I like eBooks (formerly referred to as White Papers and sometimes Case Studies…the lines are beginning to blur). The funny thing is that I rarely read them. Instead, I skim.
When I visit your website, find immediate access to your ebook and get highly relevant and informative results just by opening it, you have sold me: I now consider you to be an expert. I don’t really need to read the ebook because I recognize that the value you add extends well beyond the written version. I’ll just call you so you can hear about my business and give me ideas that are more personalized.
Websites work this way too. And you wouldn’t even dream of charging someone to see your site, would you?
For those of you considering ‘charging’ for ebooks and treating them as lead generation tools, my advice is this:
Don’t.
In most cases you will get far more mileage by offering your primers to everyone than you would if you eliminate potentially interested clients by requiring them to share their contact info, etc. Instead, give the ebooks away. If the material is on target, the value of doing so will be clear to you in the end.
AfriGadget
Kiva