Advantage Magazine January 2011

Th e M a r k e t i n g M a g a z i n e F o r E n t r e p r e n e u r s , Bu s i n e s s L e a d e r s a n d I d e a - M a k e r s

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JANUARY 2 0 1 1

Tube of tomorrow: Internet television is a crucial strategy for the modern marketer

AMS in pictures: The 2010 Author Marketing Summit photo wrap-up

Rolodex or shelf? Your choice: There’s a lot business cards can’t do.

A book does it all, and more

Speaking from within: When it’s time to spread the word, don’t overlook your existing network

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | 1

AuthorAdvantageMag.com A publication of

In this Issu 8 Outrageous Authoring Most people think the way Bill Glazer markets his book is outrageous. Bill agrees completely– it’s what made him a best-seller.

6 Cover Stories Does your book need you on its cover? Here’s a handy checklist to help you decide. By George Stevens

DEPARTMENTS Adam’s Advantage: 4 2010 was great. Now is the time to commit to making 2011 even better.

7 Speaking Volumes Promoting yourself as a speaker can be as simple as flipping open your address book. By Yolanda Harris

Advantage Activity: 5

7 Let's Talk About You

Advantage People: 11

Every book needs an editor. Here’s how Advantage’s editorial process works for you. By Brooke White

12 Are You Ready for Prime Time?

You better be. If you’re the author of a business-building book, and you don’t have a strategy in place for internet television, you’re missing a golden opportunity.

Here are 7 great ways to use internet television as a way to boost your book, your profile–and your revenues.

By Mike Eberly, Executive Producer; Advantage Internet Television

Authors On Books | Founding fatherly advice...

“If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write things

New releases, best sellers.

Author Spotlight: Tammy Stokes

The 2010 Author Marketing Summit came and went. Here’s a photo wrap-up.

Your Advantage: 14 A book is more than just a book–it’s also the ultimate business card.

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843.414.5600 advantagefamily.com authoradvantagemag.com advantageravingfans.com Follow:

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Advantage Magazine Issue 13 January 2011 © 2011 Advantage Media Group. All rights reserved. Trademarks used by permission.

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | 3

Adam’sAdvantage Making 2011 your best year yet

I

was having lunch not long ago with an old friend from college days at Clemson.

Since then, he has gone on to serve as a senior advisor to South Carolina’s former governor, a key campaign advisor to John McCain, and a partner in a prestigious political consulting firm. All the while, he has worked his butt off, providing sweat equity for a person or political cause he believed in. Perhaps he has gotten rich, but my guess is not.

a foundation to build an information marketing business. For those not familiar, information marketing is the business of selling data, knowledge, and expertise. The most sophisticated of authors use their books as tools to build credibility for themselves. Then they begin to leverage that credibility to do speaking, which then leads to consulting, which can easily turn to seminars and events. Advanced authors have an ascension model that ultimately converts an inquirer into a customer, and a customer into a loyal disciple who is paying you every month through some form of continuity program.

He asked me to lunch for advice on a book he planned to write. As he explained the topic, I immediately snatched a napkin from the waitress and began sketching out his business plan. First, he starts with the book. The book Never Stop Marketing. For those that disis the logical initial step as that gives him like marketing because they don’t know it or ultimate credibility. From there, he parlays understand it, get out of your chair and stop the book into consulting and speaking. After whining. Learn it – better yet, commit to masbuilding that base, he can easily do seminars tering it. and events. To cap it off, he can create a con- The most affluent of entrepreneurs see themtinuity-based membership program. Within selves as marketers of their business, not opminutes of explaining his book, a plan for erators inside their business. Marketing and seven-figure information sales are the business had been hatched. only two disCommit to being a His eyes lit up. ciplines within

marketer. No one can promote, a business that After years of huffing and bring money in puffing in politics, it apmarket, publicize, and sell the door. Every parently became clear to you and your business other activity is my good friend that he responsible for could make more money, spending your have more leisure time, and money. If you derive more satisfaction as want to write yourself a bigger paycheck, you an author and an info-marketing entreprebetter improve the execution of your marketneur in just a year or two than in the previous ing. Starting right now, I want you to comeight. mit to being a marketer. No one can promote, My buddy is 100 percent committed to mak- market, publicize, and sell you and your busiing 2011 his best year yet. And why not? ness better than you! Marketing is easily the There is absolutely no reason that his business most productive use of your time as an entreshouldn’t grow and his income not rise in this preneur. So spend more of your time doing New Year. What’s true for him is true for you, just that. as well.

