11 Essential Elements of a Well Designed Marketing eBook

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• 11 Essential Elements of a Well-Designed Marketing eBook
• Key Takeaways
• Conclusion
• Marketing eBook FAQs

While there are still millions of book lovers who would prefer a paperback or a hardcover any day over reading something on Kindle or other similar devices, Ebooks undoubtedly have emerged as the more popular medium in the last few years.

Owing to their portability and ease of access, Ebooks are only growing in popularity with each passing day. It is on-the-go content and a smarter choice in today’s highly digitized world. 

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A marketing eBook is a learning aid that can be used to expand and enhance the knowledge of digital marketing.

Digital marketing is a constantly upgrading industry. Hence, marketers need to stay up to date with the latest trends and learn from the experiences of reputed thought leaders in the marketing niche. With the help of a marketing ebook, one can deepen their understanding of the current landscape of digital marketing. 

11 Essential Elements of a Well-Designed Marketing eBook

Marketing teams worldwide use several marketing ebooks and guides to make the most out of the available marketing opportunities. As a digital marketer, you might have come across several marketing ebooks. But, have you ever wondered what exactly goes into designing a great marketing ebook?

Let’s take a look at 11 essential elements that create a well-designed digital marketing ebook. 

1. Interesting and Descriptive Title

An interesting and descriptive title is one of the necessities of a marketing ebook. While the title is not exactly considered a design element, it contributes to generating some amount of intrigue in the reader.

The title is not something you can overlook. It is the first thing that will come to the notice of the reader. Choose a title that is interesting and describes the content or purpose of the marketing ebook appropriately. Compellingly tell the reader, what they will get to learn from the ebook.

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2. Visual Cover

An ebook is going to be judged by its digital cover. Since the digital cover lacks the touch and feel of paper, you have to make it as visually stunning as possible. While designing an enticing cover, make sure that it coincides with the brand’s style guide. 

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Add the title in clear color and legible font. A lot of companies add their logos to the cover page of their marketing ebooks. To enhance the cover more, use simple images or icons can be added to the cover page as well.

3. Skill/Topic/Persona Tags

Another great way to enhance the functionality of a marketing ebook is to use persona or topic tags. If your company has several marketing ebooks or written material to its credit, it might be a good idea to segment it using tags.

A tagging system can be incorporated to let the readers know which specific ebooks will be of interest or value to them and which won’t. Iconography and color schemes are the most used methods for this.

The books can be segmented based on- topic, level of understanding the tips and tricks of marketing, buyer personas, skill level, or other demographics used by the brand.

4. Author page

An author page is one of the most essential elements of any book or ebook. If there is one individual who has created and compiled the book or a team that has combined efforts into creating the ebook, they deserve to be acknowledged for their work.

The author page highlights the credentials of the writer, with a brief bio and their relevant body of experience in the specific field. Marketing ebooks also include the email address or one of the social media profiles of the author in the author’s introduction. This allows the readers to get in touch with the writer of the ebook. 

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Furthermore, it is also a great way to appreciate the efforts of the individual who has meticulously written an ebook.

5. Table of Contents

Another on the list of ebook essentials is the table of contents. Whether it is a book in print or digital form, a table of contents page is highly essential. It’s how that specific ebook has been organized. Make sure that it is easy for readers to reference individual chapters, in case they are looking for topics they find relevant and not read the entire marketing ebook.

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Adobe InDesign is a great tool that can help you make your marketing ebook more user-friendly by hyperlinking topics and subheads from the table of contents page to their exact location in the ebook. This allows the reader to jump directly to that particular section in the ebook, by clicking on the corresponding topic on the table of contents page. 

6. Chapter Title Pages

While it might not be an important element of a printed book, in an ebook it’s crucial to segregate the chapters from each other. The chapters should be easily distinguishable from each other in the digital format, and this can be done with the help of chapter title pages for each chapter in the book.

A lot of ebooks also add a brief one- or two-line description of what the chapter ahead is about (in the chapter title pages). Chapter pages are a crucial element used for organizing an ebook. 

