Guest Post: Martin Cavannagh, Reedsy

If you’re a regular reader on this blog, you’ll already know the value and power of online publishing — by which I mean blogging. In 2019, when most folks are researching their next trip abroad, they’re more likely to run a Google search on ‘Best places to visit in Gambia’ than rush down to their local bookstore.

So if this is the case, why should you consider writing a book?

Online resources have self-publishing a book is more achievable and affordable than ever — but you might be thinking that that’s a lot of time and effort to invest in the process.

Well, here are four ways that a book can help you sell more of your product, whatever it is.

It’ll instantly turn you into an authority in your field

One of the things that will set you apart from your competition — whether you’re a travel expert or plumber — is the innate level of trust that your customers have in you. If you have a poorly-designed website, that trust is likely to be lower; if your product brochure is full of actual pictures of your team and your happy customers, that trust will be higher.

One way to create an immediate sense of trust with your customers is to demonstrate that you’re an authority in your field. And there are few better ways to do that than by publishing a book, whether it’s an ebook or a paperback. Think about it: if you were looking to explore The Gambia, who would sooner turn to — a random online travel agent, or the author of 15 Unmissable Gambian Destinations?

You don’t have to sell a thousand copies of your book to gain this authority: the act of ‘having written the book’ on a topic is often enough to establish you as an authority in your field. Bonus: when people do end up reading your book, they will have spent however-many-hours in the company of your written word — which will make them even more likely to choose you or your product.

It’ll make you discoverable on the world’s third largest search engine

I mentioned that folks are less likely to scour the shelves at Barnes & Noble for information — but that doesn’t mean they won’t turn to books at all. After Google and YouTube, the place most people search for information is Amazon.

So if you’re in the business of selling a product or service that might generate Internet searches, you should always make sure that your potential customers can find you easily in your niche. That involves creating videos on YouTube — and getting a book published on Amazon (which is remarkably simple, thanks to Kindle Direct Publishing).

It’ll help you secure those Glengarry leads

In the film Glengarry Glen Ross, a group of struggling real estate salesmen constantly obsess over a set of ‘leads’ that their management has secured. Once they have those leads, it’s then a matter of ingratiating themselves with those potential buyers and getting them to sign on the line which is dotted.

The equivalent of a lead in e-commerce is getting potential customers to arrive on your website. If you’ve got great, relevant blog content (that is SEO-friendly) then you should ideally have a bunch of users arriving each day — many of which are a perfect match for what you’re selling. But how many of those people will be ready to buy your product that same day? A small fraction, I’m willing to bet.

So instead of jumping straight to the hard-sell, you can capture their email addresses so that you can contact them in a week, or two weeks, or a month — however long it takes until they’re finally ready to buy. And how do you get them to part with their precious contact details? By offering them something for free, of course.

Countless business use what’s called a lead magnet: something of value that you offer potential customers if they agree to join your mailing list. Sometimes this might be a free template, information sheet, or exclusive video tutorials, but one of the most effective lead magnets is (you guessed it) a free ebook — as either a PDF or MOBI file, to make it easy to read on Kindles.

Top tip: Figure out what the #1 problem someone who arrives at your site might have and solve that problem with your ebook title. If you find that people arrive on your site looking for “what suitcase locks are the most secure,” you could publish a short ebook guide to travel-related security concerns.

If you give away a free book, customers are more inclined to pay you back

I’ve already mentioned how books are great for getting contact details and building trust with prospective customers. But giving away a free ebook also allows you to tap into the psychological phenomenon of reciprocity. It suggests that when someone receives something, they will instinctively want to repay the favor.

People don’t like the idea of being in someone’s debt — even if it’s something as small as an ebook. And that’s the edge you can use to get them to finally take the plunge and give you their hard-earned cash.

Martin Cavannagh is a writer with Reedsy, a leading marketplace for freelance editors, book designers, and ghostwriters. He curates a series of free online courses on a range of writing and publishing topics.

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