All about Marketing

 

 

You have guessed it, this post is all about marketing…

BUT… not marketing as you may comprehend it from a basic level, which is an amalgamation of advertising and promotion, but marketing from a perspective you may not have realised exists.

Have I got your attention?

I do hope so, because I believe having a clear understanding of this view of marketing can make or break your success as an author.

I once worked in hard-copy magazine publishing and spent many hours discussing marketing with prime agencies like Saatchi & Saatchi, John Walter Thompson (JWT), BDM & BBDO (now combined with Abbott Mead & Vickers I think,) along with media buying services Zenith, Media.com and OMD and PR companies including Ogilvy, Brunswick and Edelman.

ALL the agents I met were looking for that ‘something’ which would take the target audience by storm. They all wanted to make their mark within the industry by having a campaign which would enter media/publishing/broadcasting folklore. I.E, propel them into ‘the big time’.

Now, I am not one to poo-poo or trying to dissuade anyone from wishing to advance their career, far from it, BUT (I always have but’s in my blog posts), these agency agents failed to notice an overriding fact. The most successful agents, many whom now owned or partnered the companies these agents were working for, became successful by constants and continuity, not by a flash in the pan, however big a bang that may make at the time.

It is this same attitude I find when speaking to many business people, including authors, particularly new and/or first time/wannabe writers.

It is irrelevant, regarding the content of this post, if you write the most amazing, perfectly formed tome ever, or you have hastily scribbled a ‘quick’ novella or e-book novelette.

NO one will buy your book… unless they know about it, so you must tell people you have written a book. Doing so is called advertising, which a division of marketing.

Running a Thunderclap or posting about your book on social media is another area of marketing, like sending emails to friends to let them know you have published your book, BUT (another one), these are only the most obvious and basic parts of what marketing covers.

However, what marketing REALLY is, is EVERYTHING that you do.

Allow me to explain.

Whatever tasks you are working on now, right now, ask yourself this question…  “How does this affect my marketing?”

Ask yourself this question at the beginning, during and at the end of each and every task you undertake in your role as a writer and author. Soon you will begin to understand everything has some form of influence in marketing you and your work to the world.

The way you look and dress in a video or podcast… “How does this affect my marketing?”

The images you post on social media. “How does this affect my marketing?”

Your profile image, “How does this affect my marketing?”

Your comments and replies. “How does this affect my marketing?”

How you look and speak at book fairs and events. “How does this affect my marketing?”

The layout and design of your tables and space. “How does this affect my marketing?”

Where, when and how you advertise and promote. “How does this affect my marketing?”

…… and so on.

You may notice I have not touched on your books covers, content, banners, advertising material design or so on, yet.  

When do you make a paperback or eBook version of that book? “How does this affect my marketing?”

Did you notice I said when? Timing is also critical as an aspect of marketing.

There is an old, but true adage, is say’s, “If you want to sell your [books] you have to sell yourself first.”

Nothing is truer.

Another is, “People buy People”.

I will not argue with that.

These are things we all need to keep in mind. Dale Carnegie should have said, “we have to win friends to influence people.” That saying would sit well in our modern digital world.

In conclusion, we must create a persona as an author or business person. Much like a fictional character from one of our tales.

This character however should not be fake, but a facet of ourselves, our ‘public image’ one we must nurture and cultivate in absolutely everything we do.

The one of which we ask, “How does this affect my marketing?” in everything you do.

Only by doing so, by becoming aware that marketing means marketing YOURSELF, constantly, consistently and at every opportunity can you play the long game, the strategy which will make you an ongoing constant and not another nonentity looking for that great flash in the pan, the non-existent big bang which will propel you into the big time.

 

I could go on and write more. But… (another but) I would like you to consider this content seriously before I delve any deeper into the subject of marketing.

 

Thanks for reading this Rambling, Paul

^{(“How does this affect my marketing?”)}

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I also write fiction…

Take a peek at my website while you are here, 

http://paulznewpostbox.wixsite.com/paul-white