Show notes
📅 Schedule your free 30-min strategy call with Catherine ⚙️ Restart your practice in 7 days ⬇️⬇️⬇️ Welcome to "Beauty and the Biz", where we talk about the business and marketing side of plastic surgery, and how to publish your own book. I'm your host, Catherine Maley, author of "Your aesthetic practice - What your patients are saying", and consultant to plastic surgeons to get them more patients and profits. Publish Your Own Book Adding "Author" to your bio can be a game-changer in many ways. It's certainly an ego-boost to see your name on the cover of a book, and others see you differently as well. But your own book is so much more…. The public sees you as an authority and that gives you prestige and status. It also gives you notoriety and name recognition to differentiate you from other surgeons in the industry. A book is also great content. Content is king on the Internet, so a book helps your organic SEO efforts, so you are more easily found on the Internet because you'll have a bigger digital imprint online. But's there's more…. My Own Book Experience My book, "Your Aesthetic Practice: What Your Patients Are Saying" (https://www.catherinemaley.com/order-my-book-your-aesthetic-practice/) helped catapult my career in the plastic surgery industry. It gave me credibility and told my audience of plastic surgeons that I was serious about making my mark on this industry. I got free PR and was interviewed by The New York Times, Newsweek, ABC News and I have sold thousands of books that are sitting on surgeons' desks all over the US as well as digital copies all over the world. It has gotten my speaking engagements as far away as Saudi Arabia, Australia and the UK and invitations to be a podcast guest. And my book is actually helpful and adds value to surgeons who want to "better their best" so it's been a gift that keeps on giving. I use it as a lead generator, so my audience gets a taste of my work and, hopefully, wants more of it in the way of my consulting and training services. The same would happen for you but in a much bigger way. I only cater to cosmetic surgeons of which there is a limited number. You, on the other hand, are catering to the public who want cosmetic rejuvenation, so your audience is huge and unlimited. Your book would help you stand out in a crowded marketplace and help consumers choose you over all your competitors. How to Write Your Book Write a consumer book that is of value to the consumer who is interested in cosmetic rejuvenation, but be strategic about it to get the most value from your time, money and effort. For example, Focus This will be counterintuitive to you but it works. Write about one body part and one procedure. Be seen as an expert in one thing and they will stay for more. And come up with a catchy title so the readers know immediately if this is for them or not. For example, 5 Things You Need to Know About a Tummy Tuck. The Truth about Tummy Tucks The Secret to a Great Tummy Tuck Don't Consider a Tummy Tuck Until You Read This Add Tons of Social Proof Cosmetic patients want to see other patients just like them who have "experienced" you and your skills. The best way for you to "show off" your expertise is to show off your skills through great before/after photos. And be sure to add a variety of demographics so the prospective patient can see themselves in these photos. Reviews are the next element that should be sprinkled throughout your book. What others say about you is infinitely more important than what you say about you ;-) Patient stories sell. Everyone loves a good story so have your patients tell theirs. But lay it out in a structured way and here it is: Their story starts with the problem (pain) they were in that was causing them to feel bad. Then why they chose you over all the others (and that's why the reader will choose you too). Then what the process was like (hopefully, they will brag about how well you and your staff took care of them) and Then have them end with how much more confident they feel and how great their life is now that they finally took action and did something about it. So, your book in educational because you'll first explain the procedure, who's a good candidate, the FAQs, objections and pros and cons and the rest of the book is your patient stories and social proof. How to Publish Your Book Historically, you would have to hire a book agent to get a traditional publisher to even look at your manuscript, let alone agree to publish it. But do you really need to be in every bookstore or just in front of anyone online looking for information about your book's topic? If the later makes more sense, then self-publish. Now-a-days, you can easily self-publish which means you upload your finished book to a platform like Amazon or Google Books without going through a middleman. This will save you tons of time and money. How to Market Your Book While your book is a powerful marketing tool, getting it in the hands of prospective patients who actually are looking for a surgeon to help them is your next challenge. So, what happens after the book is published? How should you go about marketing it in this digital era? For starters, don't count on luck or word-of-mouth to make magic happen in terms of visibility, awareness, and sales right off the bat. And don't expect this book to be a huge profit center. This is more about branding then it is selling books. You also can't just create a listing for it on Amazon and expect it to be a bestseller without any effort. Also, if you're not presently a mega-influencer in the social media arena, you can't count on that channel to do the heavy lifting so here are strategies to help: Create a Book Website If you want to connect with potential readers (prospective patients) and sell books online, it's important to have a dedicated website to spread the word, while also building an email list for email campaigns to nurture these would-be patients with consistent promotional efforts. And considering that consumers do most of their research online, a book website is the first thing you should focus on. Give potential readers a place to quickly and easily find all the information they need. While social media accounts are a great marketing tool, you never know when a social media platform will change an algorithm or remove content, whereas on your website you always have complete control of what potential customers see. Be Strategic and Selective