When you consider all the marketing tools available, you probably think about email marketing software, customer relationship management (CRM) applications, sales copy, landing pages, and paid advertising on platforms like Facebook and Google. While these are excellent marketing tools, books should be included in your toolbox.
Books help you establish expertise and credibility
The number one reason to use books as a marketing tool is to establish your expertise and increase credibility in your industry or niche. Even people who don’t buy your book will begin to recognize you as an expert simply because you’ve published a book on a certain topic. The more popular your book, the more credibility you’ll have.
Books are affordable to print
You don’t need an agent or a contract with a publisher to print books and make them available to your market. You don’t even need to use a self-publishing company if you don’t want to use that method. You can use an online printing service, like Printing Center USA, to print as many copies of your book as you want. The more you print, the lower the cost. It’s ultimately cheaper than using a self-publishing platform because you won’t have to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars upfront.
The only drawback to printing your marketing books with a printing company instead of a publisher is that you’ll need to market, sell, and mail them all yourself. Self-publishing companies are print on demand, which means they print a copy of your book when someone places an order and there’s never any inventory to store. When you print books in bulk, you have to keep the inventory on hand, and pack and ship each book.
Physical books give people something tangible
Although many people believe direct mail is dead, it’s not. It’s still one of the highest-converting advertising methods around. In fact, according to the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), the average response rate is 9%, which is much higher than the 1% average response rate for email marketing.
One of the reasons direct mail does so well is the way people connect with a marketing message when handling something tangible. Once you get someone to open your envelope or package, they’re most likely going to sift through the contents. If you can get them to read a headline, they’re likely to read or at least skim the rest of your sales letter. You can’t do the same with email. And that’s why books make great marketing tools.
A book is a physical object that people can hold in their hands. It gives an impression of great value, especially when the content is helpful. When you send books to people as gifts, for example, they’re far more likely to engage with them compared to emails that flood their inbox and get sent to spam.
Books support brand awareness
Not only can you include sales copy in your books, but you can also count on them for brand awareness. The longer people engage with your book, the more familiar they’ll become with you and your brand. That familiarity will work in your favor over time to get them to become a customer and spend money with your company.
Shipping books gives you more control
Although it takes more work, shipping your books isn’t technically a drawback because it gives you far more control over your marketing efforts. For example, since you control the entire package, you can insert extra marketing materials inside and you have full control over the packaging, which can make a huge difference in conversions. You don’t get that control with a book publisher.
You can charge for books as lead magnets
As a lead magnet, you don’t have to give your book away for free, although you could. Most marketers charge for shipping, typically around $9.95. At first glance, charging money might seem like it would generate fewer leads than giving your books away for free, and while that’s true, it’s not a bad thing.
You don’t want to gather as many leads as possible. You want targeted leads who are likely to buy from you. It would be a waste of your resources to give your books away. When people have to pay for the shipping, only serious leads will follow through, and that’s what you want.
Start using books for marketing today
No matter your niche, you have something important to say that others will find valuable. Why not put your expertise in a book that you publish for your market? It will boost your credibility and generate the leads, sales, and loyal fans you’ve been seeking.
