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Persuasion is the core of marketing. It’s easy to assume, then, that the job of marketing is to persuade folks to buy your book.
That’s half right. The goal is to help folks decide whether or not to buy the book. Even if we help them decide not to buy our marketing has done its job.
Dear Former Newsletter Subscriber:
Thank you for unsubscribing from my newsletter. I hope the process was clear and simple.
Don’t take this wrong, but I’m glad you left. Here’s why:
Marketing your book is going to involve asking people for things. Whether it’s cover blurbs, a foreword, testimonials, or reviews, it’s far more practical to ask than to wait for volunteers.
How you ask makes a world of difference. My goal in this article is to help you do your homework so you have the best chance of getting a meaningful response. Note I didn’t say a positive response; ‘yes’ isn’t always the right answer, much as we’d like it to be. You can’t be too timid to even ask, but it doesn’t work to be so confident you come off as a jerk.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Water wears away stone by constancy, not power, not volume.
Marketing with a long vision will serve you better than looking for short-term sales.
Every day, do one thing to market yourself as an author, or to learn more about successful marketing. Here are 20 ideas to get you started:
At the supermarket I noticed a package of batteries with this blurb: Lasts as long as Energizer.
So, they’re as good as the next guy.
Is that any way to advertise yourself? Is anyone going to switch battery brands (or, more importantly, start working with a “virtual” partner on mission-critical tasks) because they’re “as good as the next guy” ?
Marketers talk about your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) for a good reason. If you can’t show a prospect why you are the only possible choice, why you are the perfect match for them, ask yourself: why should they choose you?
If you’re only as good as the next guy, what happens when the next guy gets just a little bit cheaper, or a little better, or both?
(By the way, even if you’re far better than the next guy, if you can’t show a prospect why you’re a perfect match, consider the possibility that they aren’t a perfect match for you.)