Speakers, consultants, and CEOs seem to be the most common authors of business books, but you can use a book to promote your business, whatever it is. That’s the premise behind Alina Dizik’s article in Entrepreneur titled, “5 Tips for Publishing Your Own Book.” Here’s the opening paragraph.
“Gareth Feighery, who runs MarketTamer.com, didn’t become an author in hopes of selling a lot of books and reaping the royalties. Instead, he wrote the self-published book Secrets to Explosive Stock Market Profits to build the credibility of his Philadelphia-based financial education company and attract clients in a crowded market”
It doesn’t matter what kind of business you have, a short book can be a powerful promotional tool, telling people why you’re distinctive. Here are some formats that work.
Tell the story of your business. Very often, the roots of distinctiveness are in the history of the business. Who was the founder and what was he or she like? How did the business start? What fascinating incidents are part of your legacy?
Collect customer case studies into a book. This is a great way to show what you can do for a customer. You can use a “just the facts” approach with charts and graphs. Or you can make each case study a story. Or both.
Answer the questions that everybody seems to ask you. These aren’t the operational question you normally find on the Frequently Asked Questions page of a web site. Answer the big questions. If you’re a roofer, tell people about different kinds of roofs or describe roof maintenance. Then tie your answers to helpful checklists or action plans.
Describe common problems your customers have and how you solve them. This is a cross between the case study and the questions formats.
Whatever format you choose, any book that promotes your business should demonstrate your distinctive and meaningful difference from your competition.