Marketing Ebooks: Treat it Like a Good

Elements of a Product

Yesterday's post detailed why I believe an ebook, although intangible, should be considered a good.

So why do you care?

You need to market a good differently than a service. One example of this is separating the core product from actual product.

CORE PRODUCT

At the center of your product is a good story that meets or exceeds their expectations. This means you need to understand target market and your genre. However, success as a writer means you have to go well beyond providing the core benefit.

ACTUAL PRODUCT

Features

"...a factual statement about the product or service being promoted" (source). Established products need to stand out from the competition. They need to focus on how they are unique, different. However, if you are not well known, maybe you should focus on how you are similar to a known entity.

Packaging and Design

Bad cover art ruins your chances of sales. I understand that cover art can be expensive.However, after so many examples of bad cover art I've lost all my patience. There are so many resources out there to provide decent cover art for low costs.  Skimping on your cover art is lazy and disrespectful to your customers. If you are not prepared to treat your work seriously and market is as such, why would any reader take it seriously.

Quality

Poor editing ruins your chance of repeat sales. It is also an easy way to create the wrong type of reputation.  A good cover and an intriguing synopsis may pull someone into buying from you once. But never again. Worse, they will tell everyone they know how much they dislike your work. There are many resources that provide free editing help. Some of these are online (e.g. Suckers Guild) while others may be found locally. If you can't find one, start one. The more eyes you have looking at your work and providing HONEST feedback, the more likely you will produce a quality product.

Brand Name

This will take you some time to build. However, over time people will establish expectations of your quality based on their past experiences and the past experiences of others. Make sure you establish quality early.

CONCLUSION

As a writer today, your job does not stop at creating a good story. You have to consider all aspects of your reader's interaction with your book. It's time to step up your game.

1. Hire a professional cover artist.
2. Get expert editorial help
3. Carefully craft your synopsis
4. Get clear on your target market's expectations 

Links:
What is a Product and How Can Product Planners Build Customer Value
Marketing Features vs. Benefits

BOOKS BY M JOSEPH MURPHY:

Amazon: M Joseph Murphy on Amazon: Paperback and ebook
Smashwords: M Joseph Murphy Author Page on Smashwords
Kobo: M Joseph Murphy Books on Kobo