The objective of publishing your own book goes way beyond aiming for New York Times bestseller status or securing a spot in every airport bookstore. If you’re the CEO of a Fortune 100 company, those goals might be suitable, considering the attention from top-tier literary agents and publishing houses.
However, for CEOs and owners of small and medium businesses, the primary aim of your book is to establish yourself as the foremost authority on a specific issue within your industry. Whether it’s about office design to attract employees back to the office or promoting ethical fashion, your book communicates that you’re the definitive voice on that topic, as you’ve literally authored the book on it.
Once your book is in hand, there are several ways to exploit its power for business growth.
- Direct Book Sales to Target Audiences: Interestingly, potential customers might decline a sales presentation but readily purchase multiple copies of your book. People dislike being sold to but love buying books. Having a book that uniquely addresses a significant market pain can open doors to potential customers that might have otherwise been challenging to reach.
- Leverage Your Book for Speaking Engagements: Many conferences and events are skeptical of executives pitching products and services. However, with a book, you’re not directly selling products; you’re selling your thought leadership, which naturally converts into sales.
- Content Marketing Strategy: Your marketing team can leverage the book as a ready-made source of content for blogs, newsletters, social media, and webinars to attract and engage the target audience.
- Generate Business Leads: Offering the book as a free or discounted resource at industry events allows you to collect contact information and generate leads for future business development activities. It becomes a valuable tool for salespeople to open doors and initiate conversations.
- Collaborations and Partnerships: Use the book to establish credibility and create opportunities for collaborations and partnerships with other industry leaders, organizations, academic institutions, or any relevant entities.
Having a book eliminates the need to condense your marketing or sales message into a 30-second elevator pitch. People are willing to spend an hour reading every word you’ve written, convincing themselves of your expertise and value – a powerful and effective way to engage and persuade potential clients.