marketing

Are You Shouting Into the Wind?

Do you ever feel like you’re shouting into the wind? Yes, you’re yelling. And yet, nobody can hear you. Or the people who do hear you, aren’t understanding what you’re saying; they’re only grasping a piece of your message.

I know that you have a powerful message to share with the world. That you want to help people. And you know you can make a difference in their life—a difference that can be measured.

It’s a highly uncomfortable place to be—feeling like you’re marketing yourself, sharing your message—yet the results are saying that you don’t matter, you’re not making a difference, you’re not even being ignored.

You’re wearing all black, hiding in the dark.

Let’s turn on the light!

Right now, let’s change the story, reach the people you KNOW you’re meant to reach, create the movement from your message that you can feel building, like a wave.

It’s time for you to be the candle in the dark, lighting the way to others.

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Is the gate down on your marketing?

It’s the end of summer…

And here in Northern Arizona it means it’s mowing season. In the little town where I live, most people have acreage – anywhere from a half acre on up, with the median being around 2 acres. Add in that we’re in the High Desert and landscaping is usually left au natural – the brittle, low water, very-prickly tuft grass. The yards are typically mowed once, maybe twice, never more than three times a year.

All that tough grass and all those big yards equals one thing… riding lawnmowers.

Today, while the husband, son, and I were at the park for a mid-afternoon sunshine and smoothie break, we saw a truck towing a utility trailer with a mower in the trailer. Not an uncommon sight for this time of year.

What was uncommon was that the gate to his trailer was left down, making a horrible racket, shooting sparks off the road, and absolutely damaging (ruining) the gate. (We tried to flag him down but were just too far away.)

I don’t know how far he was going, but he went through the 4-way stop and carried on his gate-dragging, spark-throwing, ruining-that-trailer-gate way. And when he gets to his destination?

At best, he’ll have ground down the metal on the gate but the gate will still be usable.

Are you forgetting that you need to market your book? It's not too late to start promoting it! Click To TweetAt worse, it’ll need to be replaced. (And even worse—a fire sparked along his route!)

Which made me wonder:

  • Did he forget to put up the gate after loading the trailer?
  • Did he forget to latch it after putting it up?
    Or …
  • Did the latch fail somewhere along the way and he just didn’t notice?

So, what does this lawnmower-in-the-trailer story have to do with your book?

Because it’s a metaphor for how so many people market their books.

Your book is the vehicle for your message. Your book is the way that you’ve chosen to take your message to the world so that it can transform the life of anyone who reads it.

  • Did you forget about marketing entirely? (Or maybe you’re deciding to ignore it. Like the bill you hope that if you don’t open, will somehow pay itself.)
  • Did you think about it and then dismiss it?
  • Or did you try something, got lackluster results, and throw in the towel?

Take a deep breath. Keep Reading!

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Message, Marketing, and Getting Messy

Let’s talk about your message – and why it is the center of your book AND your marketing.

(Don’t panic that I said ‘marketing!’)

Think about it:

Your message is the bigger reason why you’re writing your book. Why you’ve created your business. Why you get passionate and impassioned.

It’s the center to everything – and everything revolves around it.

For me, I tell you, over and over, that your message matters. That you’re worthy of writing it, sharing it, living-and-breathing it.

But your message impacts me in a bigger, deeper way.

MY message, my why, is to get these precious messages out into the world—where they can do good. Where a message (your message) can bring love and hope to somebody who is struggling, afraid, in pain.

(Not all messages are heavy! That’s important too!)

So how does your book’s message relate to your marketing?

Because all too often we try to divorce the two.

Stop trying to divorce your MESSAGE from your MARKETING! #messagematters Click To Tweet

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The Truth About Amazon Book Reviews

Reviews – especially positive, well-written reviews – impact your book sales on Amazon. Rumor has it (because let’s face it, a LOT of what goes on at Amazon is rumor and speculation) that if your book can receive enough reviews, Amazon will more heavily promote the book to its users.

Are your book reviews getting removed from Amazon? Here's why! Click To TweetPersonally, I’ve found that a book having reviews, any reviews, is a boon to sales.

Here are Amazon’s “rules” about reviews:

  • No “objectionable” material
  • No promotional content
  • No off-topic information
  • No inappropriate content, which includes hyperlinks and references to other products

Amazon also doesn’t allow reviews that were written for any form of compensation other than a free copy of the product. This includes reviews that are a part of a paid publicity package.

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How to Write a Killer Book Title

Your title is the single most important part of your book. Period.

Whew! I said it. Finally.

011017-killertitleI work with authors every day. And I wish that more of them would spend more time working on their book’s title. Or at least listen to my years of hard-won knowledge about what makes a title work and what makes a title a flop.

Public Service Announcement: This article is about titles for non-fiction books!

Sure, your cover is critical, but it’s not as important as your title.

To get more book sales, you MUST have a clear benefit in your book's title. Click To TweetToo many authors think that cutesy is the same as effective.

Or that eye-grabbing is the same as effective.

Or that sensational is the same as effective.

Or that a play-on-words is the same as effective.

Do you see where I’m going with this?

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It’s Your Business – 3 Steps to Tell the World!

When is the last time you actually TOLD people what it is that you do? I’m asking because I had an eye-opening experience at a business retreat this past weekend when a friend of mine purchased a book publishing package.

And not from me.

Before I got my blood pressure up, I thought about it. This is a real friend so if she’s not buying from me, I must be doing something wrong. So what was I missing?

Do your #clients know what you offer them? 3-part challenge to tell them! Click To Tweet

When I asked her about it, it turns out, she thought I only did marketing copy! (Which I really only do for selective clients!)

Wow. Talk about an eye opener!

I realized I needed to step up my game and make sure that I’m conveying what I do – the transformation I offer – clearly. And to make sure that I keep telling people so it doesn’t get confused!
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5 Tips for Launching a Book at a Live Event

When you’re publishing a book there are two ways you can do it…

  • You can quietly put it on Amazon and wait for people buy it.
  • You can put it on Amazon, promote the heck out of it, and TELL people to buy it.

052615-LiveEventBookLaunchGuess what? They both really do work. However, if you’re waiting for people to start buying it – and for the word of mouth to start – you might be waiting for a while.

This past weekend, I started a 3-week long launch of a book I’ve been working on since mid-January. And let me tell you, I’m launching it with a bang!

I flew across the country to attend Geowoodstock XIII in Boonsboro, Maryland. (And thankfully was able to stay with family while I was there!) But it’s way more than just sitting in a booth with the book on display!

This was a jam-packed 2-day event with over 3,000 people in attendance – so I had to make the most of what I had. Here are 5 tips for promoting a book at a live event.

1. Perfect your book’s 10-second commercial
Seriously. You’ll say it over and over again so take some time to figure out the must-shares. Tweak as needed. Notice I said a 10-second commercial. An event is busy, crowded, and noisy. So you’ll be saying it over and over and over. Short is better.

Your #book needs a 10 second commercial that explains what it's about. Click To Tweet

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