Guest Post: Get Out There!

This article is primarily aimed at women starting their own businesses, but I think there are a lot of great points here that would be very useful to authors.  Networking is crucial to the success of any business venture.  As I always say, "your book is your business." - Terry




Get Out There!

By Pat Mussieux


Are you hiding behind your computer and thinking you can grow your business that way? Is that part of your comfort zone because you don't really know where to go and what to do when you get there - when it comes to marketing your products and services?

I am always telling my clients that they need to get 'out there'. Easily said, I know. What I have learned, though, is that they just don't know where and how. Here are some key tips for you - so you can develop the KLT fact (know, like and trust). People do business with people they know, like and trust.

Get a business card and carry them with you at all times. It is unbelievable to me how many women entrepreneurs I meet, out and about, who don't have a business card with them. Come on! Get a professional business card - and be sure to use the 'real estate' on the back of it, too - and have them with you at all times - in the car, in your purse - in all places. It is 'client attractive' to make it easy for people to connect with you.

Create, and send, a weekly ezine (newsletter) and be consistent about it - You know, by now, that my ezine comes out every Thursday at 2:00 p.m. EST - and when it doesn't, I get e-mails from people asking if they have been dropped from my list because they didn't get it on any one occasion. People come to expect it - especially because there is always good, solid content which is helpful to them in growing their business and become a wealthy woman leader. They come to know me and what I have to offer. What about you?

Create a 'free gift' and have it available on your website. One way to 'get out there' and get known, is to be driving traffic to your website on a regular basis - through your business card, your ezine, a public speaking event, a radio interview, etc. Get people to your website so you can grow your list - and be sure to offer a free gift (a report, a CD, etc.) that has great content for your prospects.

Get booked for interviews on radio and TV. Many, many people listen to blog talk radio these days - there is a lot to learn from the various experts who are being interviewed. You need to be one of them. Just google 'blog talk radio' - find the category that fits with the work you do - listen to a few of the shows to ensure you have synergy with the host and determine that you can bring value to that person's show - and make contact. Get talking!

Public Speaking. We've talked about this before - as an entrepreneur who wants to grow their business and make more money, you've got to get out on various stages - to create awareness about who you are and what you have to offer. Create a signature speech, create a list of the stages you want to be on - and get going.
Volunteer. I totally believe in the universal principle of giving back - volunteer your time or services to an organization that aligns with your values. As a new entrepreneur, don't 'sign up for life' - but, rather, manage your time and energy so that you can have a 'presence', give something of value, and still have plenty of time to be working 'on' your business.

Pick up the phone! Yup - that's what I said: pick up the phone! I often surprise clients, on a Friday afternoon, when I randomly choose a name and call them just to chat and see how they are doing. Or I call someone with whom I have developed an e-mail or social media relationship, and make arrangements for a coffee date - taking it to the next level. Get out there.

CONCLUSION

There are many ways to grow your business, whether you are a 'start up' or a seasoned entrepreneur, but it does mean stepping out and away from your computer. I totally believe in the personal touch and 'getting to know' people. You've got to get out there - and in a big way.

Pat Mussieux is fast becoming regarded as a highly valued Canadian mentor for women entrepreneurs taking her own business from zero to a multiple 6-figure home-based business in less than 4 years. Much of her success can be attributed to her expertise in marketing, mindset and money! Pat Mussieux is a business coach, author, speaker and radio host. You can reach her at http://www.wealthywomenleaders.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pat_Mussieux


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Guest Post: How NOT to Sell a Book - Learn the Seven Deadly Sins of Book Marketing

Today's guest post is courtesy of Marsha Friedman, the CEO of EMSI Public Relations.  As a publicity expert, she recently debuted her new book, Celebritize Yourself, and began a national media tour.

Marsha Friedman launched EMSI in 1990. Her PR company represents corporations and experts in a wide array of fields such as business, health, food, lifestyle, politics, finance, law, sports and entertainment. Some of the more prominent names on her client roster are Sergeant’s Pet Care Products, Former National Security Advisor Robert McFarlane and the famous Motown Group, the Temptations.

She consults individuals and businesses on a daily basis and is frequently asked to speak at conferences about how to harness the power of publicity.

As a radio personality and public speaker, Marsha can be heard every week on the nationally syndicated talk radio show “The Family Roundtable” where problems that modern families face are discussed. Marsha and her co-hosts have enjoyed interviewing family experts as well as celebrities such as Tony Curtis, Ed Begley Jr, Augusten Burroughs, Faith Evans, Vicki Lawrence, Denise Jackson, Janine Turner and Rose Rock.

Not a day goes by that I don't hear this same question from people who contact me to help them market their books: If I do PR, how many books will I sell?


This seems like a straightforward question at first, until I start asking some questions myself:  Do you have a Web site?  What's your marketing plan?  Is your book available online?  What's your message?


