In the last 20 years, the number of nonfiction books published has increased exponentially, from less than 300,000 to more than 2 million. Although printing technology and self-publishing ventures are frequently given much of the credit for that growth, there is another factor—the increased desirability of and prestige associated with author status.
More business leaders are investing in the writing and publishing of their own books as a way to build authority and establish themselves as thought leaders. But that’s not all. In the last five years, authors have also recognized how valuable books can be in generating business leads.
A physical book has long been proof of an author’s expertise and stature, often earning respect and accolades. But smart businesspeople are realizing that a book is more than a credential; it can also serve as a sales representative that works 24/7 to attract attention and prove authority. For that reason, more authors are reconsidering books as lead generators.
However, the difference between thought leadership and a lead generation tool is an important distinction. Where a reader might actively seek out a thought leadership title to buy based on the topic or content, a lead generator may be proactively sent to someone in the author’s target audience. To make the most of that opportunity, authors need to think differently about the writing and production of their book.
The truth is, your book has the potential to become a powerful lead generation engine that attracts clients, nurtures new relationships, and provides multiple ways to engage with your business. Here’s how to get started.
Build a Proprietary Framework
Although it sounds fancy, a framework is simply a description of how you do what you do. It’s your unique methodology shaped into a snappy mnemonic or acronym that makes it easy to remember and associate with you.
Your framework also sets you apart from others in your industry and conveys that you have a well-designed process to help your clients achieve their desired results, whether you sell high-end real estate, run a venture fund, or provide turnaround consulting services, to name a few types of companies.
Acronyms are the most common approach to making your proprietary methodology easier to remember. After all, SMART goals, SWOT analyses, and KPIs are so familiar to us that we don’t even need to spell them out. The more memorable and shareable your framework, the easier it will be for prospects and clients to share it with others and hasten word-of-mouth referrals.
Your book, which outlines your framework, is Step One in working with you. It’s like an onramp, explaining your framework, how it works, and the value it can provide to those who adopt it.
From there, Step Two could include implementation coaching or planning, workshops, or individualized consulting, to name a few, for readers who want to hire you to apply your methodology to their particular situation.
But your book is a way to introduce your ideas, demonstrate you have a proven process that may address their needs, and entice them to hire you or buy from you.
Design Your Book Around Lead Generation from the Start
Having decided that the goal of your book is not authority-building but lead generation, you’ll want to write and shape your manuscript for the sole purpose of guiding readers by the hand to explore working with you.
Creating the most effective lead generation tool begins with getting clear about your target client or ideal reader. Who do you want to do business with? What problem(s) are they grappling with that you may be able to help them solve? How have they previously attempted to address them or prevent those issues?
Once you know who you want to attract, the transformation they’re after, and have thought through how you can help them, you’re ready to start packaging your expertise in book form, to provide them with the hope of a solution.
Within your book, you’ll want to structure your content so that it naturally leads the reader to consider hiring you or buying your product by the end. By “naturally,” I mean that you’re not overly promotional or hard-sell. In fact, the purpose of your book isn’t to push people to buy from you on the spot. It is to educate and inform your target clients so that they decide to consider working with you without you even suggesting it.
Explain in your book that you’re providing the framework to get them started and that working with you is the implementation phase, which is the next (separate) step. Focus on providing value and sharing what you know, rather than pushing for a sale.
Your book can help pre-qualify potential clients, because not everyone will be a good fit. And, quite frankly, you don’t want every reader to ask about working with you. But you can subtly build in calls to action to invite readers to identify themselves to you, such as by signing up for your newsletter or registering for a 15-minute discovery call.
Sprinkle Calls to Action (CTAs) Throughout the Book
Although you may be writing your book to lead your reader by the hand to the decision to work with you, you don’t have to wait until the last page to offer next steps. CTAs are those invitations.
Of course, how many CTAs to include in your manuscript is a balancing act. You don’t want to make your reader have to go searching for your contact information, but you also don’t want to overdo it, such as by featuring your email address on every other page—that may make you come across as desperate.
Look for places where you might offer a downloadable resource at your corporate website, for example, that offers a reason for the reader to take action.
You could also compile a resource section at the end of each chapter or at the end of the book that contains a link to your website or to specific materials that are downloadable at a landing page or on your website.
Or you could create sidebars with specific resources and tools that are designed to catch your reader’s eye and persuade them to stop and take advantage of your offer.
After your book is released, it’s a good idea to compare which of your resources gets the most click-throughs, as a way to measure the relevance of the information you’ve offered.
