The secret to keeping your business book readers hooked forever

The secret to keeping your book readers hooked forever, business book ghostwriting, business book coaching

So you’re writing your business book. Hopefully you’ve got the outline sorted, which speaks to the people who are most likely to buy from you, on a topic about which they’re desperate to learn more, and which positions you as an expert in your niche. (And if you haven’t, then you need to speak to me pronto :))

This book alone – when it’s out there – will have a massive impact on your business success.

But the bad news is, it’s not enough

Now I know what you’re thinking. ‘What do you mean, my 50,000 word book isn’t enough? I’m sweating blood over writing it!’

Of course you are. And the amazing thing about your business book is that it’s a lovely, low risk way for your readers to get to know you. They’ll understand how you think, and discover your back story. All of which makes it relatively easy for them to decide if they want to work with you as a client.

But there’s a problem. That time might not be right now.

It’s a bit like when you go clothes shopping. You see the perfect outfit, but it’s for an occasion you don’t yet have. Do you buy it anyway? Or, (if you’re the sensible type) do you pass on by and hope something similar comes up when you actually need it? It’s a decision you make on the spur of the moment.

It’s the same when people read your book.  Your readers might recognise that you’re  the answer to their prayers, but just not right now. So they close your book, and then you’re pretty much invisible. It might not be until several months later that they’re ready to come to you for more. And by then, they may have read plenty of other books that are fresher in their minds. They may even approach one of those more recent authors instead of you. Wouldn’t that be frustrating?

We all have short memories, so you need to keep reminding your readers who you are, what you do and why you’re so great. Until that day when they’re ready to come back to you.

The business book signup bait

So how do you do that? You get them to sign up to your email list, so you can keep in touch via your regular newsletters. And why would they give you their details?  You give them a great reason, by offering them something free and valuable in exchange: your lead magnet.

Now I’m sure you’ve heard of a lead magnet before (if not, I’ll explain more below), but have you thought of including it in your book? Because many of my clients haven’t, until I’ve told them to do it of course!

It’s like having a mini book inside your big book, Russian doll style.

The plant

This is the clever bit. As with houses, the position of your lead magnet within your business book is all about location, location, location. You want to plant it in the right spot. Here are the best places to site it:

  1. In the first couple of pages of your book, so that when someone views the ‘Look Inside’ feature on Amazon, they’ll see it straightaway. That way, even if they don’t buy it, they might still sign up to your list (why not, it’s free).
  2. At the end, probably in your About the Author section or your Conclusion. This is a natural place for your readers to pause and take advantage of your offer, especially since they should be convinced of your expertise by now.
  3. Wherever it seems relevant within the body of your book. You may want to use more than one, so that your freebie is ultra targeted to the content of the chapter. For instance, I’m ghostwriting a book for a therapist, and we’re including links to helpful templates and cheat sheets which will be of use to his readers in that specific book section.

The important detail

In order to get them to sign up, you’ll need to give them a link to your sign up page. And how you display this link is important.

Whether your book is appearing in print and/or e-book format, you’ll want to display the entire link rather than hiding it behind words in your text. In print this makes obvious sense as you reader can’t click through to the web page. But even in an e-book, depending on the device your reader is using, links sometimes don’t work very well as a click through; it’s usually easier for your reader to type the link into their browser than it is to click.   To make it easy to type, make sure your url is short and easy to remember (for example, www.yourdomain.com/freeguide).

Here’s another clever idea. If you’re not ready to add your giveaway to your site before your book is published, you can create a web page with ‘coming soon’ on it, and the ability to sign up to an early bird alert for when your lead magnet is ready.

The mechanics

If you’re not sure how to create a lead magnet and sign up page, this bit is for you.

First, you need to come up with a really valuable giveaway, ideally one that’s worth more than the cost of the book in your readers’ eyes. This is called a ‘lead magnet’, because it enables you to turn your reader into a business lead. These are the characteristics of the perfect lead magnet:

  • It’s about something your readers really care about – one that keeps them awake at night
  • It’s relevant to the topic of your book
  • It’s delivered electronically, so you can set and forget
  • It could be in pdf, audio or video format

Once you’ve decided on your lead magnet, simply write or record it, then get it produced and turned into the correct format. At the same time, create a signup page on your website which offers this giveaway in exchange for your reader’s email address. Once you’ve got the address, you can send them the lead magnet and keep emailing them thereafter.

If you want to see an example of a sign up page with a lead  magnet giveaway, here’s one of mine: https://marketingtwentyone.co.uk/time/

Remember your emails should be packed with valuable information which is really going to help your audience. This tactic has nothing to do with heavy selling techniques (they never work anyway), and everything to do with you demonstrating your knowledgeable and helpful nature.

And if you want a step by step guide to getting your lead magnet set up, there’s a handy course you can look at here.

Practising what I preach

I recently published my own short e-book, The Business Book Outline Builder, and used this exact technique; as a result, I’ve received many e-mail signups. Click here to check it out; you only need to see the Look Inside to get what I’ve done.

So now you know why you need a mini book inside your big book. And it’s action time. I want you to create a fabulous lead magnet to include in your business book, so you can stay in touch with your readers month after month – or pretty much forever.