4 Ways That Writing A Book Can Help Grow Your Business

Have you ever thought about writing a book?

Maybe you have, but you dismissed the idea because you don’t think of yourself as a writer.

Or maybe you’ve even gone so far as to walk up to a shelf in a bookstore and clear out space where your book would go, if you ever got around to writing it.

Even if neither scenario applies to you, the bottom line is this…

Writing a book can help grow your business; in fact, it can be the biggest leverage point in that yields the fastest results.

In fact, 63% of business owners who wrote a book reported that it had a “very strong” or “strong” influence on their ability to attract new customers.

How Writing a Book Can Grow Your Business

Let’s look at some of the surprising ways that writing a book can help kick your business growth into high gear.

WRITING A BOOK GIVES YOU INSTANT CREDIBILITY

The first benefit of writing a book that’s related to your business is that it gives you instant credibility – in the same way that an experienced PR person can help you by getting you access to opportunities you might not otherwise have.

How?

• While self-publishing is very common today, that wasn’t always the case. It used to be fairly difficult to get a book published. Potential clients will be impressed when they see that you’re a published author.

• A well-written book about a topic that’s relevant to your target audience demonstrates that you are someone knowledgeable – someone they can trust.

Today’s consumers tend to search for companies and people before they do business with them. When a potential customer sees your book on Amazon when they Google you, they’ll know that you are an authority in your industry.

 WRITING A BOOK GETS YOU FREE EXPOSURE

When you’re trying to grow a business, it can be a struggle to get people to notice you – particularly if you’re in a competitive industry. That barrier is greatly reduced when you write a book. It’s standard practice for newspapers, industry publications, and even television shows to review books and interview their authors.
Instead of trying to cajole influencers to talk about you, your book can convince them to approach you – or at least help you open the door when you approach them.
WRITING A BOOK RAISES YOUR ONLINE PROFILE

If you know anything at all about online marketing, you know that regardless of your industry, you’re in competition with many other companies and websites for the attention of your target audience.

How can you stand out from the crowd?

When you’re the author of a book that speaks to the needs and problems of your target audience, it’s like standing on a stage while your competitors are milling around in the theater. Your book puts you in a position to command attention and respect, and will also come up in search results for your topic.

Just as a PR person can make sure that people know your name, a published book can help raise your profile and increase your visibility online.

When you list your book for sale, whether it’s on your own website, on Amazon, or even on social media sites like Facebook, you automatically increase the chances that people in your target audience will notice your online footprint instead of your competitor’s. This can even improve your SEO as various sites and publications link back to your company’s website.
WRITING A BOOK ALLOWS YOU TO CHARGE MORE

The final benefit – and one that business owners love – is that the cache of having written a book allows them to raise their prices.

Why?

Think of it this way. Every commodity that sells, whether it’s a product or a service, is subject to the law of supply and demand. The higher the demand is, the lower the supply tends to be…
And the more you can charge for whatever you’re selling.
The author of an authoritative book is likely to be in demand. As you gain visibility and credibility, the number of people who want to work with you will inevitably increase. And when that happens, you can raise your prices. You might even decide to offer high-end consulting services as a way of capitalizing on your notoriety as an author.

When Should You Start Writing?

If you had the money to hire a PR person, you’d want to do it as soon as possible, right?
The same goes for writing your book. Even if you don’t think of yourself as a writer, you know that you have specialized knowledge just by virtue of being a business owner. Your experience and expertise can be working for you 24 hours a day in a published book.

The average non-fiction book that sells on Amazon is only about 10,000 words long. If you wrote only 500 words a day, you could have a completed first draft in less than a month.
You have the expertise. All you need is to carve out a little bit of time and write it.

And as soon as your book is published, it can start working for you – bringing you the credibility, publicity, and success you deserve.

PR WorkshopsRelated content: How to Grow Your Business as a Speaker or Author

This post was first published on She Owns It

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How a Business Coach Landed Clients and Profits With His Book

When I speak to prospective authors about the book they want to write, the conversation often turns to what they can expect when it comes to a return on their investment. As I work primarily with non fiction authors, I encourage them to look at the profits they will get from the doors their book will open and the opportunities it will bring, then on the actual dollars from the sale of their books in retail and online stores. One business coach has landed clients with his book, increased his branding and visibility and his bottom line, as you will see in the case study below; this result can easily be achieved by you too.

Part of the work I do is to strategize with clients about how to best leverage their book to grow their brand and their bottom line. It’s essential that as an author, you leverage your published book and make sure you are maximizing visibility for your book and encouraging opportunities.

A great example of how to do this, is from my client, business and money mindset coach Wei Houng. He is the co-author of the book, “Breakthrough Leadership – Conversations With Innovative Leaders.”

wei-at-barnes-and-noble-signingWei is an active business networker, and took his book to all his events. This became an easy conversation starter and instant expert positioning for him.

