What is 40 times more effective than Facebook for marketing to your patients?
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According to Campaign Monitor, “ …You are 6x more likely to get higher click-through rates through emails instead of tweets. Also, email is 40 times more effective at acquiring new customers than Facebook or Twitter.”
So how do we get the emails of patients/clients we don’t even know? By offering them a free eBook! In this post, we will cover what an eBook is, why you should create one this week, and ten simple steps for creating and using your eBook to attract new patients.
What is an eBook?
An eBook or “electronic book” delivers valuable information to your prospective patients through a digital file that can be viewed on any compatible computer or mobile device.
Why should I create one?
When you create an eBook that interests your prospective patients/clients you provide a solution to their concerns and needs. You position yourself as their ideal solution! A valuable eBook is proven to attract the attention of your ideal patient and encourage them to share their email address and stay in touch. When you follow up with automated content, you can nurture the relationship, keep in touch with those patients, build their trust and create a lifelong patient.
How do I create an eBook quickly?
By following these simple steps and reaching out for help if you get stuck, you can have a valuable resource to attract new patients/ clients for years to come.
- Brainstorm a list of topics
You likely educate your patients regularly regarding particular questions, conditions or needs. Start by brainstorming these conversations as possible eBook creation topics. What do you spend valuable office time explaining? What problem or concern do your patients/clients have that you solve well? What health solution do you find yourself discussing with friends at dinner that holds their interest? What resource could you create that would make your patients’ life easier?
Call to Action: Brainstorm a list of topics and resources you could speak to or write about in your eBook without doing any research.
- Select 3-4 topics you know well.
By sticking to what you know well, you will save valuable time and avoid extensive research writing an eBook. From your eBook topic list, start with 3-4 topics that you feel the most comfortable with. A good gauge is if you could deliver a one-hour talk (or write for one hour) on the subject with ease.
Call to Action: Narrow your list to 3-4 eBook topics to start.
- Conduct a survey
Once you have a list of possible eBook topics, choose 2-3 that you think might be popular with prospective patients. To confirm your choice, consider creating a survey to use with your current patients, email list, Facebook group or even your family and friends to validate interest and extract what they would like to learn most about that topic.
The goal is to land on an eBook topic you know your patients/clients need, and you know you can deliver well so that you can create the perfect giveaway that will genuinely help them. Offering 3-4 topics in your survey helps because your patients don’t always know what they need. Asking them what issues they would like to learn about enables you to focus on answering their questions.
Call to Action: Conduct a survey asking which (of the 3-4 topics) are of interest and what they would specifically like to learn.
- Choose a format for writing.
Your eBook can be delivered in a variety of ways. Here are a few examples depending on your topic and how it would best meet the needs of your patients/clients. Let’s pretend that your topic is related to reducing inflammation through SHAPE ReClaimed.
Recipe eBooks: A collection of recipes that help support a particular condition, lifestyle or need. Sample: Ten 5-ingredient anti-inflammatory recipes to make your week simple and healthy!
Resource Guide eBooks: Listing services and resources you offer or approve of that support a specific outcome, condition, lifestyle or need. Sample: Fifteen resources to start reducing your inflammation and improving your gut health!
Tutorial eBooks: Create a written tutorial explaining your products or services that provide a particular outcome. Sample: The ultimate anti-inflammatory tutorial guide
101-Style eBooks: What exactly do your patients need to know to get started with you? Sample: Living your best self! “Simply Anti-Inflammatory”- Our 101 guide to the anti-inflammatory lifestyle
FAQ’s eBook: Answer your patients most frequently asked questions about a particular service, condition, protocol or lifestyle. This FAQ-style book will add to your email list and save you valuable time. Sample: Dr. Zoe’s official response to the mystifying questions regarding gut inflammation
Workbook eBook: Create a step-by-step workbook that walks your patient/client through a particular process that creates the desired outcome. Sample: The Step-by-Step workbook for beginning an anti-inflammatory lifestyle for diabetics
Quiz eBook: Create a self-test or quiz that helps patients identify what they need and how to proceed. Sample: Is Inflammation preventing you from losing weight? Find out if you are inflamed, take our quiz.
Interview Style eBook: Have someone interview you as an expert on a particular topic or talk to your successful patient/clients and share their tips for success. Sample: Tips for success from five patients who collectively lost over 100lbs last year by switching to the anti-inflammatory SHAPE program!
Call to Action: Decide which eBook format best delivers your topic.
- Pick up your pen (or laptop) and start writing.
