Archive for the ‘Social Media’ Category
“Marketing” Basics & Fundamentals for Christian Authors & Publishers
December 21st, 2009 by J A Heinlein
With all of the changes, emerging technologies, and new things to learn in our publishing world and in communications media as a whole, it is important to always have the “basics” in mind.
Vince Lombardi – Basics of Football
There is a legendary “fundamentals” story that is often retold about Coach Lombardi’s approach to football and leading his players.
Vince Lombardi, one of the most successful coaches in the history of football, started every new season with a standard speech to veterans and the rookies alike. He would hold up a football and say, “This is a football!” He would roll it around in his hands and talk about the size and shape of the football, and the many ways that it could be handled on the football field including carrying, passing, kicking. He would then take the team out onto the football field and say, “This is a football field!” He would describe the measurements of the field, and the rules of the game. He did it every year – even after the Green Bay Packers a previously losing team became the NFL Champions and Super Bowl Winners. He is said to have even repeated the speech at half-time during a particularly tough game…
The “secret” to Vince Lombardi’s success was clearly that he always helped his players to focus on what was fundamental and basic to the game of football -and, to do those elementary things very, very well.
Marketing Basics
Most everyone has heard of the “Basics P’s- Practices of Marketing” – usually summarized by 3-5 “P’s” including:
Product, Price, Place(ment), Promotion, People
I encourage you to make these “P’s” a part of your regular “fundamentals of marketing” study and as part of every strategic plan.
Outlined below are what I believe to be the “4 Foundational P’s”- Practices for Christian Authors & Publishers.
As Coach Lombardi did with his players, these practices should be continually revisited and reviewed throughout the publishing process and for each new project.
Prayer
We need to start every project with a commitment of that project into God’s hands. And, then we must spend time in prayer thoughtfully pondering the “why’s and how’s” and asking for God’s direction.
“I have so much to do that I spend several hours in prayer before I am able to do it.” —John Wesley
Purpose
Prayer and thoughtful pondering also helps us to focus our objectives and goals. What are our own intentions. Are those intentions aligned with God’s purposes and His particular purposes for us personally? A clearly defined purpose creates great courage and resolve.
“What’s in your heart? … What disturbs you?” -Rick Warren, author Purpose Driven Life
“Success demands singleness of purpose.” –Vince Lombardi
Plan
A book project must always be approached as a business enterprise. A well developed strategic plan is critical to success. The plan is the purposed “vision” of the project.
“Good plans shape good decision. That’s why good planning helps to make elusive dreams come true.” -unknown
“Our goals can be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” -Stephen A. Brennan
Perform
Performance is where all the work gets done. It is about Implementation – Execution – Accomplishing intended objectives.
This part is where many unfortunately fall short. To take the words of James a bit out of context (Jas 2:20), “Faith without works is dead.” The author will always be the best “marketer” for their book, just as parents are the greatest champions for their children. The author must likewise be the champion for their work and a tireless marketer working in partnership with associates and in vigorously developing and expanding their author platform.
John Wesley famously said, “Pray like it depends on God, work like it depends on you.” It certainly applies to our work and callings in practical application.
“I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle-victorious.” – Vince Lombardi
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Where Do I Sell My Books? How do I tell the world my message?
December 8th, 2009 by J A Heinlein
Is your Marketing Strategy: New & Improved…Tried & True… or Old & Tired…?
Recently, Christian Retailing featured an article on “Self-publishing”. It outlined new developments and statistics and included highlighting some “big brand name” publishers who have become involved in self-publishing. And, predictably, it quoted some quite overused and outdated arguments against. But, one quote that stood out to me was a quote from a respected industry agent (and friend) regarding sales and distribution,
“I think the chances of those books actually having a very effective distribution channel [into retail bookstores] are very slim.”– RG, Christian Retailing Dec 7, ‘09
First of all, I have to respond by saying, that I highly respect the very essential role of agents in the publishing process. But, that said, it must also be understood that good agents are good at selling books to publishers. But, even good agents don’t generally participate in the actual selling process into the “real marketplace”.
And, that statement also caused to me to reflect on an industry “trend shift” that is not readily perceived and often overlooked.