7. Social Sharing Buttons

Since an ebook caters to digital readers, its shareability cannot be dependent on bookstores and shops. It’s dependent on the brand’s social media presence and how easily the ebook can be sent using the current social media platforms. Social sharing buttons are a necessity in ebooks today.

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While a lot of marketers place the social buttons on the landing page behind the ebook, it’s highly advisable to stamp some of the socials on the book as well.

This could be done on the last few pages or at the bottom of the introductory page of the ebook. It could also be done on each page of the book using the header or footer option. This allows the readers to share the ebook with their friends and colleagues, who might find it relevant. It is an important promotional facet, in a way. 

8. Visual Elements

An ebook has to cut through the monotony of reading text on the screen and this can be done using visual elements nicely spaced between large chunks of text. Visual elements can also be used to emphasize important concepts or explain complex ideas in a more simplified manner. Charts, images, photographs, icons, graphics, bullet points are some of how a marketing ebook can be visually enhanced. 

9. Product/Service Call Outs

eBooks in the marketing world are typically aimed at generating new leads. To fulfill this goal, the contents of the marketing ebook should be focused on educating the reader or imparting them with useful information. Mention the product or service a couple of times in the pages of the ebook. 

Do note that this should be done in a manner that does not come off as overly promotional. Marketing ebooks can be a great tool to increase awareness about the brand’s services while educating the readers at the same time.

Add hyperlinks to the brand’s website or specific web pages, if required. These will direct the readers to the services and products or the homepage of the brand, thereby introducing them to the brand at the first stage of the marketing funnel.

10. Printer/Mobile Friendliness

Although ebooks are meant to be read digitally, there might be several readers who would like to get a printed version of it for future reference or to read as per their convenience.

Therefore, it’s equally important that the ebook should also offer a downloadable version of itself, which could be in a PDF file format or a word document. To make the ebook easy for download purposes, designs or layouts that leverage double-page and horizontal style should be avoided, as such layouts cannot be adjusted while printing. 

The ebook should also be mobile-friendly. It must have wide compatibility with many reading devices. After all, not every reader is carrying around a Kindle or a tablet to access ebooks. Some might prefer reading it on their phones or laptops as well.

Before the ebook is published online, it’s imperative to test its compatibility with different file formats and devices. Design, style, and file type also need to be kept in mind at all stages of designing the ebook. 

11. Clear Call to Action

One of the important elements of a well-designed ebook is that it includes a clear CTA (call to action). Since it is a marketing ebook, a call to action is essential as it will lead the reader from the awareness stage of the marketing funnel to the evaluation stage.

Add an offer for a course or a discount on your services as a brand and include it in the pages of the ebook. Make sure the CTA is well related to the content of the ebook and does not oddly stand out. 

Key Takeaways

• Marketing Ebooks are learning aids that can be used to expand and enhance the knowledge of digital marketing.
• Choose a title that is interesting and describes the content or purpose of the marketing ebook appropriately.
• While designing the cover page of the marketing ebook, make sure it is in tune with the brand’s style guide.
• The author page should highlight the credentials of the writer, with a brief bio and their relevant body of experience in the specific field.
• Make sure that it is easy for readers to reference individual chapters, in case they are looking for topics they find relevant and not read the entire ebook. 
• The chapters should be easily distinguishable from each other in the digital format, and this can be done with the help of chapter title pages. Chapter title pages can include a two-three-line description of what the chapter ahead is going to be about. 
• It is important to include social media sharing buttons on the pages of the ebook. This allows the readers to easily share the ebook with their contacts.
• Visual elements can also be used to emphasize important concepts or explain complex ideas in a more simplified manner.
• A crucial aspect of a well-designed ebook is that it should be easily printable/downloadable. To make the ebook easy for download purposes, designs or layouts that leverage double-page and horizontal style should be avoided.
• In a marketing ebook, a call to action is essential as it will lead the reader from the awareness stage of the marketing funnel to the evaluation stage.

Conclusion

With a balanced combination of all these elements, a marketing ebook can not only be visually appealing and informative for the readers but can also generate higher leads for the brand.

This can be done by carefully leading the customers from one stage of the marketing funnel to the other and by allowing and encouraging them to share the ebook with other readers who might find it relevant.

FAQs