Plan and Strategize. It’s hard to determine Consider these ideas: if you’ve reached your destination when you Open Your Eyes and See Something Bigger. don’t know what the destination is. I want Simply put, see your book not as a book but as you to gain a clear understanding of what you

better than you.

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want to accomplish in 2011. How many books did you sell?

How many paid speaking gigs did you make? What was your income? What experiences did you have? Figure this stuff out!

Then build a business plan and a road map of how you will achieve these things and reach your destination. Every hour of planning saves 10 hours of execution and frustration. I am amazed that most people spend more time planning their two-week vacation than their life or the life of their business. Please do not be part of this majority.

Execute…or be Executed. Massive action is the name of the game. Every day you should be engaging in activities consistent with your plan to move you measurably closer to your goals.

Many of these activities will be related to marketing you and your business. The most successful of authors and entrepreneurs that I have met can’t sit still. They must always be engaged. Activity and movement are the breath of life for these folks. They are actionoriented and have a severe distaste for inaction, excuses, and slothfulness.

As Advantage enters its sixth year of operation, we do so with an open hand. We are here to offer resources, people, expertise, and help with execution that will allow you to meet your goals. That said, it all starts with you.

Here’s to making 2011 the best year yet.

We’re in this one together. ppy New Year!

Happy

Adam D. Witty, Chief Executive Officer awitty@advantageww.com

AU THO R SPO TL IG HT

AdvantageActivity Live Your Healthiest Life Tammy Stokes

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Tammy’s philosophy focuses on

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creating health and joy, believing

to Live Their Healthiest Life.

Advantage Best Seller List: December 2010 Title

Author

Price

Format

1

Enjoy the Ride

Steve Gilliland

$19.99

Hardcover

2

When a Child Struggles in School

Tom Jenkins

$10.99

Paperback

3

Don't Ever Call Me Ma'am

Linda Franklin

$15.99

Paperback

4

Secrets of Peak Performers

Bill Glazer

$15.99

Paperback

5

So, You Want to Write!

Ann McIndoo

$13.99

Paperback

5

Ultimate Guide to Direct Selling

Karen Phelps

$13.99

Paperback

7

Just Say No to Cardio

Craig Ballantyne

$11.99

Paperback

7

My Unfinished Business

Dan Kennedy

$18.99

Paperback

9

A Girl's War

Doreen Lehr

$26.99

Hardcover

10

Charleston From Above

Frank Glenn

$39.99

Hardcover

Clarity

Secrets of Peak Performers

Wealth Creating Strategies from the World’s Most Successful Entrepreneurs

(various) 200 pp.; softcover; $15.99

Shift

Change Your Mindset and You Change Your World Steve Sax 130 pp.; softcover; $15.99

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | 5

CoverStories with George Stevens Face the facts | The pros and cons of cover portraits

A

s long as books have covers, the debate will remain:should the author’s photo be on it? It’s an intriguing conundrum that breeds a classic chicken/egg conflict. You want to gain recognition, so you pose for some glamor shots and instruct your designer to place one on your cover. Instant celebrity, right? But suppose someone none-the-wiser sees your book. To them, your photo is just more clutter for the cover. They may even think, “I don’t know who that is, so it isn’t for me.”

It can be a confusing issue to untangle. Here’s a compact checklist that can help you decide if you are the art your cover needs.

1. Are you already famous—in a way that turns heads? If the answer is yes, then it’s a no-brainer. Your recognizable visage should grace that cover. Perhaps you aren’t famous yet, but your goal is to become the face of your field. That’s all well and good, but don’t confuse that aspiration with pre-existing fame. As mentioned above, an unrecognizable cover star could work against you.

2. Are you your brand? Before we get into this, it bears mentioning that if you answered “no” to the previous question, you should strongly question the neces-

A note from Seth

Advantage’s in-house tech guru Back in October, Advantage hosted the third Annual Author Marketing Summit. I spent most of the Summit behind the camera at the Advantage Library, where authors sat down with Alison Morse for a brief interview about their book. We filmed these interviews (in HD, of course) and we’ll soon be showcasing them on YouTube. We’ll also have them available on the website for the 2011 Summit–which will be up before you know it!

Here are a few snaps from the filming sessions.

Check page 11 for a comprehensive photo-recap of the Summit.

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sity of having your picture on the front cover. But there are cases that it could be beneficial. For instance, perhaps you are your message. For example, fitness model and Advantage author Jennifer Nicole Lee has used herself—her name, her face—as a brand identifier. In her case, there was a clear argument for using her image on the cover even before she was well known.