According to Wei, a few of the people he networks with regularly became interested in knowing more about working with him, once they saw the book. This lead to a new client from his existing network, in the first month the book was out.

 

 

[clickToTweet tweet=”The branding & positioning from becoming a published author is priceless – Wei Houng” quote=”The branding & positioning component from becoming a published author is priceless – Wei Houng”]

“So the book itself has received really good feedback and has been a great marketing and positioning piece. Since launch, I have personally sold about 200 copies as a way to monetize my speaking opportunities. This alone resulted in $2k in revenue.

As a result of those speaking engagements, countless leads were created which, to date, have resulted in thousands of dollars in new business…with, I’m sure, more to come. When all is said and done, I suspect, branding aside, the book will have been responsible for helping me generate 5 figures worth of new revenue in my business. And, the branding and positioning component is priceless.

So, thanks! Looking forward to experiencing more of the ripple effects!” – Wei Houng, Founder The 6 Figure Academy, Co-Author Breakthrough Leadership

Highlights of how Wei leveraged his book to add an additional 10k to his bottom line in the first few months of publishing his book:

Bring the book to every networking event he attends. It opens conversations and positions you in a new enhanced and elevated way as an authority, even with people who have known you for a while.

A Book Landing Page. This provides an online destination to send potential readers, as well as to build his email list.

Public Speaking – Wei enjoys public speaking, and uses the opportunity to engage with prospective readers /clients. He always mentions the book in his talk and has books available for sale. Wei always includes a call to action, which in his case, is an invitation to the audience to sign up for a complimentary strategy session. At a recent event, he had 30% of the audience sign up for strategy sessions [a nice increase from speaking gigs given before he was an author]

Publicity. Wei has used a simple PR strategy [our Author Visibility Builder system] to get podcast and radio interviews, as well as mentions on ABC, CBS, NBC. This helps him attract prospects from outside his own network. He always uses a call to action in his interviews, which also leads to book sales, inquiries, strategy sessions and ultimately clients.

Social Media. Wei uses social media regularly. He offers valuable tips via postings and Facebook Live videos, which help give a taste of who he is and the value he brings. He regularly mentions his book as where to purchase it. He also has been actively promoting his co-authors which helps put him in front of their networks as well.

As a business coach, becoming a published author can easily lead to landed clients and profits with your book.  The key is to have a plan and a strategy to maximize your book and leverage opportunities. You can start leveraging your own book to land clients, by signing up for my webinar on how to use publicity to land clients.

 

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Webinar:
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Speaking in Soundbites: How Nonfiction Authors Turn Readers Into Clients Using Publicity Register here

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Why Do-Overs Need to be Part of Your Marketing Strategy

How your publicity can benefit from a do-over

I started thinking about do-overs and second chances after attending my cousin’s second wedding [same groom – the first wedding took place in the groom’s native country]. How they can be both positive and critical to your business success. I was thinking of all the times I stopped myself when I was probably inches or millimeters away from success. Can you relate?

Even if the improvement is only a millimeter over the last run, do-overs can make all the difference. Watching the Olympics recently, I saw a few races where millimeters or milliseconds were what separated the gold medalist from the rest of the competitors.

Anthony Robbins talks about how the difference between success and failure is only a millimeter apart in this inspiring video.

doover definition

I am not talking about a Mulligan – the do-over in golf you request because you didn’t like your first shot. I am talking about an informed do-over.  There are a number of places where the do-over make sense in your business and I believe should be built into your business practice.  Part of the key to success, is to use available feedback or tools to help you improve on your previous attempts or initiatives.

Here Are a Few examples of How Using a Do-Over in Your Marketing Can Be The Key To Success

 

Headlines, Blog Post Titles, and even Book Titles or Sub Titles

A mentor of mine recently suggested that perhaps better blog post titles would help with readership and engagement. I decided to use an A/B split test tool to see if my original post title [‘A’], could be improved with an alternate [‘B’] . I used a free plugin called Title Experiments Free that randomly displays the 2 post titles and ranks them based on performance. I tested three titles: in two out of three cases, my original ‘A’ title was preferred, and in the third case, the alternative headline is proving to be a better option than my original headline.

AB Post test

Pitching the Press

If your story idea or pitch doesn’t land the first time, you can go back to a journalist or publication with a revised pitch or a new one altogether. Clearly, if you have gotten feedback from the journalist or media outlet on what improvement or changes your pitch needs to get them interested , that is ideal but that’s not always an option. You can do your own research by looking at some of their published stories and see if you can identify how they are different from your pitch, and use this insight to improve your stories before re-submitting.

