There is a story behind the start of every business, and many entrepreneurs write books to share their own. Whether it’s a motivational story about overcoming challenges, an inspiring story of passion, or a story full of practical lessons and advice, an entrepreneur’s first book can be used to help them grow their business.
To share insights on how to do that, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) members answered the following question:
“For entrepreneurs who have just written their first book, how can they use this to grow their business? Why is this effective?”
Here are some of their best ideas.
1. Use your book as a lead magnet
“Have you considered using your book as a lead magnet for your business? Would both customers and prospects derive value from your book? Would it be useful to organize speaking performances with an audience of potential business partners? If your answer to this is ‘yes’, then do so. Use your book as the basis for your content marketing strategy. Make that book 500 to 1,000 blog posts.” ~ Samuel Thimothy, OneIMS
2. Find approvals
“Get recommendations for your book. The immediate benefit of getting endorsements is that it saves your target readers time. Recommendations immediately reduce your customers’ risk, which means they are more likely to become buyers. Recommendations also help raise awareness of your product. The person you support can email their distribution list about your book, or they can even interview you for their blog.” ~ Shu Saito, Fact Retriever
3. Generate Media Attention
“Entrepreneurs can use their books to acquire customers, build their brands and generate media attention. While most business owners will not monetize their books, they will be able to use their books to build their thought leadership, expertise and credibility, get more clients or clients, and get a traditional publishing house.” ~ Kristin Kimberly Marquet, Marquet Media, LLC
4. Post your book on social media
“As a budding author, you have a built-in interest in what you have to say, especially if you’re currently successful. This strategy is effective because social media is the best place for anything new or informative about your business.” ~ Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance
5. Book speaking engagements
“My books are some of my proudest achievements. I go on tour and do speaking engagements to promote them. In the beginning it was a smaller audience, but the more books I wrote, the bigger the audience became. Add so much value that your audience yearns for the next publication. Books are excellent tools for business because of the authority you reach and the audience you build.” ~ Matthew Capala, Alphametic
6. Create an Email Marketing Campaign
“Entrepreneurs who have just written their first book can use it to create an email marketing campaign that will build their email list and drive traffic to their website. Email is an essential tool for marketers and business owners to grow their business and attract more customers to their content. You can split your book into fragments and send them to subscribers in an email drop.” ~ Stephanie Wells, formidable shapes
7. Establish yourself as an expert
“A new book is a huge opportunity to profile yourself as an expert in your field. You can use your book by breaking it down into smaller digestible chunks – blogs, articles, social media posts, etc. The possibilities are truly endless. By spreading this information across these channels and any other appropriate space, you are sure to reach your ideal audience and add value.” ~ Blair Thomas, eMerchantBroker
8. Offer review copies to peers
“One of the most effective methods is to offer review copies to as many people in your industry as possible. If you know someone who is another author or influencer, it’s even better. It’s best to get the book for reviewers before publishing it so you can get started on social proof right away.” ~ Kalin Kassabov, ProTexting
9. Sell your book on multiple platforms
“You can use your book to grow your business by offering your work across multiple platforms, including Amazon, for both physical copies and audio. When someone finds your book on these platforms, chances are they want to learn more about your career, products, and industry. Building intrigue by making your book readily available makes it easier to grow your business.” ~John Brackett, Smash Balloon LLC
10. Organize an event
“Use your book as a marketing tool for the rest of your business by creating an event and giving the book to your friends, clients and colleagues. Later, turn this conversation into free marketing by inviting them to post on social media to tell their friends about the book and your brand. This gives many people the opportunity to learn more about your company.” ~ Candice Georgiadis, Digital Day
11. Get involved with relevant communities
“One way to use your book to grow your business is to get involved with relevant communities on the web. For example, if you own a marketing SaaS and decide to write a book on marketing, you can easily promote your book (and business) on relevant social media forums and groups. People interested in marketing can read your book and then view your site.” ~ Chris Christoff, MonsterInsights
12. Improve Your Web Presence
“Being a published author is a big boost to your image, especially online. With the help of an SEO expert, you can easily use your author status to rank higher in Google searches relevant to your business niche. By improving your web presence in this way, you can increase your visibility to new customers or clients.” ~ Bryce Welker, Real Estate Schooler
Image: Depositphotos
This post 12 ways you can use your first book to grow your business was original published at “https://smallbiztrends.com/2022/03/leveraging-your-first-book-to-help-grow-your-business.html”