AUTHORS AS PRESENTERS
Authors, if you are the CMO [chief marketing officer] of your author business, you understand that customers come to you when they are searching for a recommendation or an access to reach what they need.
For a recommendation, they ask, because they believe you may have the experience to warn them and to guide them. In other words, they put a challenge to you to show your personal hand and to show your expertise in an area.
For access, they are looking for a doorway or a window or a portal through your product to what they need.
You want to snag an influencer or reader when you are searching for new opportunities and access to new readers and listeners, RIGHT?. This is a win-win for both of you. But, how?
INBOUND MARKETING:
This may sound silly, but TALK TO PEOPLE. Tell them who you are and what you are about. Share your wit, and share your interests and concerns. Are you a teacher? Be like Tonya Jewel Blessing. Give them an elevator pitch on being a snake killer, and experience she's actually had.
Be like Kathy Joy and give them a vision board workshop break down, or the meaning of B.A.L.M., one of her presentations on surviving grief and sharing the salve.
Business cards have never gone out of style. Recommendations are often written on the back of them, and handed over. You, of course, hang out your shingle to allow them to find you when they are looking for something in your field. These examples are called inbound marketing.
OUTBOUND MARKETING
Many of our authors are highly qualified, popular presenters, teachers, facilitators, speakers. Each one offers transformation by way of spiritual and creative workshops for telling your story and for learning to experience God in new ways.
It may seem counter-intuitive, but sharing the names of other authors whom you respect can not only help them find new audiences, but it highlights your values for kingdom building. These generous recommendations look well on you.
Litsy offers book discussions and recommendations. Google: offers discussion starters. And Twitter, of course with hashtags and tagging interested parties can be a wonderful way of sharing recommendations and growing your own contacts.
Further, the banner above is an example of "hanging out a shingle" for a blog or for email marketing. Always "insert" your author banner at the top of your professional emails. List your social media in your signature block.
Outbound marketing is depicted in direct mail postcards, telemarketing, email marketing, advertising in Home Owners Association circulars, magazines, newspapers, journals, and event marketing comprise this more directed marketing tactic.
SEO [Search Engine Optimization] is the primary means for websites and landing pages to be listed by priority on the first page of Google and other search engines. Marketers add their business category and keywords into their business and product descriptions with ISBNs as well as naming the primary actors involved with the business. Our business is to sell our authors’ books at Capture Bookstore.
Our group also holds writers conferences and promotes our author-speakers for retreats and a variety of group needs.
