Wednesday, December 5, 2018

What's Advertising??

Sorry for the late IWSG post--I'm in the process of moving and still don't have internet hooked up, ugh! But I think you'll find this post was worth it...

Advertising: It's torture! It's annoying to watch and painful to produce. But some special ads are fun to watch and/or memorable--the unicorns: Mayhem, "Where's the Beef?" "Tastes Great. Less Filling" "I'd like to buy the world a Coke" and jingles that get stuck in your head. Advertising is the best way to sell things, and it's the basis of how entertainment is paid for--including books!

For an author, advertising can be a daunting task. Many of us don't know where to begin. So I've compiled a list of Advertising Tips from a few experienced professionals (see links below). We can use these techniques to reach the right audience and sell books.

Tips for Effective Advertising:
  1. Know Your Audience - This is on every list--must be important! You may think you know your audience, but here are some ways to REALLY know you know them.
    • Research - what other books does your audience read? which book could you say "If you like ____, you'll love my book!"
    • Make your book appealing - Can you say your book is a mashup of which two popular books/movies?
    • Optimize for searches - choose great key words that will make your book appear before your readers on Google!
    • Get personal - share, relate, be accessible, answer questions
  2. Be Creative - Authors know all about being creative. Yes, you do. You have created worlds, in-depth personalities, and complex plots. Don't sell yourself short. Now use your creativity in a different way--Author hisses as she steps out into sun to peddle books...
    • Have a Hook! Condense your book into one tantalizing sentence, no details, just a twisty, tasty tease!
    • Stand out - What makes your book different than the rest of the books on the same shelf??
    • Inspire action - Once you read the first chapter, you won't be able to put it down!
    • Your ads need to be Memorable, Short, Relevant
  3. More Intense Targeting - repeat customers and fans are the goal... 
    • These key points are from World Stream
      • Behavior and interest targeting: These are the people interested in your stuff.
      • Remarketing: These are the people who have recently checked our your stuff.
      • Demographic targeting: These are the people who can afford to buy your stuff.
    • Geo-fencing targets more specifically by location (Blue Fountain Media
  4. Visual Stimulation - still or video, an ad has to be eye-catching
    • Image association/Branding - your images must convey the mood of your book and possibly go deeper to show your "brand"
    • Great graphics - you get what you pay for - don't be just another pic that gets passed by
    • Videos need to portray message with or without sound - many people watch videos without turning on the volume (I am one) Talk about "Show Don't Tell!"
  5. Variety of Media - social is the way to go, but be smart and spend wisely. Here's some advice on who, how, and why or why not...
    • Facebook - good for small business, but some say not. Personally, I've tried these and they give feedback. Not sure if it helps, but I think exposure is helpful.
    • Twitter - better to tweet with key words tailored to your audience than tweet "engagements"
    • More--Medium, Hacker News, Reddit, Digg, Linked In--some I know, some I don't, but I'm going to look into these further
    • Test your ads - ask friends, relatives, blog/newsletter readers, etc for their first impressions of your ad
  6. Have a Consistent Message - Know what you want to say. What's your theme?
    • Why should people read your book?
    • Testimonials of reviewers and readers work
So, when you're ready to publish, keep these tips in mind for ways to advertise your book. And keep writing--once you hook readers, they will want more!

Source articles: Blue Fountain Media, Target Public, All Business, World Stream, Entrepreneur

With my moving still in progress, I may or may not get another post out this month... Hope all is well with you and yours this holiday season--peace and love to you!



16 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

You definitely want to find the people who can afford to buy your book! Great tips, Tara. No worries about a little late. Hope the move goes smoothly and have an awesome Christmas.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Now that is a very detailed plan for marketing and way more than most authors think about.

Merry Christmas!

Julie Flanders said...

Merry Christmas to you and your family, Tara! I hope the move goes smoothly and you are able to get settled soon. Take care and thanks for these tips.

Christine Rains said...

Hope everything goes smoothly. These are fantastic tips. Finding that audience is the most difficult. Have a terrific holiday season!

H. R. Sinclair said...

Moving fun! :) I hope the rest goes smoothly.

Yes, this was a great post with good info. I always have the sound off because so many sites run music or video automatically. So that is a great-great tip!

Loni Townsend said...

Oooh! Great tips and bookmarked for later!

Juneta key said...

Great tips. Bookmarked too. I have everything is going well with your move. Happy IWSG and Happy Holidays.

M.J. Fifield said...

Excellent tips, and something to which I sorely need to pay more attention. Or any attention...

I hope your move is going smoothly!

Tyrean Martinson said...

These are awesome tips! Thanks for sharing them and best wishes on your move!

Diane Burton said...

Moving is never fun. Thanks for taking time to share your list of marketing tips. I hope you have a great month and can enjoy the holidays

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

Good luck with the move! Love the Snoopy and Woodstock pic! :)

Carrie-Anne said...

Best of luck with your move! I've never bought an ad, but those are all great tips to keep in mind.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing the tips. Good luck with your move.

DMS said...

Great tips! I hope you are settled in now after your move and getting to adjust to your new place. :)

Wishing you a Happy New Year!
~Jess

johan32 said...

This is a very nice post. It is informative and would be helpful to a lot of people. I am glad I came across this at the right time. My uncle is planning to start a business of his own and wants me to maintain a blog for him. I can also form a nice facebook ads management for the social media marketing.

Jessica Andrews said...

The article is written comprehensively and self explanatory, appreciate the effort and the free information provided in such descriptive way. pinoy teleserye

Popular Posts