Military Marketing Using eBooks

David Yoo, RallyPoint Civilian Careers. 

What are eBooks?  

eBooks are a great way to build upon your well-oiled content marketing machine. It is perfect for businesses and organizations that want to explain complex information in a readable and easily digestible way. 

The content presented in an eBook is sort of a cross between the more serious white paper and the infographics that rely on visually appealing readers with their design and flow. 

The Content Marketing Institute describes eBooks in the following way:

"Think of it as a white paper on steroids: a report, generally 12 – 40 or more pages in length, that presents complex information in a visually attractive, reader-friendly format. The content is both informative and entertaining; the tone, collegial; the format, 'chunky' rather than linear, to facilitate skimming and scanning."

Compared to other content marketing strategies, eBooks are longer and represent a more educational form of content. Aside from white papers, it is the best way to communicate your brand or company's expertise in a particular area in a creative capacity. 

Why eBooks?

1. You can advance your company or organization as a thought leader.

Using the definition provided by Russ Alan Prince and Bruce Rogers, contributors on Forbes, a thought leader is "an individual or firm that prospects, clients, referral sources, intermediaries and even competitors recognize as one of the foremost authorities in selected areas of specialization, resulting in its being the go-to individual or organization for said expertise." 

This definition is helpful as it allows companies to understand that a critical dimension of branding. When individuals and other companies respect your knowledge in a particular subject, you improve the public perception of your business as a legitimate source of expertise. eBooks help you present information in a way that commands both the attention and respect of your market.

Organizations like the Content Marketing Institute release eBooks that inform and solidify the general understanding that the organization has valuable expertise in giving content marketing advice to businesses. For example, check out the "100 Content Marketing Examples" eBook released by CMI. Notice the combination of aesthetics and content - the blending of visual appealing images and information about businesses can succeed using similar marketing tactics.

2. You can increase search engine visibility. 

Businesses that diversify the type of content being published online can significantly boost their online presence and increase their search engine optimization (SEO). 

eBooks, because they are searchable, can be a valuable landing page for those who were looking for answers for a particular question. For example, typing in "100 examples of content marketing" or "top 100 content marketing examples" will yield the eBook created by CMI mentioned earlier. If your content is valuable and the eBook provides insight that others found useful, other organizations and websites with high authority may provide anchor texts (clickable text in a hyperlink) to the content itself and lift your position in popular search engines. 

If your website is already running and you have a company blog (we highly recommend that you do), you can pick up some leads by displaying the eBook on your home page or writing about the type of content being presented in a blog pot. Having multiple mentions of the subject matter being written throughout your website and building backlinks to your home page or a particular landing page can be valuable in populating search results with your company's name at the front. Remember, not many individuals venture further than the fifth or sixth search result, and a vast majority will never click on the second page to see the results presented there. Building your position on the search engine results is an invaluable asset to increasing traffic to your site. 

3. You can capture a target audience at both ends of the sales funnel. 

Jonathan Kranz from Kranz Communications wrote that "Most often, my clients see ebooks as attractive tools at the front end of the sales funnel, as a way to build brands and attract leads. But… at least two of my clients used ebooks for leverage at the back end of the funnel, convincing fence-sitting prospects that they (my clients) were the true experts within their prospects’ short lists, inspiring those prospects to commit and become customers."

The dual function of eBooks is evident in the way that consumers are attracted by the content. 

First, by increasing search engine visibility and thereby creating organic traffic to your site, customers who are searching online for a particular product or service may stumble upon your blog that provides more information your level of expertise. Prospective customers who were made aware of your product or service because they were linked to your website from different site or because of organic searches on a search engine are those near the front end of the sales funnel. They're aware of your product and aware of a problem or issue for which they'd like a solution. Your landing pages, blogs, online PDF eBooks were able to attract their attention and notify them of your website's existence. In this circumstance, your eBook can bolster your legitimacy and expertise even before consumers were aware of a particular service or product you provide. 

Second, those in the back end of the sales funnel may have been familiar with the product or service that you provide but remained indecisive. They may be comparing the quality of your service with that of another competitor and trying to identify niches that may be more suitable to their tastes. In this case, eBooks can be instrumental in communicating your professional knowledge of the particular subject matter. Those who have dedicated the resources to create a lengthier identification of problems and explanations for solutions are companies that are more attractive to the indecisive consumer. 

Next Steps

You have to develop your distribution strategy early, as a poor one may lead to lackluster results and a poor investment of the resources that you used to create it. If you are still building traffic, use the eBook as a promotional tool to drive traffic and capture leads. Some websites send newsletters or emails that promote a free, downloadable eBook that may be of value to the recipient. 

Make sure to include a call to action in your eBook. Where should the reader go for more information? What should the reader to next? Is there a resource on your website that helps answer additional questions? Can the reader sign up or subscribe for more emails like these? The CMI suggests providing links and calls to action on every page because, "Why not?" It will only help build upon your SEO and help your readers have access to convenient resources.  Don't forget to set up your analytics so you can track your returns on the investment.

Having trouble starting? Check out this blog post by HubSpot on creating an eBook from start to finish (you gain access to some templates as well).

