Before You Write, Build a Marketing Plan

You may have heard that everyone has a book in them, and while I’m not here to deny that, I am here to ask you why. 

Why do you want to write a book?

If you’re an entrepreneur or thought leader, the answer to that question should be something along the lines of:

• I have acquired knowledge on how to do x and I know it can work for my fellow marketers.

• I’ve been there, done that, and been successful in X. I now want to share my lessons-learned with the next generation.

• I’ve overcome X and Y to be where I am today, founder and CEO of X. Here are my struggles. Know you’re not alone and you can achieve greatness. 

The why’s listed above, and all the others listed in your head, should all point you to another very important reason for your why: because you need to market your products, services, or yourself. 

Your book should help you promote (read: market) your services by sharing your expertise. Or help you share your story to inspire others to follow their own path and in essence propping you up for that next speaking gig. 

Now, listen up, this part is important: A book won’t magically market anything for you. 

You’ll need to get your book in the hands of the people that will hire you, rave about you, and share your story. 

Read that again. 

You’ll need to get this book into people’s hands. 

Let me say that another way. This product needs to be distributed to people who want to learn more about you and what you have to offer. 

Seeing your book, as the product that it is, is key to being a successful author. Like any other product or service you provide, there needs to be a long-term plan and integration of your book into your business model in order to create consistent sales, lead generation, and passive revenue generation. 

Now that you have your why you’ll need an answer for your how.

How does this book fit into your business plan?