Think of some of the world’s top businesspeople. How many of them have written a book? How many of them would you have known about if it weren’t for their book—or books? The fact is that writing a book about your business—can be great for your business. You don’t even need to have a business in the first place: your book can lead to starting the business you’ve always wanted.

But how do you go about it? How can you use a book to build and promote your business? The secret is in the five keys to success for your business book.

1. Plan Them Together

When you start a business, you want to grow, build a great reputation, and attract customers. Writing a book about your business can help—in particular by building credibility and raising visibility, which leads to the attracting clients thing.

One way to successfully use your book to benefit your business is to plan them together. That is, plan your book in the same way and at the same time as you plan your business. The process, after all, is both similar and integrated.

For example:

• You need to know what your goal is for your business before you can write the book about your business. And you need to know what you hope to achieve with your book.
• Your business needs to offer a product or service that the market wants or needs. A book about your business will do you no good if your business is predicated on a fantastic solution to a nonexistent problem.
• When planning a business, you need to have intimate, detailed knowledge about your target market: the people who will buy from or hire you. The readers of a book about your business will be similar, if not the same. You cannot begin to succeed with either your business or a book if you don't know who you are serving.

When you plan your business and your book together, it will help you focus on your ultimate goal.

2. Write the Book First

It used to be that people would build a successful business first and then write a book to share the route they took to achieve the success. Today, however, more people are writing the book first. Or at least early. Many a motivational speaker, for instance, first wrote a book that led to speaking engagements and an online business. Ever heard of Rob Kosberg? The story of how his book launched his business is one spectacular example of "if you build it, they will come."

When you write a book while establishing a business, it forces you to focus on your niche. It allows you to think about potential problems and how to solve these. You think about every detail and every gap that might need filling. Once you’ve written your book, you’ll have a much clearer idea of how to establish and grow your business. And you'll have a live and active marketing tool already working on your behalf.

3. Promote the Unique

One of the keys to a successful business is to offer something that nobody else does. It's your competitive edge. Sometimes this is just a novel way of positioning what you sell or what you do. Sometimes it involves a proprietary product, patented invention, technological or even pharmaceutical advance.

You want to promote the unique, your competitive edge, in the book about your business. And your book itself needs a competitive edge—something that sets it apart from other books in the genre or industry.

This uniqueness is what marketing campaigns focus on. Think of your book as a major marketing product around which you will build an entire marketing campaign.

This doesn't mean you have to offer a completely new product or service that no one has ever seen before. Neither do you need to write a book about something that’s never been written about before. You simply need to look for the angle that sets what you have to offer apart from what’s available already. Not all business owners approach their businesses in the same way, just like not all books follow the same framework. Focus on the way you approach things and be sure to promote it.

4. Be Bold

What drives successful business owners is the why of getting into business in the first place. Simply wanting to make money isn’t enough. Instead, they believe that what they have to offer can change people’s lives in some way. They’re passionate about these beliefs and about what they do. When they see something in their chosen industry that they don’t agree with, they set about changing it. They’re not afraid to follow their heart.

When you write a book about your business, bring that passion to the writing process and to what you're writing. Voice your beliefs—without being judgemental, disrespectful, or offensive, of course. Look within. Tap into your values, and be open about what those values are along with how they help you in your business.

When you voice your beliefs, whether in your business or in your book, be authentic. Most people can smell insincerity a mile off. When you’re authentic, they’ll be more likely to listen to what you have to say. They’ll also be more likely to buy what you're offering through your business and buy your book.

5. Market the Whole

And in this case, the whole is you, your business, and your book. All three, together. Don’t market your business without using the opportunity to promote your book. And don’t market your book without promoting your business. And don't do either without carving a place for you, as the author, the entrepreneur, the one making it all happen.

Integrate your social media, PR, and personal outreach efforts to touch your audiences where they are. Reference your book in press releases about your business and vice versa. Your personal social media profiles should reference both your business and your book, with links to both. Don't be pushy about it, and don't spam your email list or Twitter feed with endless "buy my book!" messages or you'll just put people off.

But integration is the key. Leverage what's in your book by directing readers to your website where they'll find extra value in tools, worksheets, checklists, and more.

...A Book About Your Business Is...

...a no-brainer business planning and marketing tool, all in one. You don't need to wait for your business to succeed before you start writing and you don't need to wait for the book to be done before you start your business. If you want to know more about how this would work, reach out and book a free discovery call. We can discuss how we can work together to accomplish this. A year from now you'll be glad you started today!