authorityThere’s a TON you can do today to build your business, and especially increase your status and stature.

There are almost limitless media options.  There are over 1,700 TV stations in the United States alone, many of which have at least some live guest options.  There are over 14,000 radio stations, many of which feature talk shows that are always in need of guests.

Plus, there’s new media.  Podcasts.  YouTube channels.  Facebook live streaming.  And a million and one other social media platforms, each with their own following.

Plus, you can always create a website and blog.  Or post your content in other written media online, including on article sites as well as getting it into news aggregators that are simply looking for a constant stream of good content to serve their site visitors.

Plus, there’s traditional print media that’s shifted but is certainly not dead.  Magazines, newspapers, journals, newsletters, and so on.  All in constant need of content to feature.

Here’s a little hint…

Any and all media is a great way to build your authority and expert status, but nothing beats this one thing you can do!

Write a book.

That’s it.  When you actually create a book your market really wants to read, that is full of useful information, you get instant recognition as a thought-leader in the field.

Do you need a traditional publisher?  It might help with credibility, with a small portion of your readers.  But it’s not necessary.

If you make it look and feel like a traditionally-published book, but self-publish using print-on-demand through Amazon’s CreateSpace, it’s really all you need for 95% or more of situations.

You can sell the book, and it has a certain value in that context (although books make really horrible products because there’s really no margin — especially in business nonfiction).

You can give it away, only asking the reader to pay shipping, as a really powerful lead generation tool (as I do with my Copywriter’s Guide to Getting Paid).

You can give it away 100% free, as the best dang business card you could possibly give to someone.

You can even include it with other marketing, as a way to build your credibility, authority, and expert status.

It works in nearly all markets, too…

We’re not just talking about becoming a national or international “guru” in a big market.

Let’s say you’re in a very small, localized market.  For example, you’re an independent financial advisor, serving your local community.

Write a book about straightforward, commonsense, lifelong strategies for saving and growing your wealth.

Then, when you’re going toe-to-toe with other financial advisors for a new client, hand that prospect a copy of your book.  Odds are, even if you’re up against 15 or 20 or 50 other financial advisors in your community, you will be the only one who “wrote the book on” how your client can retire wealthy.

Or, let’s imagine you’re in the HVAC industry — you repair heating and cooling systems.  You could actually write TWO small books.  One would be a regularly-updated guide to buying the best HVAC system for your home, with easy-to-follow advice on selecting the right mix of capacity, efficiency, cost, and so on.  The other could be an easy maintenance guide to keeping your HVAC system running strong, with service schedule, little tips and how-to instructions for DIY maintenance, and other related tips that would make it something the homeowner would want to keep next to their HVAC system for reference.

Or let’s say you want to become a guru in your field.  You may already have info-products, courses, membership sites, and other ways customers can access your expertise.  But books have a certain prestige you don’t get from those other products.  Write a book on your topic, and get it in bookstores to get extra respect plus bring in bookstore buyers (who are also good buyers of other info products).  Or, write that book and offer it free as a lead-generation device to build your list.

Good news: books are actually easy to write, not hard…

Here’s the thing.  As long as you end up with valuable words on paper, it doesn’t matter if you spent three years or three weeks or even three days creating the book.

And the good news is, there is a simple process where you can get a book out of your head and into at least a solid draft form in as little as three days.

First, think about what you want to write about.  What does your market want to know?  What unique value and perspective can you provide?

Then, organize your thoughts.  Essentially, create your table of contents, and start to fill in the sections in outline form, so it’s very clear what you’re going to say.

Next, get someone to interview you based on the outline, and record the conversation.  Then, get the recording transcribed.

Finally, edit the transcription into a very solid draft of your book.

After that, you simply go through the steps of getting that published or self-published, enlisting whatever help you need to get your draft turned into a book (both information and services are plentiful, if you look for them).

Then of course is the actual use of the book in a system to promote yourself and your business, but that’s another topic for another day!

Yours for bigger breakthroughs,

Roy Furr