Why your website needs downloads
Five reasons the effort is worth it.
Publications and digital downloads are an important part of any content strategy. Downloads are visual workhorses. They go where your website can't. The best are saved and shared, helping you generate sales leads, increase reach, and land new customers for the long-haul. Thing is, digital downloads are a lot of work to get right. Even when you're working on a seasonal project, think "evergreen" during all stages of design, because it's an investment. But the effort is definitely worth it. Here are five reasons why.
Build credibility
Position yourself as an expert. Teach your audience something new with a white paper or an e-book. “Audience” and “something” are broad terms, with lots of room for creativity. Identifying both is the best way to set the objective of your project. Ask yourself who you want to reach, and pinpoint what they’d find most useful. Cater to beginners with a definitive “101” guide that covers all the basic essentials on a topic, or get technical with an insight piece that examines and demystifies current issues within your industry. Those are just two possibilities from the endless wellspring that the “teach something” to "an audience” formula provides.
Many companies end up creating a collection of e-books and white papers so there’s something relevant for everyone. They’re great choices for start-ups and entrepreneurs who want to demonstrate qualifications and expertise when entering an industry, and they’re extremely popular with big businesses who are already well-established, with tons of competition.
Showcase products & services
Let’s face it. Online product descriptions can only do so much —a major reason why influencers and user-generated ratings and reviews are so popular (as they should be.)
If you have a big story to tell about a product, and want to share beyond basic specifications like price, size, color, and a short blurb that’s no longer than 180 characters, consider offering a product guide or brochure.
They’re a dedicated place to:
- appeal to the emotions
- share features and benefits more comprehensively
- showcase success stories
- provide instructions for optimal use
- up-sell complimentary products
Get more mileage out of them by designing guides for everyone — customers and employees. They do double-duty as product training guides for your sales and customer service teams.
Generate leads and spark sales
It takes time, expertise, research and resources to put a polished publication together, and during the process, it’s helpful to keep in mind that you’re creating premium, high-quality content. Quality gets results. One way to ensure good results is to include a lead-capture feature in the process.
Download with lead capture is one of the most effective ways to get high-quality leads when you have a website without ecommerce, where there's no shopping cart or online ordering. For example, your audience provides their contact info (an email address) in order to download your free "101 Guide". Or, maybe they share their opinions in order to download a handy reference checklist. Everybody wins, and you’re building your database of high-quality customer leads. They get the comprehensive guide that they’re interested in; they discover more about your company; and now you can keep in touch with them and initiate your sales process. It all happens without a shopping cart. And it's an awesome way to learn more about what your audience wants, and what they are interested in. It's the gateway to meaningful segmentation.
Show the depth of your brand
Think of digital downloads as an alternate stage for your brand, where you can experiment with and show different aspects of personality. Get creative, push some limits, and see what resonates with your audience.
For example, ‘Zines (short for magazine) are playful, illustrated, artsy publications that ignore the standard conventions of more traditional publications like catalogues, circulars, or product guides. Go right ahead and include quirky, memorable content. Try out an original comic strip, gather a seasonal play list, recipes, or show off a fashion-forward mood board. It’s fun for everyone, and you’re differentiating in a big way. Get fancy. You can even design "purchase incentives."
Educate customers
during
and after
purchases.
Product guides, e-books and brochures help customers make informed decisions about a purchase they’re considering. But here's something most businesses overlook: guides are just as useful after a purchase has been made. Identify the questions customers ask most frequently after they’ve made a purchase and address them in a product guide to save everyone time. You’ll proactively dispel confusion, increase customer satisfaction, and decrease the amount of service inquiries, email, and phone calls that you receive. Consider sending a guide to customers after a purchase or service is complete to maintain a great relationship, recommend complimentary purchases, and encourage and inspire their feedback.