Books are sold in bookstores right? Well, about half of them are…
“52% of books are not sold in bookstores. They are merchandised [directly] via mail order, online, in discount or warehouse stores, through book clubs, in nontraditional retail outlets, etc.” “The worldwide book market is almost $90 billion, and every year [more than] half of those sales are made in non-bookstore markets such as museums, schools, libraries, warehouse clubs, catalogs, book clubs, book fairs, and to corporations, among many other markets.” – http://BookStatistics.com, Para Publishing – http://bit.ly/14nOAF
Bookstores are now “a sales channel” and, are now not “the only channel” for book sales. And, selling books to the “traditional retail channels” is likely not the most profitable way to sell books – especially for a smaller publisher or new authors. For most, the required “sales hoops” that must be jumped through are simply insurmountable. This includes high discounts, expensive marketing and merchandising programs, and a high percentage of returns. And, all of that is done for a very short “selling window” – usually 3-6 months.
Another whole discussion involves the very definition of “what is a published book?”–it’s many forms and formats that are now available–and the related new emerging sales channels.
So where/how do I sell my books?
The most basic and fundamental objective of marketing is connecting with the right audience–that is introducing a product, solution, or service to those that are most likely to benefit.
Developing a productive author platform that engages and develops relationship with the intended audience is essential.
The good news is that there are now many ways to connect to your best audience – that is to directly access your intended niche market - and common interest affinity groups.
The Online Trend: Building an “Author Brand” with Social Media Marketing
Develop a Social Media/ “Web 2.0″ strategy for building & expanding author platform on established associations, identity, and audience.
- Develop integration process for EVERYTHING – create a sales “funnel”
- Drive target audience to a specific direction/destination – author website and ecommerce page(s).
- Use all web 2.0/social media priority “standards”: Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, Youtube, LinkedIn, and bookmarking sites such as Digg.
Purpose Objective: build a following – a “Tribe”
“A tribe is any group of people, large or small, who are connected to one another, a leader, and an idea. For millions of years, humans have been seeking out tribes, be they religious, ethnic, economic, political, or even musical (think of the Deadheads). It’s our nature.” “Now the Internet has eliminated the barriers of geography, cost, and time. – Seth Godin, Tribes
“If you are an author, your tribe members are your readers—or, at least, that’s potentially true. The only question is whether or not you will become the tribe’s leader and equip them to communicate with you and with one another.” – Michael Hyatt, CEO-Thomas Nelson
Recommended reading:
Beyond the Bookstore: How to Sell More Books Profitably to Non-Bookstore Markets (9781594290022): Brian Jud
Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us (9781591842330): Seth Godin
Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust (9780470743089): Chris Brogan, Julien Smith
Related Links
- Are you a trust agent? Do you need to be? (myventurepad.com)
- The Power of Tribes on Blog Talk Radio (theimuniversity.com)
- Julien Smith – Social Capital and the New Tribe (andreavascellari.com)
- Reach Matters – Even In Social Media (socialmediatoday.com)
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Marketing Your Book with Social Media — it’s a conversation
November 10th, 2009 by J A HeinleinWilliam Barrett, Professor of Philosophy, wrote back in 1979:
“…our modes of communication and expression take place within the framework (of an increasingly complex technology) and are increasingly shaped by it … the task … in this situation becomes neither the meaningless rejection of technology nor the equally meaningless affirmation of technology, but to try to see where technical and technological thinking, with no other principle but itself, must lead us; and whether some countervailing mode of thought may not be called for.” —Barrett, William, The Illusion of Technique, (Anchor Books: Garden City, New York, 1979) p. 230″
I was just going through my email — clearing the box — while having coffee at one my favorite local community coffee shops (as is my morning ritual). As I read the message (excerpted below) from a new client, it occurred to me that his request contained something that I have been pondering all last week… how do you really “use” social media?
Well, first of all, to “correct myself”, one doesn’t “use it”… one participates… it is simply a conversation. Use beyond that, can quickly just become annoying noise.
Recently, I have been more than impressed and humbled by being able to participate in personal and direct messages and conversations with the likes of Chris Brogan and Danny Brown. These guys (”guys”… they are figurative “giants” really! -personable, nice, “gentle giants”, but giants nonetheless) …find a way to organize their daily lifestyle, moments… precious time to directly answer and converse on a personal level with many, many people… constantly… every day….
It is after all “Social Media”. They literally have 100’s of thousands of “followers”…but, somehow they find a way to “have the conversation…” And, this is what I find to be most impressive and confounding… and, am observing to be the “Secret” to theirs and others like themselves’ success.
I like many, am still learning and trying to figure it out? I suspect and am also learning… that part of it is just to relaxing into the practice…. that is… one must “just be”… and become a willing and calmly active participant in the happening… In other words, don’t “try” so hard…
One thing that is certain and very obvious… The example and model is there — being personal is not optional!
