Mike Greece, APR, Principal, MGIM GroupTake Malcolm Gladwell…would anyone have blinked or tipped over at the mention of his name without his “helping” books?  Would Dr. Seuss have become a timeless household name without “Green Eggs and Ham”?  Could Jack Welch, Sheryl Sandberg and Lee Iacocca have leapt from their C-Suite notoriety to permanent celebrity as industry and business thought leaders, TED Talk speakers using only blogs, info-videos and online content creation? Likely not.So as we get closer to the third decade of the digital era, professional communicators looking for a blockbusting differentiator in 2018 to engage and permanently etch their brand on each prospect’s psyche might consider a book as a powerful marketing tool.There’s a reason the number of business books written, most published independently, has risen over the last 5-10 years. There is continuing widespread recognition of their use as compelling influence platforms to create individual and brand authenticity and credibility, thought leadership, audience engagement, door openers and conversation starters.Borrowing the title from marketing guru Jay Baer’s first book, the most successful business author creates a manuscript that adds “Youtility”, i.e., helps, not sells the reader… by connecting to a common business pain point with insight, information, vision and, if possible, a solution.Think about it…what could be more impressive to a peer, client or prospect, than being known for “writing the book on the subject”.Once thought daunting to write, books are now trending much shorter…no one has time or patience for a long read. Soft covers, speedier independent publishing are now the norm and ghost writers and coaches abound to facilitate the creation of the manuscript. And last but not least, books can relieve the agonizing and ongoing burden of constantly creating fodder for online content marketing that is getting increasingly noisy as well as impermanent. During over three decades in PR and Marketing, I was always amazed how a book could level the playing field in a competitive sector when a CEO became “an author”, particularly with the media.Not wanting to be the “shoemaker’s child”, I’ve co-authored a quick read that could help you seem larger than life and leap frog competitors in the 2018 marketing communications wars. “Super Charge Your Brand…..The Amazing Power of Books As Marketing Tools” was created this past year to share a proven formula for producing an effective marketing tool. It provides easy-to-follow details on how anyone can write, launch and leverage such a book to boost mind and market share significantly. An effective business book can super charge any enterprise but is particularly useful in the service sector where the decision to engage often is based on the perception that your brand has “smarts”. It also has significant leverage in commoditized industries where differentiation is difficult. Last but not least, as many authors have learned, it can be the fulcrum for an entire marketing and influence campaign.Don’t be a schnook…write a book this year.

(“Super Charge Your Brand…” can be found on Amazon.com Books)

 [author]About the Author: Mike is the principal of MGIM Group which he started two years ago after senior roles over three decades in four NYC PR firms. A graduate of Denver University and the US Air Force Academy, he now specializes in coaching business book authors and strategic marcom clients.He is also an adjunct professor at NYU. [/author]