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How to Enhance Sales with Ebooks
Are people interested in ebooks? And if so, what are the best
ways to sell them?
The following statistics reported by the Open eBook Forum, a
non-profit organization for the electronic book publishing
industry, definitely show an interest in ebooks. Note the Forum
boasts members like Microsoft Corporation, Adobe Systems,
McGraw-Hill, Random House, Simon & Schuster and other top
companies.
GROWTH IN CUSTOMER BASE*
·Random House, Inc.'s eBook revenues doubled year-over-year in
2001 and during the latest quarter ending in March, revenues were
the highest since the company began selling eBooks in 1998.
·HarperCollins' eBook imprint, PerfectBound, has sold more
eBooks in the first five months of 2002 than in all of 2001.
·Average monthly downloads of Adobe Acrobat eBook Reader have
increased by approximately 70% from 2001 to 2002.
·Simon & Schuster has seen double-digit growth in eBook sales
from the first half of 2001 to the first half of 2002.
·Over 5 million copies of Microsoft Reader have been distributed
for use on desktop, notebook and Pocket PC systems.
·Palm Digital Media reports that nearly 180,000 eBooks were sold
in 2001, a more than 40% increase from 2000.
·In 2002, McGraw-Hill Professional eBook sales are up 55% over
the same period last year.
Some tips on the best ways to sell ebooks? Ebooks are among the
top selling products at OhioHelp.net, an Ohio-based company that
specializes in helping businesses worldwide with marketing,
public relations and freelance writing services. Here is what
works best for them.
TOP TIPS FROM OHIOHELP.NET
I. ANNOUNCE YOUR EBOOKS
Let everyone know that you sell ebooks. Announce the news in a
press release, add links in your email signature file, add
special links on your websites. Include information about them in
your company ezines or newsletters (print and virtual),mail out
postcards announcements and bookmarks featuring your bookstore
link, include them in your PPC (pay-per-click) campaigns and
classifieds. Add them to your phone script, your direct mail
packages, your sales letters, your voicemail recording, the Thank-You page
that appears or is emailed after shopping cart purchases. Discuss
them on forums, write about them in emails and postal letters to
clients, friends and associates. Don’t stop communicating about
them.
II. BECOME INVOLVED
Use the ebooks yourself and put their information to use. Add
specials with them; place some contents in autoresponders for sampling:
http://movingaheadcommunications.com/ohiohelp/bplan . Contact
the author for a brief interview for your company newsletter. And
update your ebooks regularly or simply join a wholesale company
like the one here http://presssuccess.com/wholesale$ where at
least two new ebooks come out monthly for you to add to your
store automatically. If your ebooks just sit and collect
cyber-dust, so will your sales.
III. CYBER – TOUR
Conduct cyber-tours one-on-one with your clients. Get on the
phone and have them click on the business section and browse
along with you while you point out selections of interest.
Personalize their experience and invite them to bookmark the site
and return to download some ebooks in your “Freebies” section,
good to have especially for those who may not know much about
ebooks and would benefit from trying some first.
So add ebooks to your product and service lines from a
progressive company like OhioHelp.net does from here:
http://presssuccess.com/wholesale$ . Then both your clients and
you will have the opportunity to learn more, keep up with the
latest information and enhance sales.
To learn more top tips and receive them on a regular basis at no
charge in your email, sign up at http://ohiohelp.net today or
email diana@ohiohelp.net . Enjoy no-cost ebooks from the
“Freebies” section of their bookstore at
http://www.presssuccess.com/bookstore
* From eBooks by the Numbers: Open eBook Forum Compiles Industry
Growth Stats, openanebook.org, New York, NY, July 22, 2002.
About the Author
Diana Barnum is president of Moving Ahead Communications, a company that offers marketing, public relations & freelance writing services. She teaches a 4-week course called, “Marketing and Public Relations Using Computers for Writers” at Word Museum at http://movingaheadcommunications.com/class .