[clickToTweet tweet=”‘You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take’ – Wayne Gretksy. via Why You Get a Do-Over” quote=”‘You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take’ – Wayne Gretksy”]

 

Your book launch or book marketing

Perhaps your book didn’t get the kind of reception that you had hoped for. Maybe you got rejected by publishing houses you submitted your book to. You are not alone.  Agatha Christie’s book pitches were continually rejected for 5 years, before she landed a publishing deal. Her book sales are now second to the best selling author of all time, William Shakespeare.

There is no reason you can’t go back to your book for a do-over and make some tweaks until you succeed.  This can include any aspect from the book pitch, the book title or subtitle, the book description, the cover, the book category it is listed under in Amazon and Barnes and Noble, to your book landing page design and content.

Coca Cola has done this numerous times, releasing ‘New’ versions of coke. Some have disappeared quickly and some have succeeded and stuck around.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Don’t Give Up Before the Magic Happens- F Flagg via Do-Overs Need to Be Part of Marketing” quote=”‘Don’t Give Up Before the Magic Happens’- Fanny Flagg”]

 

Where are there opportunities in your marketing for a do-over that can make all the difference in your success?

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Related Post: 7 Must Haves for a Successful Haro Media Pitch

 

Media Lead Times – Key To Pitching The Media Successfully

media lead times deadline

Why I can’t get you into Entrepreneur or Inc. magazine next month.

I’ve gotten this request many times from prospects, “Can you get me featured in Entrepreneur magazine next month?”

No, I say without hesitation.

Not because I doubt my pitching skills but because there is something called lead times.

“Why not? I’ll pay whatever you charge,” persists the prospect.

Let me stop you right there. I didn’t hesitate to say no because TV, radio, magazines, newspapers, and some blogs and websites have lead times that govern their operations. These timelines may vary for different types of media outlets. Still, if you want to get media coverage or pitch a story or article, it’s essential to understand their lead times.

A Lead time in publishing describes the amount of time that a journalist has between receiving a writing assignment and submitting the completed piece. Depending on the publication, lead times can be anything from a couple of hours to many months. [source: Wikipedia]

Print publications like Entrepreneur or Inc. plan their issues four to six months in advance. This is one of the reasons that PR firms require a minimum 6-month retainer. Publicity can take time and planning to build a smart and strategic campaign, one that gets you media coverage.

As to my prospects who want to get featured next month, you are just too late. But don’t despair. With some planning, you can pitch the media with enough lead time to be quoted or appear on air, in print, or online.

Plan Backwards

1023px-Riding_a_Horse_Backwards_1110784Part of the key to successfully pitching publications on a story, a product launch, or an event is to work backward from your event date.

This way, if you were launching a product on February 1 of next year to get mentioned or featured in a print magazine such as Entrepreneur, you would have to start pitching 4 to 6 months before – in August to be safe.

I find planning backward can be can be beneficial when planning events and other promotional initiatives that have a firm date or event that I am building toward.

Here are some media lead times:

Monthly Consumer Magazine – Lead Time is four to six months

Newspaper sections vary [so it is best to check with the publication]

Daily Newspapers – Lead Time is one to three weeks*

TV Morning Shows [National] – Lead Time is two weeks to two months*

When in doubt, you can look at a publication’s media kit to see when the advertising closes for a particular issue; this will clue you into their lead times. You can always reach out to the publication to ask them precisely what their lead time is

* The one exception to these lead times can be ‘breaking news’. A story that has just happened and is considered very important and/or timely.

Related Content:

Before You Pitch The Media- 10 Things the Media Wishes You Knew

 

Publicity Shy? Here are 6 Tips To Overcome It

Want Publicity? 6 Ways A Dress Rehearsal Will HelpI was watching the Tony Awards the other night, and thought I was about to witness something I had just been thinking about – the value of dress rehearsals. Literally.

It was around the third wardrobe change for co-host Kristen Chenoweth that I began to wonder if they had done a dress rehearsal in the latest dress. The neckline of this black coat dress was cut low and with every dance move that had Kristen bending forward, the dress revealed more and more…I thought we were going to see much more than she intended. – flashback to Beyonce and Janet Jackson Superbowl wardrobe malfunctions.

That may sound like an extreme example, however if you think about it, you don’t know how you or your clothing will look or perform in a public situation, unless you hold dress rehearsals.

A rehearsal is an event that occurs as preparation for a performance. It is undertaken as a form of practicing, to ensure that all details of the subsequent performance are adequately prepared and coordinated. Most commonly employed in the performing arts as preparation for a public presentation, rehearsals are nevertheless used in other contexts, as well, to prepare for the performance of any anticipated activity [source: Wikipedia]

I’ve been thinking about the difference between publicity shy or nervous about seeking media attention and putting yourself out there, and being confident. A dress rehearsal can be the best gift you can give yourself; and not just the shy, introverts, and newcomers, experienced individuals still need to do a trial run or be at risk for a variety of unnecessary mishaps.

