I recently attended the Market Simple Conference hosted by The P3solution. The speaker lineup was impressive and included experts in the areas of Marketing, Branding, Public Relations, Social Media Marketing, and Sales Tactics.
The conference was applicable to all types of businesses, but I made some notes that I feel are particularly applicable to writers who want to monetize their books. Here are five tips from the Market Simple Conference that writers can use:
1. Know and be able to articulate the value you bring to your readers
According to keynote speaker Marissa Levin before you can make others believe the positive impact we can make in their lives, we have to believe it ourselves. Going through the process of choosing your book topic, identifying your target reader and documenting your solution should give you the confidence that you can make that positive impact. After that, you must be able to articulate it when speaking to others. Answer these two questions:
- What do you want the world to believe about you?
- How does your book transform people?
When you can confidently answer those two questions, you should weave the answers into all of your book marketing materials.
2. Increase visibility for you and your book with the power of publicity
Publicity expert, Marsha Friedman shared the purpose of publicity: to get your message in the media and to demonstrate that you are an expert in your field.
- When looking for publicity, recognize that each media has a different target market. Talk radio audiences are mostly men. More women listen to Christian talk radio shows. Local daytime news shows cater to women and stay-at-home moms. For business audiences the big three are CNN, CNBC, and MSNBC. Look for print publications that have a local focus or a focus on readers in your niche.
Regardless of the media type, they are looking for solutions to problems. They don’t care how long it took you to write your book. They care about how your book can help their audience. Their goal is to keep audience numbers high because that impacts the rates they can charge for ads.Focusing on problems and solutions is easy for graduates of the Author Fast Track program because we write books that solve problems.
One way to get publicity is to watch the news every day and see if there is anything that has synergy with your book. Reach out to journalists and pitch the idea that you can comment on this breaking news story. Let them know what you can share with their audience and what problem you can address for their audience.
Felicia Pratt’s topic was web marketing. As you know, I recommend having an author or book website as a key component of your book marketing plan. Social Media profiles and pages have their place but ultimately you want a home base where you control the message and you own the list of emails that you capture on your web site.
My favorite tip was to put a call to action on every page of your website. That call to action might be as simple as ‘sign up for my mailing list’, ‘download my free chapter’, or ‘buy my book’. Every page of your website should be working for you. If it isn’t you need to get rid of it.
Sherron Washington, conference host conducted a session on generating leads from social media. She provided one of the best overviews of the major social media platforms that I’ve seen. Here’s her take on them:
Facebook is like a water cooler. It’s a place to hang out, not to sell. Why? Because the decision-makers and CEOs are typically not at the water cooler. Facebook is a place to make connections, but business doesn’t happen easily.
Twitter is like a newsroom. Use it to share relevant news about your topic. If you implement tip number two from Marcia you’re looking at the news every day for things that are relevant to your topic. Leverage your research by tweeting out the information. One insider tip is that you need to tweet it more than once. Use an automated tool to help you do that.
LinkedIn is like a boardroom. Decision-makers are on this social media platform. On LinkedIn you’re showcasing your credibility. Make sure your profile is fully completed with a professional photo. No selfies allowed.
Karen Bate talked about working with influencers. Think about how large brands use celebrities in their advertisement. A popular actor or athlete has a following. Their followers trust the advice and recommendations the celebrity gives. It’s much better to have the celebrity say your products and services are great rather than the brand telling potential buyers how great they are.
The great thing about the times we live in is that bloggers, podcasters, and YouTube personalities are influencers. Their fans and followers are just as loyal and passionate as the fans of sports stars and actors. Look for social media influencers who focus on books in general or who focus on your book’s topic.
Have you used any of these tactics in marketing your book? If so, please share in the comments
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