Can Your Business Stand Out in Our Digitized World?
Does it seem difficult for your business to stand out in today’s market? Our increasingly digitized world has completely changed the way we garner information.
Back in the “old days” – just 20 years ago – we used to look in a phone book or ask our neighbor if we wanted a recommendation for a service provider or local business. And if we needed to find expert guidance on a topic, it required a trip to the book store or the local library.
But things have certainly changed in the last couple of decades!
Today, if you need information, expert guidance, or recommendations on local businesses, you simply go online.
With just a few clicks, you have the ability to download podcasts, watch webinars, and obtain information or articles from the most prestigious universities, corporate organizations and influencers in the world. You can search for any service or business to find all of your options in your area. You’ll also find plenty of reviews – good or bad – to help you pinpoint the right business for your needs.
And because of this shift in technology, business owners, freelance entrepreneurs, and professionals of all varieties have new opportunities to leave their mark, and to establish a stellar reputation.
Long gone are the days when you had to put an ad in the local paper or rent a billboard to leave an impression. Today, there are countless ways to find your audience and your prospective customers online. From social media to e-campaigns, making your presence known is more budget-friendly and easier than ever, provided you do it right.
In fact, the biggest challenge in our modern age is determining the best way to stand out in a crowd. And this is especially true for business owners and entrepreneurs.
Regardless of your industry, your business has competition. There is rarely just one professional or service provider in any given field. And thanks to the digitized and easy process of online searches, your customers will quickly discover all of their options – and not just your company.
This therefore leads to some difficult questions when it comes to leaving an impression, and convincing potential customers and clients that YOU are the best person to contact in your industry.
Consider the following questions of how can you:
Sure, you can rely on in person meetings, advertisements, and word-of-mouth marketing to showcase your business or professional services. But what complicates these questions is that you have a very short timeframe to make a lasting impression.
Think of the last time that you researched a local business or service provider in your neck of the woods. You likely glanced at your online search results and the links for just a couple of minutes or even for just a few seconds before formulating a first impression. You eventually made a decision that stemmed from these initial results.
So how do you let new prospects know – within seconds – that you’re the voice of authority?
Start by authoring and publishing a book.
You can’t have the word “authority” without “author,” and writing a book, (even a short business card book that takes very little time to compose), will position you as an expert without extra effort, especially online.
When you author a book and someone searches for your name and your business, your book will likely also appear in your search results. This lets your prospective clients know immediately that you are an expert in your field and subject matter, all with just a couple of clicks.
Once you write your book, it will be shared, liked, and linked to from a far-reaching range of sites. From social media platforms to online bookstores, your name recognition will automatically go up, which also means that your businesses’ online presence will go up as well.
Just because we find a variety of businesses online doesn’t mean that face-to-face interactions are no longer important. With a business card book, you can leave behind a reminder of your interaction with a prospective client that stays on their radar. After all, you may have been handed countless business cards over the course of a lifetime that you eventually threw away, but how often have you thrown away a book?
Have any of your competitors written a book? Becoming an author in your industry immediately sets you apart, and positions you as the leading expert in your field.
Best of all, writing a book and becoming the voice of authority is easy once you know the way forward. My new book, The Power of Authority: How to Get the Revenue, Respect, and Results You Deserve by Authoring a Book, explores these guidelines in detail. It will help you get started on creating your own Business Card Book that will give your business a distinctive presence in person, and online.
Keep in mind, too, that your opportunities don’t just end with the last page of your book. I’ve worked with a number of new authors who were able to parlay their success as an author into a myriad of financially and professionally rewarding opportunities. Once you’re an author, you can use your fame to find speaking engagements, consultation work, and a number of other job-related opportunities.
Our modern, online world has made it easier to spread the word about your business and your industry, but it’s also made the competition that much tougher.
So make a big impact with just a little effort, and get started on crafting your business card book today. With a little guidance and a great partner publisher, you can make an undeniable online impression that will last for years to come.
Do you prefer in-person training and collaboration to learn how to author and publish a book? Schedule your visit to meet us in Florida in January 2020 for Book Bound By The Sea. You’ll learn everything you need to become a published author, plus make a new network of authors for ongoing support!
Join the January Book Bound By The Sea Workshop here. I look forward to seeing you there!