A dress rehearsal, in every sense of the word, can make all the difference. Whether you are seeking publicity and on camera interviews or public speaking opportunities or even a job interview, you can benefit from a complete dress rehearsal. You may ace your interview brilliantly, and the last thing you need would be a wardrobe mishap or malfunction.

 

Here are 6 ways a dress rehearsal will help you be a media darling or ace speaker:

Build Confidence – Practice may not make perfect, however it builds your speaking or interview muscles and along with them your confidence. Each time you do an activity, even in practice, you get a little more confident.

Master Rhythm and timing – A speech or interview can take a few tries before you develop pleasant pacing and delivery.

Shape Your Ideas and talk into concise sound bites – The media love you to speak in concise, easily quotable sound bites. Speaking in this fashion for most of us requires practice.

Get comfortable with technology – whether it’s a head set or a PowerPoint clicker, you want to learn to use them without a live audience watching you fumble or struggle with them.

Wardrobe – A full tryout of your head to toe outfit and make up while give a speech and doing all the activities you will be doing in the public eye, will ensure you don’t have embarrassing surprises. Try getting in and out of a car, climbing stairs, standing and sitting in your outfit. The wrap dress that looks great while you are standing on stage, may unwrap when you sit, causing a very revealing problem for a seated interview.

Try it on for color – A few photos and videos from head to toe while standing and seated, will ensure you like the way the outfit looks on film, and catch any other potential color clashes in advance.

Background Check – A distraction in the background can detract from your success. If you are going to be on a televised show, ask what color the background is, and check clips online to see what color outfits past guests looked best wearing on air.

If you are going to shoot your own video, have someone photograph you on the spot where you will be standing to record. Make sure the clothing works with the background, and also that there are no distracting objects behind you or that appear to be growing out of your head.

You can always hire a coach or mentor to help you build media skills and confidence.

 

Most of us don’t like surprises. Especially embarrassing ones.

What event do you have coming up that could benefit from a dress rehearsal?

 

The Best Gifts – Ones You Give Yourself

Screen shot 2014-12-21 at 12.21.38 PMThe best gift, or gifts, are sometimes the ones you can give yourself. So as we come to the end of the year and the beginning of a fabulous new one, with all its great possibilities……. I ask you to consider this:

“Hard Now, Easy Later…… Easy Now, Hard Later”

When I heard the very wise Debi Silber, the Mojo Coach, say this at an event recently, it really left an impression on me. For example. Peace of mind and a sound, solid business.

Huh? You may be thinking. If you are one of those people who go to sleep going over your to do list….. instead of counting sheep… imagine being able to drift off to sleep, knowing your list is short, and that you have taken care of the most critical business details. That leads to good, sound and peaceful sleep. Awesome. I’ll take more of that kind of sleep, and I bet you will too!

That tech issue that sidetracked me this week- 10 of my websites got hacked. A malicious malaware was able to infiltrate them. Perhaps it was my fault, maybe there was nothing I could have done about it.

All I know is that when you went to one of my sites you got a red warning page…..not the way you want anyone to think of your brand. Ever. Even if they recognize its not your own fault.

You see, at times. I opted for Easy now……Not that planning publicity is hard……. or the tasks I am about to share…. What can be hard is allocating the time to JUST get it done!

My sometimes taking the ‘easy now’ approach, lead to this week when I paid the price. You see, on my list of to –do’s was to set up a backup process for my websites. For some reason my host company stopped backing them up… and despite knowing that I could lose all the content, the images, and my online business in a heartbeat….. I did nothing.

So when I got hit with the malaware….the first question the tech folks I consulted with to help solve the problem asked was…. Do you have your sites backed up?

Luckily, I was able to save the majority of my content without a backup, but that might not have been the case. Had I added additional security measures that had been recommended to me months ago, maybe I would not have been hacked. $425 later and I am back online, backed up and with additional security.

In an effort to insure you have a most joyous holiday season, as well as the most prosperous, stress free and wonderful 2015, I invite you to take the time to do the things that just tend to stay on your to do list…… do them now. I invite you to have an easy, joyous and prosperous 2015.

Whether its planning for your publicity and content for the year – now, or more basic housekeeping like website and computer back ups. Make them a priority. It’s like insurance for your business and you deserve to have peace of mind.

Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.”

Bill Gates

What are you planning for 2015? I’d love to know. Please post in the comments below.

To your publicity success! And all things Joyous, Easy, Prosperous and a Sound Business in 2015

Jane

 

P.S. Here are two articles on backing up your site

WordPress Website Backups

Backup Your Word Press Site to Dropbox