3 Proven Strategies to Maximize the Impact of Your Book with Melody Ann Owen
Feb 10, 2023
In this episode of Cash In On Camera, Author Nation Founder Melody Ann Owen shares 3, perhaps overlooked, strategies to maximize the impact of your book. She'll share how to leverage your book to grow your business, expand your reach and increase your visibility in your industry.
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll hear…
▶️ [2:47] So the first thing you want to do is think of your book as content and think about how do I use the book to attract clients. Like how do I bring them into my fold rather than just sending them off of the client? And I'm gonna suggest that, for example, if you're speaking, then you might have a free download of your book. You could have a QR code. So instead of the table at the back. Instead of just selling $20 books, say, "Hey, you know, why don't you give me your email and I'll give you a copy of the book." And now they have a copy of your book, which they'll read probably about 30%. That's average but you have their email, so they don't need to reach out to you. You can now reach out to them. That's strategy number one.
▶️ [4:31] You can do the QR code any way you want. It can be on your phone. I have a bookmark with a QR code. It's probably hard to see, but I have a QR code on a bookmark because I help people write books. If I'm going to an event or if I'm speaking, I will have a QR code, I'll have a bookmark with a QR code, and as I'm chatting to them, I hand that and I'll say, "Something you really want. This is, you know, whatever it happens to be." Cuz I have more than one QR code, and different lead magnets. If they're promoting a book or planning a book, then they can do that. They can be right there as we're chatting and then it can take the bookmark away as well. So it can be on your phone, it can be on a card, it can be a bookmark, or it can be on a poster. It can be anywhere you want it to be.
▶️ [7:57] So I'm gonna say, I'm actually gonna talk my strategies together here. So the next strategy is once you have them on your email list, do things with that. I was talking to someone yesterday, like, "Yeah, I have 300 emails on my list. So would you send out an email?" No. So the next strategy is to do something with that list. And the first thing you want to do is send a welcome series. "Hey, thank you for downloading the checklist." "Hey, thank you for downloading that first chapter of the book." "Hey, thank you for downloading the book, whatever it happens to. Be, let me introduce myself. This is who I serve. This is how I serve them. You know, this is what you can expect from me. These are the kinds of emails I'll be sending out." So some kind of welcome series so that they're like, oh, okay. I've downloaded something given this person my email. This is who they are. I'm gonna be receiving things and I'm looking forward to it because in this welcome series email, they're teasing out the things that I'll be receiving, and I'm feeling excited about it. So I'm gonna start opening these emails. That's strategy number two.
▶️ [9:59] I know we're talking about books here, but I think it warrants a slight veer off just to talk about email just for a brief moment because this is something that when you start going down that path, that that's a whole separate field of study. Email marketing. There are people who specialize obviously in that copywriters, et cetera. The biggest thing that I would just want to share about that is that email nurture sequence, make it value driven for them. You know, as opposed to my book, here's who I am, this is me, and it's all about, yes, I know you are wanting to promote who you are and have them get to know you, but there is something to be said for crafting those words and crafting those emails in such a way that it makes it about that other person.
▶️ [11:58] Yes. And so the third way, and I'm gonna go back to the email, is you have your newsletters, you wanna start putting in the teaser. Right. This is something that I see a lot of authors not do. "So, hey, have you read chapter three? Did you notice the point about X, Y, and Z? Hey, I have another story about that that might help you." And so start, and then they're like, chapter three, I haven't read chapter three. Maybe I should read chapter three. And now you're getting them to interact with your book. And this is something I see authors not do. It's like, here, you've got the book. Go read it. And it. Yeah, they probably will read about 30% unless you start sending them things, they tease content and direct them. It's like if you haven't read the whole book, that's fine, but you know what, in chapter six you're gonna learn about this. So, you know if that's all you read, go jump to chapter six and read that, cuz that's gonna be really important to your life because and then the reasons.
▶️ [14:52] Yes. I actually do this a lot. I do a lot of being on podcasts. I do a lot of speaking to groups. I love being on podcasts and I have a lot of authors come to me and say, but podcasts don't work. Podcasts do work. And when I'm down with the author and we go through what they're doing, I can usually pinpoint why it's not working. And so if you're out there and you think that podcasting doesn't work, I'm here to tell you it does work. And if it's not working for you, find a professional. Sit down with them and let them help you figure out how to make it work cuz it works.
▶️ [16:46] Melody, this has been really fun. Thank you for being on the show today and sharing your insights on how to maximize the power of a book. People and authors who put their life's work into the book often aren't maximizing it. They're not leveraging it to its full extent, but I really think that these Key fundamental steps that you've shared today will be a reminder of sometimes we have to go back to the basics too and understand it's like, this is not rocket science, but you might be missing some key steps if you don't feel like you are really achieving your goals with your book.