“If you, the entrepreneur, self-publish a book you will stand out, you will make more money, you will kick your competitors right in the XX, and you will look amazingly cool at cocktail parties.” said James Altucher, hedge fund manager, serial entrepreneur, bestselling author, blogger, podcaster. (Source:TechCrunch)
James Altucher nails it.
Have you had an idea for publishing a book, and aren’t sure if it’s worth your time?
Will it make you more money? Will it kick your competitors to the curb?
I think so. In this article you’ll find seven ways a book helps you find more prospects, clients and customers. And two short stories about entrepreneurs who grew their businesses after publishing a book on Amazon. (Both are named Andy, purely by accident.)
7 Ways Publishing a Book Helps You Find More Clients and Customers
1. Books help add prospective customers to your email marketing list. According to a study at Conductor, email marketing, along with organic search, continues to provide the most leads. The study also revealed that email marketing provides the most qualified leads. Read on if your email marketing list could be larger.
How do you increase email list subscribers with your book? You use each chapter to present key steps, processes and solutions that are crucial to solving your customers’ hair-on-fire problems.
Then you also provide links to EVEN MORE SUPER-VALUABLE content back on your website–using a link.
Then he or she follows up and provides his or her email address and joins your list. Why? So they can get their hands on your EVEN MORE SUPER-VALUABLE content.
Do you have enough ways in place today to recruit new, interested prospective customers to your email list? If not, consider publishing a book!
2. Hi, I’m John Doe, bestselling author of [Insert Your title here]. Once you’ve published a book, you are immediately perceived differently. The NY Times reported that 81 percent of the population wants to publish a book. But how many professionals in your industry actually implement?
After you’ve finished publishing a book, you stand out from the crowd like an Easter Bunny in Macy’s Thanksgiving parade.
3. A book helps you get past gatekeepers. Next time you’re trying to reach a new prospective customer or client, mail him or her a gift-wrapped copy of your book from Amazon.
Assistants won’t open a gift-wrapped box. What decision maker wouldn’t open a gift- wrapped box from Amazon? You would, right? There you are. Standing out again with your book.
4. Use your book to attract prospects, website visitors, generate leads and sales. Your published book is a stunning way to introduce yourself, your work and why you do what you do. What better ‘calling card’ for prospective clients and customers who don’t know you yet?
Generating enough website visitors, prospects, leads and sales is hard. As entrepreneurs and business owners, we can’t have too many qualified leads.
Create and publish your book. Then, put it to work as your lead generation-machine. When a potential customer buys your book, he or she is instantly immersed in your approach to solving their BIG problems.
5. As a published author, you stand out from competitors. Business cards are easily tossed after meetings. Books make a deeper impression. Your book won’t be tossed if you use it instead of a business card. Or, when a prospective partner or client asks for your card, simply say,
I am not carrying business cards these days. You can find me on Amazon and anywhere good books are sold.
6. A book helps you market and sell more products and services. Looking for new ways of generating leads, getting more prospects and sales—it’s what you do everyday. Let your book do some of the heavy lifting. Like Andy Falco and Andy Traub did.
Andy Falco Wins Mid-6 Figure Deal After Publishing a Book
Take the story of Andy Falco, Founder of Falco K9 Services, Security and Investigations. Andy is a retired police K9 officer dog trainer; now dog training expert and entrepreneur. Andy self published his book on Amazon. After publishing his book, Andy was contacted by officials in the country of Bahrain who needed an expert to train dog handlers in their region. He won a whopping mid-6-figure contract for dog training in Bahrain. The client found him on Amazon.
Andy Traub Makes Over $20,000 with Self-Published Book
Bestselling author, speaker Michael Hyatt’s blog shares another story about an entrepreneur who grew his business in a big way. Bestselling author of The Early to Rise Experience: Learn to Rise Early in 30 Days, Andy Traub, is credited with making over $20,000 in 90 days with a book self-published on Amazon. He gave away valuable lead magnets available as incentives to download his book on Amazon: the audio book, a 30-day email course, and exclusive membership to an online community with his book.
Whether it’s digital or print, a book is an experience. When a prospective client buys your book, he or she is looking to solve a problem. You have the whole book to wow him or her with your unique approach.
Inside your book share your best case studies, examples, stories and approaches to solving your readers’ BIG problems.
Outline the precise steps are that your customer must implement when solving the problems you help solve everyday. In your book explain the “what” each must do to achieve success in your field. (Leave the “how” for your lead magnets.)
You have multiple chapters to share your unique expertise, experience and approach to your industry.
Lastly, this is a real customer who has chosen to purchase your book and pay for your knowledge and viewpoint. What else is he or she likely to buy from you?
Attract your book readers back to your website with links inside the book. Thanks to the digital transformation of book publishing, you can insert links to relevant content on your website.
Include these links in each chapter.
That means more website visitors for your business!
To entice readers—now your prospective customers—to find more information, link them to “lead magnets”.
Lead magnets are juicy pieces of educational content that help your readers even more with a specific topic or problem. Your lead magnets are downloadable documents or videos that help your readers go deeper into a solution that you’re an expert in.
Here are 8 ideas for downloadable lead magnets:
- Checklists
- Cheat sheets
- Resource lists
- Step-by-step videos
- Invitation to a webinar or tele-class
- Special reports
- How to blog articles
- White papers
Invite readers to join your email list in exchange for your downloadable lead magnet.
And your book offers you the advantage of including links to more information. You can include “calls to action” to join your email list, download more valuable content or join your webinars. Now that books are digital, you have the flexibility to include links when it’s a benefit for your reader.
After a prospect reads your book, when he or she contacts you, the relationship is off to a prosperous start!
As a published author, you are instantly positioned as an authority. If you’re an executive recruiter, trainer, professional speaker, consultant or other expert, a book adds to your credibility.
7: Use your book content to launch a podcast at the same time and create interest in your book. Why would you want to create a podcast? Because millions of consumers download and listen to both audio and video podcasts. It’s a great way for new prospects to learn about you and your approach to problem solving.
When we suggest producing a podcast or delivering online webinars to entrepreneurs, like you, we hear:
Record a podcast? Really?
I’m busy growing my business. Solving problems. Taking care of customers.
How will I find time to do a podcast
One word: Multitask!
Your new best tool is “recording” or “dictation”.
Record your book content; then take the content you’re creating and start your podcast.
Think about how you’ll generate awareness and interest AT THE SAME TIME that you’re creating your book!
Conclusion
If you’re looking to find more customers and clients, and your lead generation methods aren’t working, there are tons of reasons for publishing a book. When you self publish your book on Amazon you open yourself up to new ways for prospective customers to find you.
Potential new clients discover your book on Amazon; they download your book to read on their tablets or laptops, they link back to your website from inside your book, you reach high value prospects by sending them a gift wrapped copy of your book that won’t be opened by assistants and you stand out because you introduce yourself as “a #1 bestselling author of “Your Book Title”!
If you’d like to learn more about how we save you time and effort when you decide to create a book, click here.
— Jim Butz, #1 Amazon Bestselling Author of Content Market Your Way to Triple Business Growth!
Amazon gift-box image courtesy: José Antonio Alonso
Andy says
Thx for the mention. Great post Jim.