My email conversation:
“Hi Jay,
I apologize for my confusion….I’m not the “brightest bulb in the box” when it comes to Facebook…or computers!!
Can you give me an idea of exactly what to do with each of the names and addresses you gave me? Once I understand it I will never forget..it’s just….understanding it??
Maybe just take one of the addresses like ______and tell me step by step how to get them on my Facebook?
Sorry for the request… but computers and I have not been very close friends….arrrggghhh!!!
Thanks Jay – For Everything!!
========================================
“J,
-no worries… and, I strongly disagree!
You are refreshingly one of the “brightest bulbs” that I have met in a long time…
I am thankful to be in the company of the likes of you, L, and “Dr. Pat”!
re Facebook
You are naturally very social, so once you get “it”…the learning curve will be short…
Think of “it” as just talking…having a conversation…
-that is the true heart of “social media”…
-there is a lot of “noise” out there as “marketers” try to flatten the learning curve…
-and, many are mistakenly just applying old practices to the new medium (including me…I have been guilty…)
…but, this one… “Social Media” is different…
…and, alas, I blab…
one step at a time…
step 1: simply “join”…ask for a “friendship“, become a “fan”, or join the “group” -whichever applies…
step 2: introduce yourself
step 3: join the conversation…or start one…
step 4: post “helpful links”… items of “mutual interest” and incl your own…
step 5: coming soon…. “Earning the right to ask a favor…”
HAVE FUN!!!
: )
Jay
Some other tips for using Facebook
Of course variations of these can be done on other social media platforms… please comment below and I will respond with more suggested ideas…
Add to your page
- Your bio
- Description of your book
- Include your contact information (website, blog, twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, Biznik information)
- Join one of the many groups for writers and authors and be active!
- Include a graphic of your book cover
- Invite friends to review your book and post comments
- Add a Shelfari widget and showcase all of your books or books by other authors you support
- Create a virtual bookshelf with your books
- Post updates about your book to the blogs and comments sections
- Invite other authors to be your friends, build your network
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Subject: Our Marketing Plan
October 14th, 2009 by Nick CiskeEllis Weiner posted a rousing satire of the shrinking promotional departments (and budgets) of many traditional publishers and their increasing reliance on authors to do more and more marketing for their own books.
Hi, Ellis—
Let me introduce myself. My name is Gineen Klein, and I’ve been brought on as an intern to replace the promotion department here at Propensity Books. First, let me say that I absolutely love “Clancy the Doofus Beagle: A Love Story” and have some excellent ideas for promotion.
To start: Do you blog? If not, get in touch with Kris and Christopher from our online department, although at this point I think only Christopher is left. I’ll be out of the office from tomorrow until Monday, but when I get back I’ll ask him if he spoke to you. We use CopyBuoy via Hoster Broaster, because it streams really easily into a Plaxo/LinkedIn yak-fest meld. When you register, click “Endless,” and under “Contacts” just list everyone you’ve ever met. It would be great if you could post at least six hundred words every day until further notice.
Continue Reading Subject: Our Marketing Plan at The New Yorker.
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Publishing 2.0
October 12th, 2009 by J A HeinleinAbout Me
Since, this is a bit of a reintroduction, following is a little about me.
I am a proud father of three very talented and accomplished now-grown girls.
I am “passionate about books” and publishing!
My personal experience as a Publishing & Marketing Professional now spans over 20 years– I have the grey thin hair to prove it! I have had the privilege of working with several top Christian publishing companies including Word, Nelson, The United Methodist Publishing House, NavPress, and concurrently, my independent ongoing enterprise.
My particular chosen focus and background has been on marketing & sales, and the various and evolving communications media.
I like many today, am a social media enthusiast.
As part of the Believers Press Team, it is my goal to help with objective of facilitating the new “Publishing 2.0!”
It is a very good day to be in publishing! I am loving life and meeting the new challenges!
Why I am interested in being a part of the BelieversPress community
Helping to bring the inspired and encouraging words of talented Christian communicators is an honor and privilege.
Simply, BelieversPress is an idea “which time has come!” I believe that it is truly a “Spirit-initiated” idea.
“…new way for Christians to publish books — a gathering of Christian authors and publishing professionals collaborating to reinvent the way books are published and sold.”