Collect your resources, make an outline, jump right in to start getting your thoughts on paper, whatever works for you. The only way to do this part wrong is by NOT STARTING. Don’t try to get your eBook perfect on the first pass. Just get your thoughts out. If you feel more comfortable voicing your ideas into a recorder, that works too (you likely have a recording device on your smartphone). If you can simply extract your thoughts and communicate your format, you can even hire someone else to write and format your eBook for you.
Call to Action: Start Writing!
- Designing your eBook
If you are feeling creative, you can use a design program such as Canva.com online to design your eBook cover and layout. A simple way to create your eBook without using a service is by using a PowerPoint or InDesign template. Here is a link to these free template downloads:
You can also use an eBook design service to convert your document into an eBook once it is completed, such as a designer from UpWork.com or Fivver. If you plan to have a designer convert your eBook, you can simply start by creating it in a Microsoft Word document.
Whatever you choose, just remember, once your eBook is converted, it will not be editable. I highly recommend saving an editable copy for future changes.
Call to Action: Decide how you will design your book to save you the most time and money. Remember, your time is worth money.
- Incorporate Visual Interest
If you are designing an eBook on your own, incorporating images and graphics can be tricky, depending on the program or template. Whether you add them yourself or have a designer do it for you, be sure to choose images that enhance the patients’ understanding of the topic you are covering. Canva.com has templates you can use if you need to create a graph, quotes or statistics. Avoid using images solely for visual interest and avoid using excessive images that may complicate the user download experience.
- Be sure to include specific “calls to action” (CTA) throughout your eBook.
You are not writing an eBook just for fun; you want your patient/client to take action! A CTA is a button or a link that entices your reader to click and arrive on your website to further engage with your practice. Think about and write down precisely what you want your potential patient/client to do. Sample calls to action: “Call to schedule your free evaluation now.” “Click here to learn more about SHAPE ReClaimed,” “Schedule your appointment with Dr. Mary to see if inflammation is preventing you from losing weight,” “Attend our next monthly group visit to learn more.”
Call to Action: Decide exactly where placing calls to action in your eBook makes sense. Pro-tip, do it more than once 😉
- Convert your eBook.
Once you’ve designed, written and included your calls to action, it’s time to convert your eBook to the right file type. eBooks can be viewed on many different devices: Smartphones, computers, and e-readers such as the Nook and Kindle, which means you can save your eBook in several different formats. Here are the most user-friendly options across devices:
PDF – (Portable Document Format) is the most well-known file format and your best choice for eBooks that are intended to be read on a computer.
EPUB – (Electronic Publication) is a flexible eBook format in that they adapt to various mobile devices and tablets. They can easily be viewed on small screens and mobile devices.
ODF – (OpenDocument Format) is a file type primarily for OpenOffice, a series of open-source content creation programs similar to Microsoft Office. Remember, by design, eBooks are not editable, so be sure to save a copy in an editable program like Microsoft Word.
Call to Action: Select a file format that makes sense for your patient base. When in doubt, PDF is a great choice.
- Create a landing page on your website
You will want to have a hidden or dedicated landing page on your website where your prospective patients/clients can receive your eBook after they have submitted their email address to you. This page promotes or describes your eBook offer and provides your prospective patients/clients a form that they will fill out to download your eBook. The form might simply be their name and email address. The patients that download your eBook are very likely to become valuable patients with the right follow-up plan. You will also want to consider adding a pop-up to your website with your eBook offer. If you don’t know how, schedule a 15-minute consultation with us at no charge, and we can help.
Call to Action: Create a landing page and pop-up offer to attract prospective patients’ email. Contact us at AshleyNanney.com for help or schedule an appointment at the link above.
- Share your eBook offer across your marketing channels.
Be sure to lead prospective patients to your eBook offer by sharing. Once your landing page is complete, you can use the page URL to promote your eBook.
Here’s how:
In addition to adding the pop-up to your website, you can reference your offer through a call-to-action throughout your site. For example, add a button to your home page that says you “Check out our eBook here” or on a services page, you might add a button saying, “Download our eBook to learn more.”
Use your blog to promote your eBook. Add a call to action to old blog posts. Doing so may even increase your SEO. You may also consider writing a new blog that includes an excerpt of your eBook.
Send an offer to download your eBook to all of your previous, prospective and current patients, encouraging them to share the offer with their family and friends who might be interesting in getting well.
Use paid advertising to attract a new audience.
Explore partnerships that will help you promote your eBook to their audience.
Share your offer on social media with a link to your landing page offer.
Call to Action: Grab your calendar, take a look at the next week, and choose a day to begin taking the first step in creating your eBook offer. By staying committed, you will readily have a finished eBook to attract prospective patients/clients, start or supercharge your email list and explode your practice!
If you are unsure how to proceed or need assistance getting set up, schedule a free 15-minute consultation, and we can help determine what you need.