At Media Shower, we’ve created hundreds of ebooks for our clients.
Now, we’re sharing our secrets.
This guide will cover our best practices for B2B ebooks, with great examples and copy-and-paste outlines. We’ll cover the ideal length and layout with creative ideas on how you can innovate on the usual ebook format. And we’ll give you our answer to that age-old marketing question: to gate, or not to gate?
What is an Ebook?
If you type “ebook” into Google, you’ll most likely run into pages referring to electronic books: fiction, non-fiction, or books for popular consumption.
For B2B marketers, ebooks refer to long-form brochures, usually offered as downloadable PDFs, that share some common traits:
- Length: B2B ebooks are longer than your typical blog post. The average length of a B2B ebook is 10-30 pages, but keep in mind that’s with formatting and graphics (say, a few thousand words). Some ebooks can range as long as 50+ pages, but remember your target B2B customer is busy.
- Scope: Ebooks focus on product awareness, thought leadership, and industry trends. As such, they usually go much deeper than blog posts. They’re well-designed and easy to read, not the dense technical style you might see in a whitepaper.
- Intent: Ebooks are often “lead magnets,” which means they attract potential sales leads, who have to fill out a form to download the PDF. They are often “pillar pieces” of content, meaning they will serve as a centerpiece that can be promoted via blogs, social media, webinars, etc.
- Design: Ebooks usually include beautiful visual design. The text should be broken up with lots of “eye candy”: beautiful photos, detailed graphs and charts, and callout boxes. Think “magazine layout,” if you remember magazines.
Quick Facts:
Your ebook might include real-life data points like these:
- 72% of B2B buyers say they will consume at least three pieces of content before contacting a company. (DemandGen Report)
- 48% of B2B marketers use ebooks in their content strategy. (Seomator)
- 67% of B2B content teams signal that Top-of-Funnel (TOFU) content is what they create the most. (Databox)
While not as widely used as email or social media (because they’re harder to produce), ebooks are among the most powerful assets to convert TOFU and MOFU customers into meaningful sales leads. If the ebook is valuable enough, people will give you their email address to download it.
Gated vs. Ungated Ebooks: Which is Better?
We always get this question: “Should I gate my ebooks”? Which means, “Should I require people to sign up for the ebook, or should I just make it available for free?”
Our answer is simple and strong: GATE THE EBOOK. As a B2B marketer, your job is to drive leads. Ebooks are one of the most powerful tools you’ve got; why would you just give them away?
Here’s what you get with gating:
- Lead Generation: Whether they’re qualified or not, they’re interested enough in the topic to give you their contact information. This creates an opportunity for sales follow-up and nurturing.
- Measurable ROI: Gated content provides tangible metrics (like the number of downloads) that help in measuring the return on investment of the content marketing strategy.
- Exclusivity: Requiring information makes the ebook seem more valuable because it’s exclusive. This is counterintuitive for some marketers, but just think about how “exclusive” nightclubs seem more exciting than ordinary bars.
This is not to say that you always want to put your ebook behind a form. You can use ebooks as sales leave-behinds, webinar follow-ups, or special bonuses for newsletter subscribers. Note, however, that these tactics are for people already on your list.
We’ve seen multiple examples of customers who ungated dozens of ebooks against our advice. It usually ends in tears a few months later when their lead pipeline dries up, and the CEO angrily demands to know who ungated all the valuable ebooks.
The lesson is clear: gate your ebooks. Put them behind a form. If you want ungated content, then put it on your blog.
Great Examples of B2B Ebooks
1. HackerOne Segmented Audience Ebook
Image Source: Uplift Content
This HackerOne ebook targets a B2B audience with little to no experience in ethical hacking. The title is clear and avoids technical jargon, while the ebook’s landing page offers a concise introduction to the content’s value and what readers will learn. The ebook further supports new users by including a glossary of relevant terms and a section explaining bug bounty programs.
TL;DR: This ebook is a good resource for beginners in ethical hacking as it offers clear explanations and relevant information and avoids technical jargon.
2. Sage Software Ebook Example
Image Source: Sage Software
This Sage Software ebook, “Building Your Business Case for Planning Software in Just 6 Steps,” targets finance professionals struggling with manual planning processes. It acknowledges their pain points (time-consuming tasks, errors, low morale) and presents modern planning software as the solution.
TL;DR: This ebook provides a roadmap for finance professionals to secure buy-in for planning software by highlighting the solution’s ability to address challenges and deliver value.
3. Freshworks Ebook Example
Image Source: Uplift Content
This Freshworks ebook takes an interactive approach to customer experience (CX) strategy, providing readers with practical tools like a CX assessment checklist and a worksheet for mapping CX tools. The design engages visually with graphics and social proof elements to keep readers interested.
TL;DR: The ebook excels with its interactive features and visually appealing design, making CX strategy accessible and engaging.
4. Zuora Ebook Example
Image Source: Uplift Content
This Zuora ebook builds trust by showcasing relevant B2B statistics and successful case studies of manufacturers using the Internet of Things (IoT) to transform their business models. It uses clear visuals, such as a diagram illustrating the revenue impact of this transformation, to enhance reader understanding. Additionally, the ebook features a visually appealing design with full-page images and ample white space for a comfortable reading experience.
TL;DR: This Zuora ebook effectively builds trust with data and real-world examples, while clear visuals and a user-friendly design make the content on IoT’s impact on manufacturing engaging and informative.
