How we wrote our first B2B eBook + launch plan

It's been over a month since we released the book that has everyone talking about why creating a customer-friendly culture is so important. But how did we get started on this adventure? Well, it was quite a journey that lasted for three months, and the work isn't done; we're still making it even better.

In this article, our Content Executive, Adebukola, will tell you all about our journey in making this eBook. She'll share where the idea came from, explain how we got started, and guide you through the process of turning your idea into a real book. If you're eager to make a book online, her insights will be invaluable.

Before you jump into launching an ebook, it's crucial to have a clear understanding of your purpose. What are your objectives? In our case, we had two main goals:

1. We aimed to compile the wisdom we gained from the heads of customer success at Piggyvest and Paystack regarding their customer-centric cultures. We intended to make this knowledge accessible to other startups, enabling them to learn from these industry leaders.
2. We aimed to demonstrate that Simpu is committed to helping customers achieve high customer satisfaction and improve the quality of support businesses provide to their customers.
3. To demonstrate thought leadership and build awareness.

Backstory of the book.

The content team's primary focus is on delivering content that truly makes a positive impact on our readers. Our goal is to provide valuable insights to businesses, guiding them on how to effectively address customer concerns and maintain a high level of customer satisfaction consistently.

To achieve this, we believe in learning from companies that have already perfected the art. That's why we chose to shine a spotlight on Piggyvest and uncover their secrets to not only delighting their customers but also encouraging them to openly share their fantastic experiences on social media. Some customers even go the extra mile by assisting fellow customers in resolving any issues they might encounter with Piggyvest, all in a public forum.

This illustrates how Piggyvest's customer support extends beyond simply solving problems; it also extends to building genuine customer advocacy on social media, which, in turn, aids in resolving those very issues.

After obtaining invaluable insights from the Head of Success at PiggyTech, we were inspired to gather more knowledge that can benefit our readers from B2B companies. We chose to highlight a remarkable B2B company that exemplifies success. And who better to feature than the public's favorite – Paystack!

Writing process.

Before we started writing the book, we had to reach out to the Head of Customer Success at PiggyTech and Paystack two months in advance to schedule a call with Simpu's content team.

The calls were a success, and we thoroughly enjoyed our conversations with Steve Amaza and Bukola Willoby. After wrapping up the interview sessions, we transitioned into the writing phase. We carefully organized the valuable information we gathered during the calls into chapters, ensuring that our readers would find it convenient to access the insights they were seeking.

Based on the outline, we had a brainstorming meeting where we then divided the chapters among three members of the team, Adebukola Ajayi, Bolaji Anifowose, and Ufuoma Uvomata. 

The outline we used:

When you're working on a book, you'll likely go through several drafts, especially after an editor reviews your work. Initially, we started writing on Google Docs. However, as we accumulated multiple drafts, we transitioned to using Notion to keep track of the various versions of the book during the writing and review process. 📝✍️

Adebukola’s experience writing.

“I spent a few weeks reading other ebooks to see how they were structured and what their writing style was like. I read a lot from other B2B companies like Intercom, Zendesk, and Hubspot.

While writing our ebook, I tried to make it less technical and more engaging by including some storytelling. This way, it wouldn't sound too complicated to read, and you could follow a story that developed throughout each chapter.

Writing Chapter 4 took the most time because I had to do research and gather insights from the two companies we featured, Piggyvest and Paystack to draw out my findings.

What made writing even more enjoyable? Listening to some great Afrobeats music in the background!”

Collaboration with CX leaders.

When you're in the process of writing a book or preparing to launch a new product, it's crucial to have a group of individuals who can test, review, and provide feedback. This allows you to make necessary adjustments before going public. In our case, we recognized the importance of collaborating with experienced CX professionals to get their feedback on the book. We compiled a list of individuals whose feedback and endorsements we highly valued.

From this list, we were able to get endorsements from Peace Itimi, Ifeanyi Nwoke, Funmilayo Ojeleye, Olabinjo Adeniran, and Uti Gabriella Ellu. 

Take a look at what they had to say about our work.

Launch and promotion.

Essential resources required:

The necessary elements to be prepared prior to the launch day.

1. Landing page for the book.
2. Finalized PDF version.
3. Design assets.
4. Tailored copy for endorsers.
5. Newsletter announcement.
6. Social media copy for the announcement.

Activities.

The landing page was ready several weeks prior to the book's launch. If you haven't set up a landing page yet, you can explore How to Create a Landing Page (In 9 Easy Steps)

4 weeks before launch.

1. Prepare a spreadsheet featuring a minimum of 20 senior-level CX professionals to whom collaboration requests will be sent.
2. Gather their endorsement messages and add them to the same spreadsheet for Bolaji to incorporate into the book.
3. In the spreadsheet, identify the online communities you are actively participating in, where you can announce the book.
4. Craft and schedule social media posts for platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, Medium, and Dribbble.
5. Create and schedule an email general newsletter announcement.
6. Special early access to our newsletter subscribers

Launch Day.

1. Promote via social channels (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin, Medium)
2. Email collaborators list.
3. Send newsletter announcement.
4. Tweet at relevant accounts
5. Announce twitter space for the launch of the book.
6. Have ebook endorsers share a post from their accounts.

Our assets

We use Simpu's email marketing product to push out our campaigns.

We organized a Twitter Space session, inviting other team members from Paystack and Piggyvest, to gain fresh insights into cultivating a customer-centric culture. You can listen to the recording here.

Results.

During the weekend of our launch, we saw the following numbers through our organic efforts:

- Individual downloads: 300+

- Landing page pageviews: 951

- Blog article visits: 501

Feedback we received.

Impact and lessons learned.

Our ebook reached various communities, and the Paystack team even hosted a webinar where they discussed the book and shared it with their audience. 

Here are the key lessons we took away from this experience:

1. Prioritize content readability when designing. When it comes to ebooks, the written content is the primary focus, with design elements such as colors, layout, and images coming second. That’s why we lean towards simpler design rather than complex art direction.

2. Invest time in writing. Although we could have launched sooner, we chose to wait and ensure the book was well-crafted for our readers. The writing process took longer than anticipated because we wanted to thoroughly analyze what we learned from the two companies and present the findings in a way that would benefit both B2B and B2C companies. Based on the feedback, it was clear that the wait was worthwhile.

3. Sometimes, delaying a launch is the right move. While we could have released the ebook earlier, we decided to wait an additional week, and it turned out to be a wise decision. It's valuable to delay a product launch when it allows for a well-planned and more effective launch strategy. For us, that extra week of preparation made a significant difference.

In conclusion, our experience with the launch of "Building a Customer-Centric Culture" has provided us with valuable insights. We trust that you've found our approach and the lessons we've shared beneficial as you prepare for your ebook launch. Feel free to grab a copy here.