“The marketing budget for my business has dropped to zero,” says wealth manager David Rosell. “I just market my book Failure Is Not an Option: Creating Certainty In the Uncertainty of Retirement.”
By the time prospects have read even a portion of David’s book, which combines his extensive travels with financial lessons, they know who he is, what he stands for and what makes him different from other financial planners. Most of all they know that he’s the author of a book about financial planning, which automatically gives him a boost in the credibility department. No wonder he’s hard at work on book number two, with a third in the offing.
Still not sure about how a self-published book can help your business? Then check out this HuffPost Australia piece called “How A Self Published Book Can Be A Magical Marketing Tool” and get ready to be convinced. A few of my favorite parts:
- When Brisbane mortgage broker Samantha Bright heard somebody say ‘self-publishing a book is a business card on steroids,’ she knew she had to write a book of her own.“In the Red Sea of mortgage brokers, I had to find a way to stand out from the crowd and my book is my big point of difference,” Bright said.
- One major advantage for small business people authoring a book is that it gives you an extra layer of credibility as an expert in your industry. It also shows commitment because, after all, not everybody can start and finish writing a book.
- “That’s a major difference from traditional publishing; that an author can control the cover, the whole look and the printing. The author makes all the decisions, not the publisher. They also get expert advice but they’re still in charge. The other advantage is the time frame. Often a traditional publisher takes as long as 18 months to publish a book. But, when you self-publish, you’re in control of when it is published.”
- “It was all about finding a subject that I thought consumers would find valuable without it being a load of technical information. We all think we know what our customers want, but until you work out what they need, that’s the difficult part. So once I knew what I was writing, I bashed it out in a weekend.”
Yes, a quick-tips booklet like Samatha Bright’s “How To Choose A Mortgage Broker” can be bashed out in a weekend. More serious books will take longer. A lot longer. Either way, you’ll wind up with a business card that will actually help your business instead of being round-filed. And who knows. Maybe you’ll end up with a book that becomes part of your legacy.
Not sure what to do next? Get ready for a shameless plug.
Just call me. One phone conversation is all it will take to figure out what you need and how I (or someone else) can help. These days I’m taking on new clients by invitation or referral only. Consider yourself invited.
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