For B2B companies, eBooks can be useful and effective resources to add to your marketing toolbox. When written well, eBooks have the ability to position you as an authority on a particular subject, adding a sense of depth to your content and credibility to your position.

Here are 7 areas to focus on as you create an excellent eBook for your B2B company:

1. Layout: First, choose a format for your eBook. This will help you avoid having to recreate a layout when building your project. Templates can be accessed from Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and through HubSpot.
2. Content: The topic you choose for your eBook needs to be relevant and meaningful to your audience. This is not a sales pitch; rather, it is relevant information designed to teach and/or inform readers. Grab content from a previous blogpost or write on a current B2B marketing topic. Combine this with a unique delivery style and a topic your readers are interested in reading, and you have a winning publication.
3. Style: Use graphics, real-life examples, and bullet points to keep your eBook interesting. Use short paragraphs, bullet points, and lists. Avoid a lecture style; use a conversational style and infuse an energetic tone into the presentation. As the Content Marketing Playbook says, the format should be “chunky”, not linear, in order to “facilitate skimming and scanning”.
4. Title: Contrary to the old saying, many of us do judge a book by its cover. Create an attention-grabbing title that will capture readers and make them want to discover more about the topic. Include a key phrase in the title, maximized for SEO.
5. Edit: Read over for possible grammar, spelling, and structure mistakes. Enlist the help of one or two others with strong editing skills to also examine the work (a second or third pair of eyes is never a disadvantage).
6. Landing page: Make your eBook available for download through a landing page. This will be a page that describes what you have to offer and promotes your materials. Potential readers can fill out a form with information, which allows them to access the eBook, giving you contact information for follow-up.
7. Publish: Use social media to make your excellent work available. Promote through your website, e-newsletter, or other available outlets.

The Content Marketing Institute recently released their findings of the 2015 study for B2B small business marketers. After surveying small companies, the results showed some of the ways marketers have change practices over the past 12 months. At the top of the list for the most effective content marketing practice was eBooks.

Why use eBooks as a B2B marketing tactic? If done correctly, this approach can be an effective way of reaching your audience:

• eBooks are convenient and simple: Use subjects you are already knowledgeable in to create content and a useful resource.
• eBooks are free to create: Some research is necessary, but you will not have to pay a printer, publisher, or editor (unless this becomes necessary).
• eBooks offer flexible format options: Create a list of how-to’s, step-by-step instructions, or include graphs with statistical information. There is a reason children love picture books-illustrations capture our attention and keep us engaged.

How about you? Have you ever created an eBook? Share your tips with us!