At the risk of demystifying what I do for my clients, let me make it abundantly clear, there is NO magic wand that will help you sell your book.  PR, advertising, promotions, Web sites, social networking, none of it will guarantee you a bestseller.  However, I think it's imperative that I point out a few things which, if absent, will practically guarantee barely any sales beyond family and friends.


It's important to understand that leaving out key elements of book marketing will make any of the tactics you use ineffective.


1.  No Web Site: If you don't have a Web site for your book, you're missing one of the most basic elements of book marketing.  According to recent stats on Foner.com, about 48 percent of ALL books sold in North America are sold online.  So, if nearly half your potential customers are buying online and you don't have a Web site, how do you expect to attract potential buyers and make sales?


2.  Poor Web Site: Having a Web site is a step in the right direction, but if it doesn't effectively market your book, it's almost worthless.  The good news is that researching effective book Web sites isn't difficult.  For starters, look at the Web sites of your favorite recent book purchases.  Also, look at the Web sites of a few bestsellers and see how they do it.  I'll bet you find the same basic elements (synopsis, about the author, excerpts, testimonials), but more than that, you may gain valuable insight about marketing tactics to implement on your Web site that can also work for you.  The bottom line is in order to be effective, your visitor has to have a reason to want to buy your book, and your Web site has to give it to them or you lose the sale.


3.  No Book Marketing Plan: Marketing plans don't cost anything to create.  Even if it's your first attempt at marketing, having a marketing plan in place is essential.  Even an elementary one is far better than having no marketing plan at all.  And, to take it one step further, even if you've developed marketing plans in other industries, it's important to realize that marketing your book is like nothing you've done before.  So, while researching the topic of book marketing, look for ideas you can apply to your own book marketing that have been successful for other authors and publishers.


4.  No Publicity Plan: Books are not magnets.  They're made of paper, for the most part, and as a result they won't inherently attract anyone to buy them if the public isn't aware they exist first.  Being interviewed as a guest on radio and/or TV or having the book mentioned in newspapers and magazines is the first measure of awareness your book will receive.  Will it sell 100,000 of your books?  Not by itself.  Will you sell any books without it?  Not likely.


5.  No Amazon or E-Book Availability: We've already mentioned that about half of all books sold in North America are sold online.  Moreover, the e-book is a growing category that is beginning to chart some serious numbers.  If you aren't listed on Amazon and you don't have an e-book, you are literally telling more than half of your potential customers that you don't really want them to buy your book.


6.  No Message:   Every book has a key message intended for the reader to walk away with.  That key message is undoubtedly the passion that drove you to write the book in the first place.  That's why your ability to communicate the essence of that message is an important element to selling your book.  I've seen it happen all too often where the author thinks his message to the consumer is "buy my book."  That doesn't work.  You've got to give them a reason.  You need to answer the question, "What's in it for me?"  What will the reader know after reading your book that they don't know now?  What problem might it solve?  What will they learn?  Without identifying the answers to these questions, your marketing and publicity plans will go nowhere like engines without fuel.


7.  No Budget: The old axiom of “you get what you pay for” is 100 percent true for marketing a book.  At the very least you will need a small budget for things like hiring someone to build your Web site (ideally you hire a pro who can program AND understands marketing), buying books from your publisher to send out to the media, support material for book signings, travel expenses, postage, and working with a PR pro.  Even if you don’t hire a PR firm, you still need a budget for purchasing the media lists in order to perform your media outreach.  Whether you are published by a traditional publisher or self-published, these are real expenses that will need to be accounted for.  So plan in advance, because getting that first shipment of books from the publisher is not the end of the race.  It’s just the first milestone.


Writing a book is an arduous task, to be sure.  And, I don’t want to mislead you into thinking this is ALL there is to do. There are other components that will determine the total effectiveness of your book promotion efforts, but these are the crucial ones that ALL authors must have as a bare minimum. Honestly, without these, it's naive to think you can reap the wonderful rewards from having written your book.

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Update Your Author Web Site!

I have discussed here previously how important it is for authors to have a web presence these days.  In particular, authors need a web site.  A recent blog posted by Publishers Weekly underscores the importance of what I have been saying. 

Barbara Vey writes about authors on her blog, Beyond Her Book, on the Publishers Weekly web site, and she detailed a number of pet peeves she encounters when she visits author web sites.  Are you an author that doesn't have a web site?  You already lose major points with Vey. 

Some of her other complaints include:

An outdated web site, especially one that doesn't list the author's new releases.

A web site that doesn't offer the reader a way of purchasing a book.

A web site with no blog entries or other communication from the author.

A web site with no information about the author.

I'll also add a few more things I think an author web site should have:

An author photo.  Newspapers often contact me looking for an author photo if they can't find an author web site, or a photo of the author on the site.  When newspapers carry stories about an author, they want an author photo, along with the book cover photo.  Make it easy for them and have the photos available as downloads, along with copies of the press release for the book.