And even Jennifer had the advantage of prior public exposure due to her modeling career. If you’re just getting started, saying, “I’m going to be a speaker and people need to know what I look like” is not a logical approach. Again, being on your book’s cover is not an effective method of making yourself recognizable.

3. Is it necessary? It’s a humbling exercise, but you need to ask yourself: do I need to be on the cover? For Jennifer Nicole Lee, it was an integral strategy.

But some authors assume that because they wrote the book, they have earned a place on its cover. This logic is not sound, and can be detrimental to your chances of getting the book read. Remember, if your portrait is less crucial to conveying your message than some kind of eye-catching text treatment or other imagery, it shouldn’t be there.

A model example: In cases when the author is recognizable or is an integral part of the brand, a cover portrait is worth considering.

The Jennifer Nicole Lee Fitness Model Diet

by Jennifer Nicole Lee

If you answered “no” to each of the questions, having your portrait on the cover is a highrisk strategy. I’d be remiss to ignore that there are exceptions. Some authors have indeed found success by taking the cover-portrait route. It can work, but consider it a tremendous leap of faith.

Remember: In the real world, people do judge a book by its cover.

As staff designer at Advantage Media Group, George Stevens has designed dozens of successful books and other publications. He’s also the art director of AUTHOR ADVANTAGE magazine.

SpeakingVolumes with Yolanda Harris Making the most of who you know | When it

comes time to promote your book (and your public speaking engagements), the best place to start is with what you already have

Y

ou may be shocked, once you sit down and think about it, just how many people you know! Without having to purchase expensive lists or do a great deal of research, you can potentially reach thousands of people very easily and cost-effectively.

So who should you reach out to?

1. Friends and family. Don’t be afraid to promote yourself to everyone you know. You may find out that your second cousin has a friend whose company is looking for a speaker for their annual conference.

2. Colleagues. Do you work for (or have

ties to) a large corporation? Look into ways to reach their employees, as well as retirees. It could be a mass email, or a blurb in the company newsletter.

3. Organizations you belong to. From your neighborhood supper club to national professional organizations, get the word out about your book as well as your speaking availability.

4. Social media contacts. This is one of the best ways to reach a large group of people very quickly and cost-effectively.

And be sure to encourage your contacts to share your postings with their friends as well.

Let's Talk About You with Brooke White Maximizing your editorial experience | How Advantage’s unique approach to editorial helps you create a better book

A

dvantage is unique among custom publishers to have a team of professional, high caliber editors in our stable to collaborate with you to bring the best book possible to life. Our editorial director, Denis Boyles, supervises a global network of editorial stars, making sure that the right editor is matched with the right project. No other custom publisher can offer this level of editorial support.

To maximize your editorial opportunities, here are a few things to keep in mind as you begin the process: 1. Have a Master Plan. Your initial consultation with Advantages’ editorial director will help clarify the goals you have for

your book and select a project editor for your book. Communicate with your editor right off the bat if you have additional source material that you will be bringing to the project (your website, your blog, your company literature). To best serve your book, it is critical that your editor has a solid understanding of the scope of the project before it gets underway.

2. Your Outline=Your Blueprint. Many Advantage authors select our proprietary Talk Your Book program, which allows them to speak their book. The foundation for this process – like all book projects – is the outline. The outline is the heart of the editorial plan, the blueprint,

Use your existing contacts and relationships to generate the best form of promotion there is...

word of mouth.

When you’re promoting your book, you don’t have to re-invent the wheel or build a business list from scratch. Use your existing contacts and relationships to generate the best form of promotion there is – word of mouth.

Yolanda Harris is a Florida-based keynote speaking business consultant. She is founder and president of The Keynote Group (thekeynotegroup.com) and The Business of Speaking.

for your book. All decisions – budgetary, production, scheduling – are based on it.

Your project editor will create that outline based on information that you provide.

3. Understand the process. Depending on what level of editing your existing manuscript requires, it is valuable for you to understand what stages your manuscript will go through and what will be needed from you to facilitate its completion. You will have an opportunity to review and approve the work after each editing stage.

4. Maintain Momentum. In order to ensure your full engagement and participation, and to use your editor’s time most efficiently, it is important to adhere to the timeline set forth for your book. You will help establish this at the very beginning of the editorial process, so you will have an opportunity to note any potential scheduling conflicts on the horizon.

If you want help along the way, please feel free to reach out to me, your in-house Senior Editor.

I’m here if you have any questions whatsoever.

Brooke White is Advantage’s Senior Editor and Marketing and Publicity Manager.