with Social Media Social media will play a major role in terms of visibility and branding. Depending on the target market you are attempting to attract, choose the platforms that market hangs out in and start there. For instance, if your book is catering to professional moms, LinkedIn may be your best bet, followed by Facebook. However, if your book is visual and filled with before/after photos of results, you may want to start with one of the more visual platforms, such as Instagram and Pinterest. In addition, find groups that are relevant to your topic, join them and engage in authentic conversations, without promoting your book. Allow natural connections to be made – it's important to share your knowledge and build your reputation as an expert on your topic. Capitalize On All Amazon Offers and Pursue Reviews If you're selling on Amazon (which I highly recommend), be sure to take advantage of every feature they offer to increase your chances of being discovered. Be smart with keywords and key phrases in your book description. If you want Amazon to recommend your book to others, it's crucial to get good reviews from your early customers. A decent number of genuine reviews under any book adds credibility. Don't be afraid to ask readers who purchased your book to help out by leaving a review. In most cases, they will happily oblige. Readers love helping authors they appreciate. Experiment With Email Promotions and Online Advertising There are many approaches that can be taken for email promotions. You start with your current list of patients and grow that list using your book. You can even partner with book promotion sites that send emails to their own subscriber lists. Online advertising campaigns consist of everything from paid social media promotions, to Google ads, and Amazon ads. If you're not already familiar with how this works, you may want to consult with a professional who has launched books before. They can save you time and money from mistakes. Generously Give, In Order To Receive Helping people without expecting anything in return has a way of bringing about good karma. That means offering value to your prospective audience well before your book launch, in an effort to naturally get their support upon launch. You could start by answering the public's questions about cosmetic surgery. You gain trust with your audience, and they spread the word to their family and friends. You can also give away free e-books or just one chapter on social media to grow your followers lists and reach to more prospective patients online. Here is a quick list of other ways to market the Heck Out of Your Book: Have a book signing event and take lots of photos and videos Invite the media – you never know. Send an Email invite to your current patients and have them forward to friends Post on your social platforms and encourage your followers to share with their friends and followers on their own social media platforms Add a book link to you and your staff's email signatures with a link to buy your book Offer to be a guest on popular blogs and podcasts Sell your book on Amazon and google books Give all of your consultations your book to increase your conversion rate Do IG & FB ads offering the book for free + shipping. Lastly, Get Some Help You have to either put in your own time and/or pay others to get this book project completed so here's what you do… If you simply don't have the time to manually and organically write, publish and market your book, you can easily find outside help. In fact, that might even be the better route. Just google "How to Publish a Book" and thousands of resources pop up. An easier route is to work with an agency that specializes in getting books to market. They handle the A-Z of writing, publishing and marketing books and include services such as ghost writing, editing, graphic design, digital marketing, social media, public relations, advertising and publishing all under one roof. This way, they will be responsible for staying on schedule and making your dream come true. They will also launch the book and keep the buzz going with new marketing angles and campaigns to expose it to an even wider audience for years to come. Because when done right, with a long-term strategy in mind, your own book in a fantastic marketing and branding strategy to up level your status and brand and attract a whole lot more patients to you. And there you have it. That's how you create and publish your own book! If you want to see how I market my own book, click below to get a Free Copy. Of course, it would be great if you subscribed to Beauty and the Biz so you don't miss any episodes and a review would be much appreciated. Thanks so listening and we'll talk again soon. Enjoy! Catherine Maley, MBA ⬇️ FREE BOOK: 📕 Get my 5-Star Rated Book, "Your Aesthetic Practice — What Your Patients Are Saying," FREE! Just pay S/H ✅ STAY UPDATED: 🌐 Catherine's Website 📝 Catherine's Blog 🎤 "Beauty and the Biz" Podcast 📺 "Beauty and the Biz" Videocast 🔊 "Beauty and the Biz" on Apple Podcasts 🤝 LET'S CONNECT: ➡️ Instagram ➡️ Facebook ➡️ Twitter ➡️ LinkedIn P.S. If you need help differentiating yourself, schedule a complimentary 30-minute strategy call with me. Review Beauty and the Biz on Apple Podcasts and get my 5-star rated book. FREE! Catherine Maley, MBA: Everybody that's going to wrap it up for us today on Beauty and the Biz. If you have any questions or feedback for me, you can go ahead and leave them at my website at www.CatherineMaley.com, or you can certainly DM me on Instagram @CatherineMaleyMBA. If you've enjoyed this episode on Beauty and the Biz, please head over to Apple Podcasts and give me a review and subscribe to Beauty and the Biz so, you don't miss any episodes. And of course, please share this with your staff and colleagues. And we will talk to you again soon. Take care. "The fastest way to success is to model other successful surgeons who have what you want, but you can only see their results, not the path they took to get there. So, you continue to jump from one thing to another, hoping to find something that will work for you too, but it rarely does. So, try this shortcut instead. It's guaranteed to move you forward. I compiled my intellectual property to grow cosmetic revenues, everything I've gleaned over the years into one playbook of the most successful practices and what they do to win. 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