5. Cvent Ebook Example
Image Source: Uplift Content
Cvent’s ebook makes a strong first impression, with its landing page clearly outlining what readers will gain through four bullet points. The title is action-oriented and specifically targets B2B readers interested in maximizing the impact of their content within virtual events. The content emphasizes practical application by offering actionable takeaways, including five formats to engage virtual audiences.
TL;DR: Cvent’s ebook effectively captures attention by using its landing page and title, then delivers actionable takeaways on leveraging content for successful virtual events.
6. Skilljar Ebook Example
Image Source: Skilljar
This Skilljar ebook addresses the challenge of low customer retention rates by advocating for a multi-pronged approach built around omnichannel customer support. It dives into five key strategies: providing accessible support across channels, gathering customer feedback, prioritizing onboarding, fostering ongoing engagement, and adopting a long-term expansion plan.
TL;DR: The Skilljar ebook offers a customer retention roadmap with five key strategies, emphasizing omnichannel support and leveraging customer feedback.
7. Freshworks Ebook Example
Image Source: Freshworks
This Freshworks ebook, titled “The Ultimate Guide to Omnichannel Customer Service,” dives deep into omnichannel customer service, unpacking strategies for a seamless customer experience across various channels. It covers empowering agents with the right tools, creating a robust self-service system with chatbots and knowledge bases, and prioritizing different channels like email, phone, and social media. The ebook even explores proactive customer service through data analysis.
TL;DR: This Freshworks ebook offers a comprehensive guide to crafting an exceptional omnichannel customer service strategy.
8. Customer Engagement Ebook Example by Intercom
Image Source: Intercom
This Intercom ebook tackles the challenge of crafting personalized messages for B2B SaaS customer retention. It acknowledges the difficulty of balancing brand voice with a personal touch, which can lead to ignored emails and notifications. The solution lies in strategic personalization without overwhelming customers. The ebook dives into methods for personalizing messages based on user types, customer behavior, segmentation, and guidance on crafting the ideal message structure, tone, format, and language for maximum impact.
TL;DR: This Intercom ebook helps B2B SaaS companies personalize customer communication for better engagement and retention, addressing both the strategic and practical aspects.
9. Salesforce Ebook Example
Image Source: Salesforce
This Salesforce ebook, titled “SEO Experts Reveal The Truth About Marketing,” is a guide to navigating the ever-changing world of search engine optimization (SEO). It tackles relevant topics like the future of SEO, the connections between SEO and social media, and how content marketing has evolved to influence SEO strategies.
TL;DR: This Salesforce ebook offers insights into future SEO trends, the SEO-social media connection, and the impact of content marketing on SEO strategies.
10. Ebook Example by Velocity
Image Source: Hubspot
This engaging ebook by Velocity is packed with anecdotes and humor. It confronts B2B marketers with the harsh reality that traditional tactics no longer suffice in today’s digital age. It urges them to abandon outdated practices and instead focus on building trust and credibility with potential buyers by offering genuine value. The authors outline five key areas where B2B marketers must excel: content marketing, analytics, and community building.
TL;DR: This ebook provides B2B marketers with a roadmap for success in the digital age, emphasizing the importance of content marketing, customer focus, and data-driven strategies.
11. Hubspot Ebook Example
Image Source: Hubspot
This Hubspot ebook excels at guiding B2B marketers through creating a lead-generating Facebook presence. It emphasizes the importance of planning, goal setting, buyer persona development, and targeted content creation. The actionable advice on different ad formats, landing pages, and A/B testing is particularly useful.
TL;DR: This ebook teaches B2B marketers how to create a lead-generating Facebook presence through targeted content, paid advertising, and data-driven optimization.
12. Content Marketing Institute Ebook Example
Image Source: Hubspot
This ebook by Content Marketing Institute provides 100 examples of content marketing campaigns from various companies. It offers checklists, tips, and resources to help you turn these examples into action items for your content marketing plans. In short, it enables you to understand and implement successful content marketing strategies.
TL;DR: This comprehensive resource by Content Marketing Institute gives you 100 content marketing examples and guidance to jumpstart your winning strategy.
13. Jonathan Kranz’s Ebook Example
Image Source: Hubspot
This ebook guides businesses on creating and using ebooks for marketing purposes. It outlines the benefits of ebooks, who should and shouldn’t make them, what to write about, and how to organize and promote the finished product. The ebook emphasizes that ebooks should provide valuable content to potential customers and avoid overt self-promotion.
TL;DR: Create valuable ebooks to attract leads, establish authority, and nurture relationships; avoid sales pitches and focus on informative content targeted to your ideal customer.
14. Route1Print Ebook Example
Image Source: Route1Print
This ebook by Route1Print is a guide for people who are thinking about becoming freelancers. It covers various topics, including how to set up a business, find clients, and manage finances. The ebook provides practical advice and information for new freelancers.
TL;DR: This ebook offers a roadmap for aspiring freelancers, covering business setup, client acquisition, and financial management.
15. The B2B Content Marketing ebook By Velocity
Image Source: Velocity
This ebook by Velocity Partners argues that traditional B2B marketing is broken and that content marketing is the new way to go. It offers a roadmap for B2B marketers who want to implement content marketing and provides practical advice on what content to create and how to distribute it. The ebook also explains the importance of credibility in content marketing and offers tips on how to build it.
TL;DR: This B2B marketing ebook by Velocity Partners explains why content marketing is key and offers a roadmap for creating and distributing credible content.
At Media Shower, we’ve developed hundreds of ebooks for over 500+ clients. To get started on yours, click here for a free trial of our award-winning platform.