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | 7

Dan Kennedy and Bill Glazer

An Outrageous Q&A with

are known to millions of Americans as the visionaries of powerentrepreneurialism. Together, they’ve

I

Bill Glazer

n this exclusive Q&A with Advantage Magazine, Bill Glazer, the pioneer of “outrageous marketing” tells Advantage authors how he used a book to build his legacy, make the best-seller lists and boost his business. Follow the methods behind his madness and perhaps you’ll be outrageously successful with your own book.

helped thousands of men and women

Advantage Magazine: What’s the best way to think about how to make a book that will do what you want it to do for your career and your life?

find financial independence and

Bill Glazer: What I always say is that before you write a book, you should sit down and you should answer the question to yourself, which are the reasons you’re writing the book, and you need to really put them in order: number 1, number 2 and number 3.

freedom by wisely exploiting the power of a great idea.

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Different people have different reasons for writing a book, but very few people ever really think about it strategically. They just think, “Gee, I should write a book, because everybody tells me that I should write a book,

so that’s probably the right thing – I should write a book.”

Figuring out the reasons and then writing the book to serve your purpose is really the right way to go. For example, when I wrote my book, I did have multiple reasons that I had on my list and one of them was that I wanted to leave a legacy.

I wanted to leave something behind all the work that I’ve accomplished, but that wasn’t my number 1 reason. It was just one of the things on my list.

Another thing on my list was that I wanted to hit the best-seller lists, as many of them as I possibly could and I was fortunate enough to hit four different best-seller lists. That was on my list.

But the biggest thing that I wanted to do, in my particular case, was I wanted to use it as a vehicle to actually grow my core business, which is Glazer-Kennedy.

So when I wrote the book, I strategically thought of what would help grow the Glazer-Kennedy business [which uses a membership model]. What I actually did in my book was lead people online to get something, to claim something and then when they claimed something, it would give them the opportunity to also test drive our membership.

AM: And how did you do that?

BG: In my book, what I knew was the biggest – I hate to use the word, but I will – the biggest “bait” was my book had 108 “exhibits” of outrageous advertising. But publishers really want to publish books in black and white, because color makes the book prohibitive in cost at retail.

When people saw all my exhibits, they would want to see them in color, so all 108 exhibits in the book drove them online to a place where they could claim a free CD and get all the exhibits in full color. It also got them to test drive our membership, which, in our particular case, just during the book launch alone, generated 4,500 new members for us, for Glazer-Kennedy. One of the big strategies that I had in the book was to grow the membership. That would have been number 1.

Number 2 was I wanted to use the book as a channel and a vehicle to bring people to a live event, because the one thing that I’ve learned through the years I’ve been a marketing strategist is that nothing can connect with people as well as a live event can. And I use the book as a vehicle for a very low-cost way to get people to come to a live event, because oftentimes, to get people started, you need to give them a lowercost option. Some people won’t respond to the

more expensive events or the higher-cost events that we actually deliver. So that was my number 2 objective.

which was the problem. But then as soon as I saw that happen, then I immediately bumped that to 450 copies of the book and I sold a bunch more.

I very clearly outlined my objectives that I had and I had multiple ones as I pointed out to you just now, but number 1 was to grow membership, and number 2 was to get people to surface at a live event where they would not have surfaced any other way. So that was clearly an objective of the book and that was a money opportunity with the book. It wasn’t the legacy. It wasn’t the fact

Truth be told, I’m not so sure that the 350 copies of the book was the thing that they were buying. What they really were buying was the half-day consult. In most cases, they used the books to give out as gifts to their customers and friends. And that’s what I told them to do, by the way. Even when I sold them 10 copies of the book from the front of the room, or on my web-

I have other credentials, but the bestselling author credential is one that is very, very revered by others.

For me, my book is the

ultimate

calling card. that we’ve now sold 70,000 copies of the book and whatever modest royalties I get from 70,000 copies. It’s not going to make anybody wealthy.

It wasn’t any of those things. It was the other byproduct of it, which were my main objectives.

AM: You pre-sold your book in an outrageous way, too – your customers could buy one book or they could buy 10 books and get a free seat in your seminar, The Outrageous Academy. And then you also said that if said someone would buy 450 copies of your book, you would do a half-day consult with them. But your half-day rate is almost $10,000.00. Many of our authors are consultants, they’re speakers and they’re trainers and when they’re promoting their books, maybe they’re overlooking that strategy.

BG: Well, yeah, that’s a good point. First of all, a lot of people knew in advance what my halfday rate was, so I actually gave them a half-day consult or a full-day consult. So, basically, they were buying money at a discount by doing that.