For more information about creating valuable content for marketing to general audiences as well as for specific military audiences, check out some of previous blog posts about content marketing. Check out some of RallyPoint's unique Business Services here and have access to more than 740,000 members of the military and former military on our social network.

How to Market to the Military: E-Newsletters

David Yoo, RallyPoint Civilian Careers.

Since the advent of the internet, email marketing has been one of the most popular ways that businesses, organizations, and companies have shared their content and connect with prospective consumers.  Sending e-newsletters has remained an effective way to help maintain both customer engagement and business-consumer relationships with existing customers.

What are e-newsletters?

The Content Marketing Institute defines e-newsletters as the following: "A permission-based means of regular communication with current and future customers, usually distributed monthly or weekly. Available electronically, via text-based or HTML pages, they can include complete articles or brief descriptions with links to articles on your Website."

Business-to-business, business-to-consumers, as well as business-to-military organizations should look into the prospects of having their online newsletters and take advantage of some of the benefits that come with this email marketing campaign. 

Why use e-newsletters?

• E-newsletters are a great way for you to direct some of your users' attention to other content you've created, such as webinars, ebooks, white papers, blogs, live events, podcasts, etc.
• An e-newsletter will help you to stay in contact with your clients and customers. You can keep them informed of the newest updates regarding your business, new lines of product and services, new general developments, etc. 
• It will help you improve your relationships. Your consistent content development and new offerings will make people turn to you first when they need something. After all, you are the subject matter expert. 
• You can give valuable tools to your loyal customers. You can share tips that can help your customers become more successful in their own business ventures or in their own lives more generally. 
• Customers may spread your content. If your content is valuable, your customers and clients may share your e-newsletters with others who may find the content useful, helpful, or just valuable.

Some ways to make your e-newsletter valuable

1. Create a catchy subject line

Think about how much attention you pay to your emails when you open your inbox. You log in, and save as much time as possible by first skimming through who sent you the email and then the subject line. Emails from business or organization tend to receive less attention and are thus a second priority. You don't want to give your consumers any more reason to unsubscribe from your newsletter by creating what may seem as impersonal, spammy subject lines. Your subject line should speak to your customers and pique their interest. As Michele Linn from the Content Marketing Institute suggests, "tease [your customers], ask a question, but don’t give away the answer. Use 50 characters max." The trick is to interest your customers; make them want to click on your email. Don't drive them away with a generic "Hi Customer, look at current deals today!" 

2. Layout

There are two ways you want to think about when deciding on the layout of your e-newsletter. You want to think of your design and the content itself. 

It’s rather easy to send out mass online newsletters using a template from a generic software. It may be useful to consider investing some resources in a professionally designed newsletter to make your content stand out and to shape the customers' perception of your brand.  it. However, consider investing in a professional design. Your content will stand out and lend a hand to creating a positive opinion of your brand at the same time. A great design can also go a long way in helping create a more visually appealing newsletter that will make your customer want to read through all of it. 

In addition to design, your content is crucial. No one will read your newsletter, regardless of how flawlessly it is designed, unless they think it's worth reading. But don't put all your eggs in one basket; try saving some interesting bits and tease your customers to click on links that will direct them to the full story or development that is being written about on your website. That way, you can encourage users to revisit your site after reading through your newsletter. 

Check out an example newsletter below by Litmus, which combines design and information to entice its viewers' attention.

3. Call to action 

Make your CTA loud and clear. "Click here to read the full story" or "check out more deals like this now" or "browse our new product line" are great ways to entice your viewers to explore your site. Your calls to action requires some experimentation to see what type of buzzwords make your content more likely to receive clicks and backlinks to your website. When done correctly, you will boost more traffic and, in the process, gain valuable feedback as to what you can do to help improve your next batch of newsletters. 

4. Archive your newsletters

As with most content marketing strategies, e-newsletters can be a powerful way to help improve your search engine optimization (SEO). Like keeping an archived video of your webinar allows anyone interested in your topic to find your presentation online, archiving your informative newsletters can be a great way to increase some more backlinks to your site. One way to integrate your newsletters with your actual website can be creating a dedicated page or corner for your past newsletters. Those who haven't subscribed to your newsletters may stumble upon it on your website and think it's worth subscribing to more weekly or monthly newsletters because they think the content is worthwhile. 

5. Promote your newsletters

Once (and if) you've decided to set up your e-newsletter landing page, you want to start promoting your content to drive up some more traffic. Make sure you include subscription buttons wherever you can in a tasteful and non-obstructive manner. Your home page may seem like an intuitive and obvious start; ask new registered users whether they would like to receive weekly/monthly newsletters. Advertise your newsletters to your followers on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media outlets and make sure you add a feature that allows your newsletter to be shared with others. 

Stuck? Want to make sure e-newsletters make sense for your business? Check out this HubSpot post that goes over some more tips to create valuable newsletters. 

For more information about creating valuable content for marketing to general audiences as well as for specific military audiences, check out some of previous blog posts about content marketing and using video campaigns.

Check out some of RallyPoint's unique Business Services here and have access to more than 740,000 members of the military and former military on our social network.

