I have the pleasure of interviewing some wonderful people, and one recurring theme I have found is they all know something about marketing. You know, I’ve often thought it would be handy to have an MBA degree. Seriously, I know of an author who went back to school to take marketing classes in order to understand how to move products more effectively.
However, I think the paradigm has shifted and the wave of the future will include more virtual marketing than ever before. The idea is to let people know about your book, what other people have to say about it, and create a book-buzz encouraging people to part with their hard earned cash and buy your book!
Most of the latest information has not made its way into a book. Books on Internet Marketing almost become obsolete before they make it to the bookstore shelf. There are many platforms on the internet and finding one that works for you is the key. The platforms I’m suggesting are Blogging, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. I am currently assembling an eBook on this topic for authors and may post some specific ways that have worked for me in the near future. I’m still tallying the results as to what works the best and what does not!
Do you realize if you master one of the “Big 4” online formats you will have a readily available stream of targeted clients and customers waiting for your next book or eProduct. In fact, a scant five years ago, no one would consider online marketing the wave of the future. Many of us (yes, myself included) considered eBooks non-books. Today you will find many best sellers released simultaneously in Hardcover, Paperback, Trade paperback, and eBook for many different eBook readers.
While I have trained my word processing software to stop flagging the word, “eBook”, there is no need to train the public to accept this type of product. People want to read it now and convenience, in the form of an eBook reading device, is the key. As the marketing trends catapult into the next century, readers will continue to improve as will hand-held technology, such as cell phones. Readers are nothing new; three years ago, my cell phone had one. What has improved is the ease of downloading new books and browsing the internet bookstores.
Writing goes hand-in-hand with marketing and keeping up with the latest trend will make you more effective not only as an author, but as a businessperson who wants to sell more books. What online marketing tips work for you?
I just read a blogpost that suggested that blogging has been largely replaced by the ability of folks to microblog on places like Twitter and Facebook. What do you think about that?
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