What happened for me is I first started off with 350 copies of my book – you would get $350 copies of the book, but you’d also get a half-day consult with me.

What I found very quickly was that was the easiest thing I had to sell. So I had 10 of those sold in no time and then, of course, I had to fulfill them,

site, I explained to them how they could use the multiple copies. I said, “Give these to friends of yours right now that are struggling in business.”

You can become a hero to them by actually giving these books to them. So I told them how to use the extra copies. So I didn’t sell 70,000 books to 70,000 people. I sold multiple copies.

AM: How critical has the book been to building your business? Could it have been some other object?

Why a book?

BG: First of all, it could have clearly been some other object, because at Glazer-Kennedy, we have 15 different new member acquisition strategies in place, and the book being one of the 15. So we have 14 other “objects” that we use as well.

And it’s not one of the largest number of customers it delivers. But it is one of the best, because what happens when a person reads a book? He is spending time with you, depending on the length of the book. My book was somewhere in the 340-page range. Of course, I had 108 exhibits in there, so if you stripped out a lot of the exhibits, there were probably four pages of text. (Laughs) It was more than that, but my point about it is, let’s say a person spends 10 hours or 20 hours reading your book – that’s as close to having a one-on-one dialog with somebody as you possiJ A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | 9

preciate it, as I said in the letter, if you would promote it for me.”

So many people said to me, “Bill, I can’t believe that when you called me up to ask me to promote your book, that you really spent more time working on my business.” I got that from so many people. So it was a different strategy then what most people think about as, “Hey, Sam, would you mind promoting my book?” That wasn’t the approach I took and it was well received – just giving before I asked them to give to me.

AM: Last question. What was the big take-away from all of this? Money? Fame?

No Disguising It: Bill Glazer wrote the book on outrageous marketing–literally. bly can have. That’s 10 or 20 hours to establish yourself, the author, as somebody who is credible and believable. So as I said, a book delivers to us the best customers that we have, although in our case, we call them “members.”

AM: Are there ways of monetizing your book that authors wouldn’t think of? Aside from following your marketing model, what other ways are there to monetize the value of a book?

BG: One very smart strategy, which I did not do in the case of my book – even though I often teach it to others – is once you establish your book, you can actually take your book and turn it into an informational product.

Once I’d formulated the chapters in an outline, I saw the vision of the book. What you could do is create a seminar off of the book. Say you have 10 chapters, you could actually create a seminar where there are 10 modules or 10 presentations.

You could record that seminar. You could go into more depth and more explanation of what you’re actually teaching in the book and now turn them into a home study course or to an online training course or however you want to do that. So there are several ways to actually monetize it.

Another way to monetize the book is to also take the book and divide it into many articles and then take those articles – so you could get 20, 40 or 60 articles, easily, out of a book. And then out of that, you could take those articles and do what I call “content syndication,” which is repurposing the content into articles, into video and in press releases and put it out all over the internet. That creates a huge number of links and it optimizes your search engine results for you, so that more people are likely to now find your website, because everything directs back to your website.

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So there are lots of things you can do with the book, but the smartest strategy is to take your book and turn it into a more elongated training program using video, audio and other components. I didn’t do this personally, because I had a different motive, but it’s very effective.

AM: Was this driven by a marketing plan?

BG: The first thing I did was create a marketing plan. I had a real marketing plan with all the different components on it. Then what I always do with any marketing program that I do, it doesn’t matter if I’m marketing a seminar or marketing a product or marketing a book, I create a timeline to it. In this particular case, my actual launch from start to finish was about six months, because, again, remember I was speaking at chapters and things along those lines.

Then also a part of the marketing was to get all the affiliates onboard. I had about 200 affiliates between super affiliates and regular affiliates that promoted my book for me. I had a whole strategy in place in order to do that. One of the biggest, most time-consuming pieces of that strategy is that the top 50 affiliates, not all 200, but the top 50 affiliates, I actually got on the phone with them. I had my executive assistants schedule calls with me with them and I got on the phone with them and I chatted with them about them promoting my book.

I will tell you something very interesting about that, because I think your subscribers will find this interesting is that I, again, just from a perspective of exchange of value for something.

When I got on the phone with them, if we spent 20 minutes on the phone, 15 of those minutes was talking about their business and my advice on how they could help their business. The last five minutes was about, “Hey, by the way, I sent you a copy of my book and I really would ap-

BG: Listen, we all have our bucket list – the things we want to do before we kick the bucket, right? And as we grow and get older, sometimes that bucket list grows or changes.

