superbugs like MRSA.

In doing so, the book provided solutions for problems not typically associated with probiotics. In other words, it infiltrated educational material that most people were unaware of.

These “extras” were designed to get people to consider probiotic supplements for more than just gut health.

Each bonus solution was layered on emotional appeals that led to customer engagement. And that engagement laid the foundation for communicating customer appreciation.

As a result, he helped clients feel valued and significant.

Highlighting how it was organized illustrates a blueprint for any supplement eBook.

Overall the book had 12 chapters on many different aspects of probiotics for our health.

In addition, it had two final chapters, one on choosing the right product and one on probiotic research and development.

The chapter on choosing the right probiotic supplement explains what a good product should be and why.

It was not commercial. So it didn’t bring up the typical resistance people have to being sold something.

Instead, he mimicked the company’s brand characteristics, never mentioning the brand name.

The chapter on research and development did the same. It focused on published studies of probiotic bacteria in the company’s product, again without mentioning the brand name.

The pattern here is more applicable to supplemental eBooks.

Start by educating readers with information they want to know more about. It then “hangs” in other applications for the product.

In other words, it sets the stage for readers to want the product for new reasons.

Offers recommendations on what goes into a good product. It is backed by scientific research.

This pattern transforms an ebook into a long-form, non-commercial sales letter.

Unlike most sales letters, a well-written eBook makes for compelling reading. It forces the reader to read everything.

This is how my eBook on probiotics became one part of an effective marketing plan. As a result, the company grew in value from around $6 million to over $20 million in just a few years.

WHAT ABOUT OTHER TYPES OF SUPPLEMENTS?

E-book supplement marketing is especially conducive to unique or improved formulas, ingredients, or preparation methods.

Examples include increased bioavailability, a new herb or substance made from it, a different extraction process, increased ingredient stability, a newly created synergistic complex, and many more.

With regard to wild-crafted or wild-harvested products, this also means emphasizing a growing concern of supplement buyers, namely ecological sustainability.

All of these types of supplements lend themselves very well to e-books that describe why a product or ingredient is better than the competition.

That’s why three of my other eBooks also became powerful marketing tools.

It didn’t matter how disparate the topics were. They covered topics as broad as a botanical treatment for shingles, a hormone-based weight loss program, and microbiome health (for a different probiotic company than the one mentioned above).

GOLD MINING EBOOK

Supplementing marketing with eBooks is at the heart of building brand loyalty.

It depends on how a business makes customers feel.

A well-written eBook is also a resource for carving and multiplying content elsewhere. This makes it a resource for creating ‘new’ content without having to write anything new.

Content multiplication is how an eBook becomes a profitable marketing tool. Once you have the eBook, you can use it as a resource for ‘new’ content at little or no additional cost.

In fact, the more you multiply it, the better the ROI of an ebook will be over time.

THE ACTION PLAN

The implementation of eBook supplement marketing is divided into three main arms as listed below.

1) The first arm is to write a high-quality eBook.

The book should be useful for the reader providing solutions in health.

It should be thorough and detailed enough that the reader feels convinced that they are getting more out of the ebook than they are from a few blog posts or emails.

It must also be persuasive without being commercial.

2) Create attraction.

Once the e-book is written, it must reach a ‘thirsty for health’ audience.

The simplest strategy to build attraction is to promote it on your website as a giveaway. This is the most common approach to building an email subscription list.

Many supplement websites use this method through a simple request to fill out a subscription form in exchange for a book or report. (Surprisingly, many others offer nothing, just a blank box and a submit button.)

What’s even more effective is directing online visitors to a landing page specifically set up to extol the virtues of the ebook.

Referrals to a cleverly written and persuasive landing page are driven by, for example, social media, email marketing series, and videos.

3) Go and multiply.

That is, use the ebook to extract content for blog posts and other media.

Spreading fragments of an electronic book multiplies its impact.

This arm elevates the value of an ebook far beyond any other type of content.

HOW TO START

Writing an eBook and its associated promotional copy can be intimidating to the uninitiated.

An experienced staff writer may fit the bill.

Emphasize the term, ‘experienced’. It’s critic.

If your company doesn’t have such a person, your best bet is to hire a writer who has already written eBooks on supplements.

Complementary marketing with eBooks is also about presenting scientific research in terms that any layman can understand.

Meeting that need may mean consulting with a research scientist.

Or, better yet, it means hiring a ‘2-fer’, that is, an experienced copywriter who is also a research scientist.

That’s where I come in.

I am the rare combination of an experienced writer with a broad scientific background.

I draw on my scientific background and writing skills for nutraceutical marketing.

Would you like to explore what I can do for you? Then let’s talk.

Contact me today, either by email ([email protected]) or through the contact form on my website at DrDennisClark.com.

I’d love to chat with you to see how we can work together to develop your strategies to complement eBook marketing. Or with any other need you may have for science-backed persuasive marketing copy.