People no longer respond to advertising the way they used to, especially the usual “interruption-based” advertising. You’re watching a program and you’re interrupted by a commercial. The ad itself isn’t relevant to you—you didn’t ask or look for it. You’re annoyed and can’t wait to get back to the program. It’s similar with magazine and newspaper ads. However, your book can be an effective ad without interrupting your prospects; in fact, they won’t even view it as advertising!
Let me explain. The most frequently visited site for researching a product is Google and the most frequently visited site for shopping for a product is Amazon. If I’m interested in getting the air inside my house or office cleaner and greener, I may go to Google and type in cleaner greener indoor air to find out how. (If I’m interested in finding more in-depth information, especially information I can purchase, I type those same words into Amazon.)
Want to be found on Google without having to advertise or spend a lot of time and/or money on search engine optimization? Have a book listed on Amazon. Of all the websites out there, Amazon is the largest single source of information indexed on Google. What this means is that Google respects your book’s page on Amazon more than some other page someone put together on the same topic. You’ll rank higher in the search results because of your book’s listing on Amazon.
I’ll prove it to you. Type cleaner greener indoor air into Google and see what you get. The very first search result is a link to a book on Amazon, above even the website dedicated to that very topic. Because I’m looking for information on this subject, this link is a free ad for the author, Mark R. Sneller, and his book. I have the opportunity to buy it, but, perhaps more importantly, I now view Dr. Sneller as an authority on the subject.
When have your book on Amazon you get, in essence, a free and permanent ad for you and your goods or services. It’s the best kind of ad because it isn’t perceived as advertising. Your audience doesn’t feel like they’re being sold to. And every time someone buys your book, you get a royalty, but more importantly, you begin the process of convincing potential customers of your expertise, authority, and credibility … the first step toward making more sales.
In this digital age, a book on Amazon is the most effective ad you can have.