One of the things that was on my bucket list before I departed was that I wanted to write a book and, frankly, I wanted to write a bestselling book.

It was from an ego perspective more than anything else, but I wanted to write a book.

But at the same time, there’s no doubt about it that it’s a great a credential piece for me. I can go anywhere now and say that I’m a bestselling author. That’s a substantial credential. Again, I’m not trying to sound egotistical. I have other credentials. I’m known as a very well known marketing strategist. I’m known as a professional copywriter and professional speaker One of the things I’m well known for is outrageous advertising. It was the first thing that brought me to the party. Subsequently, I’ve become known for other things and I’m even known today as being a very smart online marketing expert and I was around before Al Gore even invented the internet, for sure. So my repertoire has expanded, but I think the thing I was best known for was the outrageous stuff.

I didn’t see anybody else that was really filling that gap as far as writing a book in the way that I wanted to see it filled. So there were a lot of other things that perhaps I’m pretty well-versed on, but in that particular case, I thought there was a big void in the market of showing outrageous advertising – real examples of how I could help people.

I have other credentials. I’ve won a bunch of awards and all that other stuff, but the bestselling author credential is one that is very, very revered by others. Now whenever I’m introduced by anyone, there’s always that best-seller author piece there and that immediately gets attention by whomever I’m being introduced to.

For me, my book is the ultimate calling card.

AdvantageActivity

Summit Special

Advantage Magazine presents a photographic recap of the 2010 Author Marketing Summit in Charleston, SC 

The third annual Author Marketing Summit took place at the Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston, SC,

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from October 28-30, 2010. 1. Adam Witty leads off the speaking schedule. 2. Witty poses with Advantage Author Steve Gilliland, the first Author of the Year Award recipient. 3. Executive producer of Advantage Television Mike Eberly readies a lighting fixture at the Advantage Library. 4. Advantage Author and renowned cat lover Tom Watson, honored for his contributions to Advantage’s fundraising efforts, poses with his new T-shirt. 5. Sam Horn, one of ten acclaimed speakers to present at the Summit, regails the audience. 6. Special guest Ron Seiver speaks to attendees during the catered banquet. 7. Interactivity and networking were common themes throughout the Summit. 8. Keynote Group president (and Advantage

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Magazine columnist) Yolanda Harris led a bonus session and spoke.

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 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | 1 1

You better be. If you’re the author of a business-building book, and you don’t have a strategy in place for internet television, you’re missing a golden opportunity. Here are 7 great ways to use internet television as a way to boost your book, your profile – and your revenues. by Mike Eberly, Executive Producer, Advantage Internet Television

D

o you ever feel lost in a world of clutter, chatter and noise? With so many options for communication out there, are you afraid your prospects and clients will forget about you? Or worse yet, never find you in the first place?

Most businesses are marketing with old tried and true (and tired!) strategies, only to wind up buried in the clutter. There are so many marketing and advertising platforms and social media networks to keep up with, that it is harder than ever to stand out from the crowd.

Let’s say you are an expert in Sales, Motivation or Leadership, and you want to expand your base of prospective clients and further influence those you work with. You have already 1 2 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | W W W . A U T H O R A D V A N T A G E M A G . C O M

written a well-received book. You are becoming known in your field as an expert. So now what? What is the best way to be able to continually and consistently increase your position? The answer: internet TV. Experts say you can rise above the din and get your message heard with the hottest, most effective, and virtually untapped marketing media to have ever been created: iTV. The numbers prove them right: 60 percent of all the content on the ‘net is video.

We all know that TV changes everything. It’s what makes stars, talk show hosts, and celebrities. Where would Kim Kardashian be without the reality show that launched her? This spoiled little rich girl was transformed to a tab-

loid celebrity, and a serious force to be reckoned with virtually overnight. Her product endorsements alone make her phenomenally wealthy. What about Donald Trump’s household catch phrase, “You’re Fired!” from The Apprentice? With just two words, a New York real estate mogul goes mainstream and into every house in America.

But now, internet TV is taking over the airwaves. It’s what we call a “game changer.”

If you’re an Advantage author, here are seven reasons you need your own internet TV show.

This is the information you need if you want to eliminate your competition, stand above the clutter, and connect with your clients and prospects like never before.

1. Use internet TV to give a face, and a personality to your business.

Personality is king. People buy from people that they know and like and trust. A product without a face is a shelf warmer. Your own internet TV show is the absolute best way to make your personality come to life, where and when your customers want to watch it. It will enhance your connection with them because your character, your voice, and your message will be delivered directly to their screens.