Objective of Publishing
In my opinion, producing quality and valuable content will always be the prime objective of publishing, and the future of the business will be determined by how that content is delivered and experienced by the various mediums/platforms, and by how each of those mediums/platforms is monetized and paid for…
The newly leveled playing field resulting from current technologies and broad access to both those technologies and broad direct access to the ultimate end-user market, is allowing publishing to return to its roots.
One thing that has changed dramatically, in particular, and for the positive, is that the two main viable options for publishing experiences no longer need be exclusive from the other. That is in the past, an independently published new author might have been quickly passed over [and, likely with some disdain] by a brand name publisher. The brand name publisher held all of the cards.
Now, as the big guys focus on trimming down and better efficiencies, it has actually become a strong positive to be able to bring to the table an established success in the marketplace.
The independently successful author is in a much stronger bargaining position, and can make an informed and deliberate choice, based on their own publishing vision and personal financial objectives.
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Some Great Design Blogs
October 9th, 2009 by Torrey SharpPossible dilemma: You need to hire a book cover designer for your project, but have not been trained in graphic design, have never art directed before and/or are generally not too immersed in the field of graphic design, art or culture. So, how do you become informed in some of these areas? Where do you go?
A helpful first step is to simply jump into this arena and check out what’s going on. It may feel overwhelming and this awareness won’t necessarily make the process of working with a designer go smoother, but it will give you some added perspective and appreciation for the range of style and solutions that come to bear on design related problems. This awareness will enable you to ask more questions and enhance the communication with your designer. The better the communication, the better chance your designer will find the right solution for your book. Here are a few blogs our studio frequents to stay on top of what’ happening. Of course, there are countless others. Some of these are specific to book design and some are more general in nature. Enjoy!
- FFFFound
- Design Observer
- FWIS
- The Book Design Review
- FaceOut Books
- By Henry Sene Yee Design
- David Drummond | Covers
- Books Covered
- Notcot
- Jacket Mechanical
- Ace Jet 170
- Grain Edit
- The DieLine
- Cool Hunting
- David Gee Works on Paper
- Core77
- The Font Feed
- Design You Trust
- Arthur Cherry
- Ideas on Ideas
- Publication Design
- Alltop
- Dwell
- The Daily Discussion
- Visual Culture
- Ellen Lupton Design Writing Research
- Putting People First
- Graphicology
- Netdiver
- Good Is
- Designers Who Blog
- Speak Up
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Twitter Marketing: Joining the Conversation
June 26th, 2009 by Kimberly Brock
Twitter has become one of the newest social media tools to hit the Internet providing marketers, bloggers and Internet users a new means to communicate. Even though I had worked in marketing for many years, I have to admit–I was more than reluctant to explore yet one more shiny new Internet tool. Once I did, my head virtually exploded with the possibilities Twitter offers.
From a simple question, “What are you doing?” Twitter connects you with friends, family, coworkers, colleagues and potential customers. In 140 characters or less, I am able to keep my “followers” (those who subscribe to my Twitter feed) updated on my life. For example, I may post that I am having a business lunch in regards to a new product release. I generally tweet about my life, what I am doing professionally, when I am traveling, links to articles that may interest my followers and join in the general Twitter discussion.
If you have been hesitant to join in the Twitter phenomenon, here are some tips to get your started:
- Go to Twitter.com and sign up for an account. If you are doing this for business, it is advisable to use your real name.
- Create your profile page and post a photo of you. You will also want to write up a small bio. Do also link any other pertinent information such as personal and professional websites, blog, linked-in page and any recent write-ups. I do recommend creating a custom background for your page. The website twitterbackgrounds.com has a great selection of FREE designs to choose from. The more people get to know you as an individual, the more likely they are going to return to you or click through to see what you are working on.
- The next big question is “Who do I follow?” You want to start with friends, family, coworkers, and colleagues [Ed- and @BelieversPress too!]. Then go to wefollow.com. WeFollow is a directory of Twitter subscribers. You want to follow tweeple who have similar interests. Twitter, after all, is a social media tool; finding people with similar interests will help facilitate meaningful conversation. [Ed: Check out the ECPA tag for people in the Christian publishing industry]
- Next, I recommend visiting crazybob.org/twubble. “Twubble” is a service developed by Google software engineer Bob Lee. It recommends new Twitter friends to you based upon whom your friends follow. This is a great means of increasing your Twitter bubble (twubble). I have found many great Twitter feeds to subscribe to from this site. [Ed: Mr. Tweet is another popular service that recommends followers]
- Do enter in the conversation. Do not bombard followers with constant posts about your product. Ensure that the content for which you are posting is relevant, interesting and noteworthy so that your subscribers look forward to your posts. It is incredibly tempting as a marketer to want to get the greatest visibility for my product, but posting spam too frequently will turn off my followers and they will no longer click through.