Military Marketing: Webinars/Webcasts

David Yoo, RallyPoint Civilian Careers.

What is a Webinar/Webcast?

A webinar is an online presentation that engages with those who are tuned into your session. In webinars, you are employing slides, audio, pictures, etc. to interact with consumers who are interested in finding out more about your business. The presenter uses a computer or telephone to speak directly to his guests. Questions can also be asked in real time through the interactive webinar interface, and the presenter can immediately answer any questions that his audience may have while going slide by slide to incorporate visual imagery. 

A webcast, on the other hand, is the broadcast of an already recorded presentation over the Internet. In this particular session, the transmission of information is one-way only, from speaker to audience. Because they are recorded sessions, webcasts can be viewed at any time. 

Thus, the main difference between a webinar and a webcast is that a webinar is live and interactive, while a webcast is a transmission from one to many (with limited interactivity). 

Why Use Webinars?

According to the Content Marketing Institute, "42% of the B2B Content Marketing participants use Webinars/Webcasts and they are quite pleased with the results, placing the tactic in the top 5 for effectiveness." So why do many businesses think Webinars are so effective, and why should defense contractors or business marketing to the military take advantage of this medium?/

1. It's immersive

Webinars are truly one of the most immersive content experience aside from meeting clients face-to-face. There is no other interaction that creates an environment in which a business can interact with a set of attendees for 45-60 minutes. As mentioned above, the interactive user interface allows for attendees to ask the presenter questions live and participate in an informative dialogue. The interactive nature of webinars make the experience more memorable and will help your business retain and close deals with leads who are interested in your service. 

2. Sends customers through the sales funnel

You can generate marketing leads with an informative, engaging, and successful webinar. If someone signs up for your webinar, he probably already has respect for either you or your company, which you can leverage over time to convert them into customers, as they have already have a proven interest in what you do or offer. Your self-selected audience means that you have to do very little heavy lifting in terms of educating them about the importance of your service but rather allows you to spend more time to talk about the specific details about your service. With a successful webinar, you will be able to convince your attendees that you know what you're talking about and you understand how your product can be of use to your target. In doing so, you will inevitably be able to close close deals and create a positive business relationship with those who were compelled by your presentation. 

3. Add value to your brand by using webinars as post-sale educational tools

Business marketers often use webinars to display and showcase products/services as well as to educate prospective consumers and generate leads. But one great way to employ webinars aside from mobilizing individuals up and down the sales ladder is by using webinars and webcasts as a way to educate your existing customers. Having your experts lead virtual learning webinars and educate your customer base about upcoming innovations in the market, overcoming typical challenges in the business space, or industry trends. Doing so will help you position your company's brand as a sincere and customer-centered organization as well as a reliable industry thought leader. Not all webinars have to be sales pitches, so remember that you can manipulate the nature of your online broadcast to suit the needs of your consumers and to provide them an extra reason to come back to you when they want or need something. 

4. It's cost effective

Webinars are cost-effective for both business marketers and consumers. The costs associated with creating a valuable, informative, and engaging webinar are far less than producing or attending a large, live event where virtually the same information would be used to spread awareness of the company's services. In other words, webinars give you many of the same rewards of an in-person seminar without the large price tag associated with renting venues, travel, and other necessary expenses, including time, which you can instead use to focus more attention on creating memorable, engaging, and valuable content for your attendees. Consumers incur no costs either, since signing up to attend a webinar is free. Keeping an archived video of your webinar can also allow anyone interested in your topic to find your presentation unless you decide to remove it, making it a worthwhile investment. Brian Carroll, CEO of InTouch Inc wrote that “We've been able to show that 300% to 500% more people watch a recorded webinar than attend a live one...If you don't record it, you're missing out on more than half of your audience.”

5. Improves Search Engine Optimization

As we've mentioned in our previous posts about the relationship between content marketing and search engine optimization (SEO), we've stressed that you have to create valuable content. Webinars can do a great deal if individuals interested in the subject matter that you're presenting are going to be coming back to your webinars for more information and to seek your expertise. Archived webinars on not only your website but other social media channels can help you gain visibility with the search engines, as the video broadcast will link back to your business if viewers find the webinar valuable. Post the slide deck you used to social sharing sites like SlideShare.

Next Steps

The Content Marketing Institutes highlights three particular points about webinars: 

1. Webinars make an excellent call-to-action or follow up offer to other forms of content, such as ebooks, white papers, enewsletters, etc. 

2. You benefit twice: first, from the live event, then from the people who download the archived event. 

3. A successful Webinar requires an aggressive promotions strategy, typically via your Website, blog, enewsletter and other media or social media channels.

Once you understand those key points, start brainstorming ways for you to begin your webinar. HubSpot provides excellent step-by-step insight into how you can get your webinar marketing off the ground and running.

To sign up for our bi-weekly RallyPoint webinar about the services we offer, click here.

For more information about creating valuable content for marketing to general audiences as well as for specific military audiences, check out some of previous blog posts about content marketing and using video campaigns.

Check out some of RallyPoint's unique Business Services here and have access to more than 740,000 members of the military and former military on our social network.