Social media can only go so far in demonstrating who you are. It does a fine job of telling people where you are and what you are doing, and in a limited way maybe give a quick view on some issue. But is that really making the connection? Because people want to relate to personality, internet TV is a better answer.

2. Use an internet TV show to stay in touch with clients, prospects, and centers-ofinfluence.

Relationships are everything. We all know that, but what are you doing to stay at the top of your prospects’ and clients’ minds? If you’re not using internet TV, then chances are you’re not.

Check out the email that Adam Witty (CEO of Advantage) received after only a few months of his own internet show “Entrepreneur’s Library” went into distribution: Dear Adam, I caught last week’s episode of “Entrepreneur’s Library,” when you covered Danny Meyer’s book, Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business. I missed that book when it first came out in 2006, and am so happy to have heard about it on your show. I am a huge fan of his restaurants and the Union Square Hospitality Group. Thank you for your amazing review. I’ll be sure to tune in next Tuesday, to hear your next book recommendation.

Thank you Adam! Great show!

–Steve Sampson, Chicago, IL. Do you think this customer would have ever reached out to Adam if he weren’t showing up in his email via his internet TV show every week?

Your own internet TV show nurtures, cultivates, and fosters better customer relationships.

3. Use an internet TV show to create lucrative revenue streams.

With your own TV show, you have access to more income streams than with any other me-

dium. For example: sponsorships of the show, interview spots on the show, lead generation offers, special sales, and banner ads on your website, just to name a few.

We recently heard from one of our clients that she is generating 40 new front-end customers a week as a direct result of her weekly internet TV show. When you own your own internet TV show, you create new revenue streams you never hade access to before, immediately.

If you are an expert in your field and possess the ability to share your knowledge through video, then construct a course for free viewing – or one that can be purchased. Maybe your content is good enough to offer for continuing education or professional development credits. Very specific knowledge translates very well into a course for sale. Your clients want to learn online. Online learning is the fastest growing revenue stream on the internet today and that is not expected to change in the near term. Learners want the cost savings and convenience of online viewing, and they further don’t want the inconvenience and cost of travel. Companies don’t want to lose their employee for multiple days.

4. Use an internet TV show to build your list.

If you want to build your list and gain referrals, you’ve got to give people a reason to talk about you, to share you with others, to forward your emails, and to drive traffic to your website and to your book. Your own internet TV show is that reason. It’s fun, it’s informative, and it is direct communication with your customer. When people see your show, they feel like they know you. That’s the secret for going viral, building your list, promoting your brand, and getting people talking.

5. Use an internet TV show to promote and sell your book, products, and services.

The more people you are in front of, the more leads you get, the faster you build your list, the more books, products, and services you are going to sell. Remember, people want to buy from an Expert, not a salesman. When you control your own media, host and star in your own Internet TV Show, you automatically become the expert. Better yet, people will seek you out and help to spread the word.

Authors are experts–and experts sharing their knowledge on video reinforces a book’s message. It is a potent way to offer multi-media solutions to a global audience.

6. Use an internet TV show to enhance your search engine ranking.

The most powerful lead source on the internet comes from an organic search. Whether you post videos on YouTube or articles on the internet, you know search engines love fresh, new, updated content. Of course, you want your business to be splashed all over the internet. The number one way to optimize the search engines is through internet video. Your internet TV show is a search engine powerhouse that will make you appear larger than life.

7. Use internet TV to become a celebrity.

Have you noticed recently, that it’s not the movie or TV star who owns the buzz? It’s the overnight internet sensations: Betty White hosting Saturday Night Live as a direct result of a Facebook campaign; Justin Beiber, an overnight success when he was spotted on YouTube; The Old Spice ad that sparked the viral marketing phenomenon; Susan Boyle on American Idol. All direct results of internet TV. J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | 1 3

YourAdvantage

Adam Witty’s 1001 Best Reasons to Publish a Book

No. 614: Use a Book as the Ultimate Business Card | Bill Glazer’s right! Your book re th he C EO says more about you than any one-line description on a C-level joe’s card – even if you’re the CEO One of the first things I did when I started a publishing company was publish a book explaining my ideas and how I thought they could be useful to entrepreneurs just like me.

How does a business card compare to a book? Let’s break break it down: J John Doe, VP of Sales Same Old, Inc.

Did the book become a best-seller? No, but then I didn’t intend it to be. However, it helped my company become a bestseller, attracting dozens of new clients that would never have otherwise become acquainted with Advantage’s authorcentric approach to books and media. It worked because I used my book like a big, pretty, hard-to-forget business card.