Plan How You’ll Get Your Book into Readers’ Hands
Although you may not care much about how many copies of your book you sell, since the bigger goal is lead generation, the many ways your book can be distributed will determine how accessible it is to your potential market.
In addition to having your book printed and/or shared as an e-book or audiobook on Amazon, think through all the other ways you could come into contact with your best prospects. Where do they spend time? What media do they pay attention to? What organizations do they belong to?
For many experts, speaking engagements are at the top of that list of ways to connect with potential clients. When you stand at the front of the room, you are the de facto expert, which enhances your reputation and the likelihood that someone may consider hiring you. So, explore organizations and events where your expertise would be a good fit. Ask whether copies of your book might be given to the audience, perhaps at cost to the group or conference. After sitting in a room and listening to you speak for half an hour or more, a copy of your book can become a tangible reminder of how much they learned or liked your presentation.
You could also explore special sales, a.k.a. selling bundles of your book to companies or associations that are aligned with your thinking. You might even order stickers to be affixed to the cover, indicating that the book is a gift of the organization, which then provides an implied third-party endorsement of you.
Perhaps most importantly, you’ll want to create your own mailing list of top prospects. On this list should be current and past clients, who are terrific sources of referrals, as well as past prospects and business colleagues. Do as much of this list-making as you can in advance, so you can more accurately estimate how many copies to produce in your first print run.
Repurpose Your Book Content into Other Formats
Although the content of your book will be most valuable in its entirety, there are also many other ways that you can slice and dice your book to create new forms of content. These include:
- Offering your first chapter or two as samples of the content
- Creating a companion workbook to help readers apply some of your ideas
- Pulling out worksheets and templates as standalone lead magnets
- Using chapters or ideas as the starting point for blog topics
- Using chapters or ideas as podcast topics or discussion points
- Preparing reports and white papers based on statistics or ideas in the book
- Crafting tip sheets that you share with the media based on concepts in the book
Although a printed or electronic book is the most convenient way for you to impart your ideas, don’t limit your thinking to only sharing that information in book form. Use it as the starting point for myriad other marketing tactics to increase the return on investment (ROI) and likelihood that someone in your target audience hears about it.
Post-Launch Lead Nurturing
Many authors think that their work is done once the book is out, but the opportunities to leverage a book for more lead generation are even greater once it’s released. There are several things you can do to connect with readers and forge a relationship once they have your book in their hands. These include:
- Email follow-up to offer to answer questions that came up
- Starting a book club and inviting readers to participate in regular discussions of chapters
- Setting up an online reader community to maintain a connection and provide a way for referrals to be made
- Invitation-only events in cities you may visit
Getting your book into recipients’ hands was your first hurdle, and now that they have it, do all you can to encourage them to actually read it. Only by reading it can they recognize how useful your ideas are. Filing it away on a bookshelf will do you less good.
What to Avoid
A book can be an invaluable lead generation tool, but there are some missteps you can make that will dilute the value of your hard work. Do all you can to avoid these:
- Writing the book for a general audience, such as all working adults, rather than your specific ideal client, such as a CEO of a nonprofit foundation. The language you use and the recommendations you make will be much more targeted when your target reader is clear.
- Writing a memoir rather than a how-to title. Effective lead generation titles help readers learn what you know and how it can benefit them. They want that information more than they want to read page after page about your childhood.
- Failing to set up mechanisms to capture reader identities. The point of your book is to get in front of your target client and persuade them to consider working with you, but you’ll never know who those people are if you don’t require their name and email address, at a minimum, at some point in the process. You need names—leads—and a way to stay in touch, such as through a landing page or form on your website.
- Failing to infuse calls to action throughout the pages. At some point, preferably points, in your book, tell readers how they can explore taking the next step with you. Make it easy for them to find out more about you, your services, how you work, and how you might be able to help them. Make your offer as specific as possible, such as scheduling a call or offering feedback on something they provide.
Books that are written as stories, where the point is entertainment and the author’s goal is to sell as many copies as possible, don’t necessarily need to follow these guidelines. But if you want to generate as many leads as possible from yours, keep these four “don’ts” in mind.
A book can be an effective tool for long-term lead generation. However, you’ll want to ensure that your book is well-written and is something you’re proud of. One of the best ways to increase your odds of earning praise and compliments is by partnering with a skilled ghostwriter, who becomes your writing partner and collaborator.
If you’re considering writing a book and would like to learn more about the process of writing and publishing, please feel free to message or email me. I have my own Insider’s Guide to Ghostwriting that I’d be happy to share with you.