Publicity Tip #34
Don’t be Overwhelmed by Your Marketing Options – Be Strategic
Marketing yourself is your author platform. What makes you stand out from a crowd (and get recognized by your target audience) are your marketing techniques, both personal & general.
Marketing isn’t fun, right? Writing might not be either, depending on what kind of writer you are, but it’s a necessity – something you have to do. You need to look at publicizing yourself in the same way, but don’t let the options overwhelm you – let them inspire you instead.
General Marketing Strategies
Have your book available through multiple distribution sites
Build a mailing list (friends, family, website & fb followers, old school chums, work peeps, etc.)
Print: business cards, posters, bookmarks, postcards, etc.
Design: mugs, letter openers, key chains, etc.
Cold Mailing to targeted communities (yes, this still works but it depends on who your audience is)
Blog Tour/Vlog Tour
Target Advertising through social media
Book Giveaways
Write Guest Posts
Write Articles
Do Readings/Signings
Offer Workshops
Be active in Social Media
Fun Marketing Strategies
Bake cookies for the local fair with simple images from your book/genre (this works really well with mystery/crime writers but anyone with an imagination can make it work)
Tweet as one or more of your book characters
Guest Blog as one of your book characters
Write a creative article for The Looking Glass about an early newsworthy episode in your book
Set up a Flash Mob with a focus around an element of your story and use placards to advertise the name of your book and that it is a book.
Attend a conference and give a lecture or sit in on a panel as one of your characters
Write short prequel episodes to entice readers
Hold a contest on your website in various areas of the arts where participants win ‘authentic items’ from your book
Auction yourself off as a personal writer for a day/evening and develop a short story around the winning person
The point is, it’s the fun marketing strategies that get you and others excited about your work and wondering what it is you’ll do next. If you’re too shy for some of the mentioned items, consider building a budget for one or more of the off-the-wall options and hire someone to help you. This is a great way to attract media attention and become known for doing something unique.
Your goal for making a name for yourself is to turn the ordinary into something extraordinary. You wrote a book, after all – how you choose to celebrate it becomes the platform for you as an author in the industry. Remember, as with anything, it’s about balance. Don’t look at the above lists and become an ostrich – get excited about one or two ideas (maybe they’ll spark your imagination in a new direction) and focus on those as your trademark pieces.
Stand out from the crowd.
You’re worth it.
Categories: Publicity
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