It’s the same for you! When you meet with a prospect, what is the first thing you do when you sit down? You slide your business card across the table, right?

But think about using a book as your business card.

You can either present a typical business card and say, “Ms. Prospect, nice meeting you, here’s my name and number. Stay in touch.”

Or you can make a gift of a book and say, “Mr. Prospect, thank you so much for spending a few minutes with me today. We both know there’s more we have to discuss. As a small token of my appreciation, I would like for you to have a copy of my latest book, just published by Advantage. I think you will really enjoy it.”

Now, let us address the obvious. As soon as those words flow from your mouth and the book moves from you to the prospect, two big things happen immediately.

First, the prospect will straighten up in her chair and take great interest in everything that you have to say because you’re an author, an expert. Maybe she viewed her 1 4 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | W W W . A U T H O R A D V A N T A G E M A G . C O M

-- m j.doe@sameold.co

Business Card

Yourr Book

Is your name on it?

Yes Y

Yes Y

Does it provide contact information?

Yes Y

Yes Y

Does it establish you as an expert?

No

Yes Y

Does it double as a sales tool?

No

Yes Y

Will it stand out among others?

No

Yes Y

Can you purpose it as a gift to the prospect?

No

Yes Y

meeting with you as a kind of “favor.” But as an author with a book, your status immediately goes from “unwanted pest” to “welcome guest.”

Second, your prospect is now “pre-sold” on you before you even start a pitch.

The reason is simple: Your book is the ultimate sales letter or brochure, and it sells the prospect on why you’re the expert on your particular subject.

sure one of the last pages of your book has all the contact information for you and your business.

This is the most important page in an entire book. Advantage authors have always done just this. Some might even argue that the other pages are irrelevant!

But the point is, their books are their business cards.

Rather than the typical questions about fees and deliverables, the prospect will move to questions like, “Would you consider taking me on as a client?”

So. Rather than sliding a business card across the table, start sliding your book across the table instead. You will observe big changes – enough of them to fill a book. Make that your sequel!

A piece of advice I give all our clients: It is extremely important that you make

Adam Witty is Advantage’s CEO and the author of 21 Ways to Build Your Business with a Book.

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1 | A D VA N TA G E M A G A Z I N E | 1 5

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Should every c-level executive, entrepreneur, and business leader publish a book?

There is much to be said for it. It is a prudent marketing investment.

It enhances the public image of the individual.

It effortlessly generates free publicity.

THE LARGE MAJORITY of the most successful c-level executives, entrepreneurs, and business leaders of our time have authored a book. “May I autograph a copy of my book for you?” is a question often heard in the corridors of office buildings that belong to the most elite of business professionals. Why is authoring a book such a wise investment? Consider these facts:

Create ultimate celebrity-power and credibility-power.

The most well know business leaders of our time are authors of books. Why? Because these individuals realize to be considered thought leaders they must put their thoughts, ideas, and recommendations in writing. The printed word has a magical effect; it bestows guru status automatically.

Free publicity.

Many entrepreneurs daydream about being on Oprah, being profiled in Inc. magazine, or being the guest host of CNBC’s Power Lunch. Being an author

makes you an expert. It also makes you credible. Reporters love interviewing credible experts for their stories, whether it’s for radio, TV, print or online.

An income stream.

A book generates passive income for individuals and businesses through copies sold via bookstores, back-of-the-room sales, online, and corporate/specialty sales. You can sell your books in airports, train stations, hospitals, museums and much more. Also consider using your book as a front end to sell a high-ticket product or service on the back-end.

A source of contentment.

There is satisfaction in having your own book, sharing your message with the world, and knowing that your success and your legacy is better assured because of it. To learn 16 other ways to grow your business with a book, request your free copy of 21 Ways to Build T O B U I L D Y O U R Business Your Business with a Book and W I T H A Book learn more about Advantage’s Book Writing and Book Publishing expertise:

21 Ways SECRETS TO DRAMATICALLY GROW YOUR INCOME, CREDIBILITY, AND CELEBRITY-POWER BY BEING AN AUTHOR

A D A M

The ultimate new customer magnet.

Most authors have discovered that having your own book is the “Ultimate New Customer Magnet” because nothing gives you as much credibility as quickly with potential customers or clients as being a published author. Plus, having a book available in bookstores is like having people paying to buy your brochure!

W I T T Y

• Visit www.amgbook.com/author • Call Alison at 1-866-775-1696 Ext. 103 • E-mail amorse@advantageww.com • Fax your business card to 843-414-5610, Attn: Alison