A schedule of author book signings.  I'm surprised that many authors overlook this, or don't keep their event schedule up-to-date.

A sample chapter or two of the book.  If your book is already listed at Google Books and has a preview, just post a link so potential readers can browse your book.  

Vey says it best in her blog post:  "To me, being an author is a business and as a business you need people to see the product.  What’s available and what’s coming up at the very least. It doesn’t have to be fancy.  No need for video or anything flashy.  Just something that says I take my job seriously and here’s why you should read my work."

Ditto.

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Five Reasons Authors Need a Web Site

Do I need a web site?

This is a question I get often from new authors who have books that are about to release. They aren't sure if they should invest the time, money and effort into building a web site to help promote and market their book.  Some authors decide that they don't want to mess around with a web site, and decide they'll just build a Facebook fan page and call it a day.

Big mistake.

About three years ago, the Codex Group conducted a survey of nearly 21,000 book shoppers.  They discovered that the majority of readers depended upon author web sites as a means of getting to know the author better.  Also, of those who had visited an author web site in the past week, 38 percent purchased a book.  Bottom line:  if a reader can't find you online, you are missing out on readers (and book sales).

Too many authors make the mistake of using their web site as a billboard for advertising their book, but an author web site should be much more than that.  Here are five important reasons and author needs a web site:

1.  Readers want to know more about you.  If you are a new author releasing your first book, nobody outside of your circle of friends and family know about you or your book.  Why did you write the book?  When did you start writing?  Where did you go to college?  Where in the U.S. do you live?  Who is your favorite author?  What books are you reading now?  Are you writing anything else, and if so, can you post a few samples on your site?  These are things readers want to know.

2.  The media want to know about you.  Almost every time a reporter contacts me about doing an interview with an author, one of the first questions they ask me is "what is the author's web address?"  They want to check out the author and get to know about them before the interview.  If the author doesn't have a web site that is definitely a handicap.

3.  Shoppers research their purchases online before buying.  Even if a reader intends to buy a book at a bookstore, they may very well do some comparison shopping online, looking for reviews and articles about the book.  If an author has a web site with a page dedicated to endorsements, articles, reviews, etc., it helps "seal the deal," even if the reader doesn't purchase the book through the author's site. 

4.  Readers are buying more books online.  Bookstores have seen declining sales, not just because readers are buying fewer books, but because they are buying their books online.  Ebooks are also taking a bite out of the bookstores' bottom line.  If you don't have a web site to catch some of those potential readers, there are many, many other authors out there who do have sites that might catch their attention instead.

5.  You never know who might see your site.   I personally know an author who got a movie deal in part because the producers visited the author's web site after hearing about his book and liked what they saw.  I constantly hear from authors that they want "nationwide" promotion and publicity for their book.  Why stop there?  Get a web site and you potentially have a worldwide audience, and one of your web site visitors could give you the big break you have been working so hard to get. 

Look at it this way:  every company in the U.S. that is successful has a web site.  Every successful, bestselling author in the U.S. has a web site (you can see Jeff Kinney's web site here).   If you want to be taken seriously as a professional author, you should have a web site.

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Five Things You Need on Your Web Site

These days, it is essential that authors have a web presence to promote themselves and their books. I have seen hundreds, if not thousands, of author web sites over the years. Some were built by professionals, while others were built by the authors themselves. There are some very good author web sites online. There are also some very bad ones.

This post isn't going to deal with the aesthetics of an author web site, but it should look good and like it was built by a professional, even if it wasn't. Instead, I'm going to cover the five things that every author should make sure they have on their web site from a marketing point of view.

1. Contact information. I'm surprised by the number of web sites I see that have no means of contacting the author. What if a member of the media, a book reviewer or a movie producer wanted to get in touch with the author? Without some kind of contact info, such as an email address or a contact form, authors could be missing out on some great opportunities.

2. Schedule of Events. Authors have a prime platform to promote their upcoming speaking engagements and book signing events: their own web site. Yet, many fail to have a schedule of upcoming events, or they don't keep it updated. How will your readers find your events?

3. Author Bio. Readers want to know something about the author. Every author web site should have an "About the Author" page which describes the author's background, their other writings, their education, etc. This page should include a photo of the author.

4. Excerpt. Give your readers a taste of the latest book you are promoting. Include a sample chapter or two. If readers like that, they will buy the rest of the book.

5. A Way to Purchase the Book! After all that promoting, you want your readers to be able to buy your book. You can either sell signed copies directly and accept payments via an online payment site such as Paypal, or you could just link to your book's listing on Amazon. However you decide to do it, give your web site readers a way to purchase the book, and make it easy to find.

There are plenty of other things you can put on your web site, of course, but make sure that you at least include these five things. Your readers will thank you!

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