Colin helps service business owners position themselves as "the only logical choice" by clarifying their Unique Selling Proposition, placing it in their own book, and using that book to generate highly qualified leads online and offline.
Robin Waite · #74 - Books That Get Leads - Colin Campbell
Does the prospect of publishing your own book sound scary? Or maybe you have something to share, but want to know the most effective way to go about it? This episode of the podcast features guest Colin Campbell, who helps service business owners position themselves as "the only logical choice" by clarifying their Unique Selling Proposition, placing it in their own book, and using that book to generate highly qualified leads online and offline. Here are some of the top tips from the episode.
In the marketing world, you often hear the term ‘position yourself as an expert’. To be an expert, you want to have case studies which show the measurable results you have produced.
When it comes to creating a book, you want to have a compelling case study or story arc, whether that is in a personal capacity or business capacity. This could be through a journey of self-discovery or testing different methods before landing on the right one. Those are your ideal arcs which you will be talking about throughout your book, and conveying this information into text.
Sometimes you see someone else do something, and think ‘I should be doing that too’. Writing a book and showcasing your expertise is years in the making though, and not something you can do overnight to get clients. To shift from a non-expert to an expert, you have to put in the time and practice.
When you are building up your knowledge, you have to be doing the right thing within that time. This means actually doing the work. Interacting with your clients and producing a result for that person.
You’ve solidified yourself as an expert in your area. You feel ready to impart your knowledge in a book. What are the first steps in this process?
Colin recommends reading Breakthrough Advertising by Eugene Schwartz, who was an expert in direct response copywriting. Although no longer with us, the message in Eugene’s work remains key.
“Let's get right down to the heart of the matter, the power, the force, the overwhelming urge to own that makes advertising work comes from the market itself and not from the copy.”
This is referring to your ideal audience. Their demographics, their education level, their interests, their beliefs. Take the time to think about someone specific that you've interacted with. This could be a specific client or a specific case study. You should map out as much as you can about that person, which will in turn create the language you will use. This will then guide the structure and title of your book. By focusing on your target audience, writing a book becomes more of an assembly project rather than thinking that you need to create a huge book.
Through this way of writing, you also start to refine your expertise and select what is relevant to your audience. This is also called clarifying your language. Understanding what is at the heart and mind of your ideal audience and selecting what information is relevant to include.
You have a story to tell, let’s not take that away. If everything in your book is about you though, your audience won’t be interested or it won’t resonate with them. If you are writing a book to solve your audience’s questions, then your book should answer them from a place of collective desire to find solutions. It’s about framing your story within the context of solving your audience’s issues and showing how to get the results they want.
Why should your ideal audience buy your book? What makes you stand out?
Your Unique Selling Proposition is multi-dimensional.
You’ve encapsulated a story for your ideal client. You’ve met them, and got them through something they were struggling with and solved their problem. You’ve taken them on a journey and been there for them every step of the way. The objective side to that story adds another dimension to your USP.
The association of you being there for your clients, in whatever form that takes, builds up as a benefit of working with you, which you can then emphasise as a unique characteristic of your business.
A common mistake seen when clarifying your USP is not being unique enough or stating the obvious. You may think quality is a USP, but no one wants to buy something that isn’t high quality. Really hone in on what clients come to you for and what makes you stand out.
Clarifying your language and your USP also link to your marketing approach. Often you see these marketing experts saying why you need to use their platform or this is the best method to market your business.
Marketing is verb though and contextual for each individual. There is no right method. It is interactive between you, your own personal story and your ideal clients. That particular relationship is unique. It’s true that as you get to know your audience, you get to know which platforms they are on. Even when you have those platforms though, it’s all about putting your mark on something in a way that connects to your audience.
There’s so much value in everything that our guest Colin Campbell discussed with us. If there’s a message to take away, it’s that the secret to writing a book that gets leads is to find a balance between your story and your audience’s problem. Relate your journey to what they want to know.
Websites - www.formulapublisher.com
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