- Encourage conversation. Twitter is not just a source for content. Try posting a thought provoking question, run a survey, or get honest feedback to an idea you have been kicking around. Ask questions that encourage your followers to engage with you.
- Follow relevant Twitter feeds. If I find someone who consistently posts interesting content, I will comment and let them know. This introduces them to my existence and that builds traffic for my campaign as well.
Still need a little nudge to get started on Twitter?
You may want to check out the June 2009 issue of Time Magazine that features an article titled, “How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live.”
Excerpt:
Today the language of advertising is dominated by the notion of impressions: how many times an advertiser can get its brand in front of a potential customer’s eyeballs, whether on a billboard, a Web page or a NASCAR hood. But impressions are fleeting things, especially compared with the enduring relationships of followers. Successful businesses will have millions of Twitter followers (and will pay good money to attract them), and a whole new language of tweet-based customer interaction will evolve to keep those followers engaged: early access to new products or deals, live customer service, customer involvement in brainstorming for new products.
If you would like to follow me, you can find me at @kimberlybrock
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How to get the most out of Twitter and LinkedIn
June 23rd, 2009 by Torrey SharpI am definitely not an expert in social media, SEO, SEM, etc but I’ve realized that I should be making a more deliberate effort to gain knowledge in these areas and explore ways in which to use social media platforms to communicate and relate to clients, peers, friends, and the idustry at large. So, you could say I’m on a quest for enlightenment! And what I’m finding is that I simply cannot afford to remain ignorant in this rapidly changing arena. All these platforms are about communication and broadening the accessibility of communication. In order to stay relevant, stay engaged and continue to meet the needs of an ever changing marketplace, it’s imperative that I remain adequately informed on changing technology and new methods for connecting with the world.
I had the privilege of listening to a seminar by Kent Lewis, president of Anvil Media in Portland, Oregon. He’s on a mission to build Anvil into one of the most respected search engine marketing agencies in the world. Kent believes that Twitter and Linked In are the most powerful of the social media platforms for marketing and reputation management for individuals, executives and companies alike. Here is a great article for all those who want to take your LinkedIn and Twitter profiles to the next level: LinkedIn and Twitter Profile Optimization for Dimwits.
There is plenty more to check out on Anvil’s site as well. I hope you run into some helpful information.
Follow BelieversPress on Twitter, join the group on LinkedIn, or become a fan on Facebook.
Brandilyn Collins has some great posts about Twitter: Ten-Point Twittequette, A Day on Twitter, and Does Twitter Link Authors With New Readers?
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How Not to Launch Your New Book
June 15th, 2009 by Nick CiskeA funny take on the author who finds himself with a book… but no real plan to market it.
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Avoiding the Facebook Faux Pas
June 2nd, 2009 by Tina JacobsonYesterday, at the first annual TBBMG company “Kick Off the Summer” cookout, the group discussion turned to the topic of social networking-its pervasiveness, usefulness, and pitfalls. As we savored the baked beans and potato salad, we swapped stories of our facebook experiences. Many of those stories revolve around our pet peeves.
Social networking is a great tool, especially for self-published authors. But not everyone uses it well. For the purpose of this blog post, let’s focus on Facebook, which is free (for now) and has attracted millions of users.
Here are a few suggestions for getting the most out of your Facebook friendships:
- For most of us, facebook draws all the separate areas of our lives-home, work, friendship, family-into one big circle. Keep this in mind when you post personal information, especially pictures. Always be mindful of who may be watching. Those hilarious pictures you took while you were “building your testimony” in college might not serve you so well in the present.
- Certain facebook applications are guaranteed to turn off a majority of your potential network. Resist the urge to hit people with a virtual pillow or to “find out what color sharpie you are.” If you simply must know what kind of sharpie you are, go ahead and take the quiz; just don’t publish the results on everyone’s page.
- Skip “the poke” altogether.
- Update your status from time to time, but not all the time. Endless status updates might give the impression that you’re not doing much with your time. Trust us on this. Even your closest friends may not really want to know which brand of cereal you ate this morning. In fact, your Facebook friends may begin thinking of you as a bit of a nuisance. This is the last thing you want. Annoyed people will block your content altogether. Or, *gasp*, you might even join the ranks of the “un-friended”!
And here are some things that you SHOULD do:
- Do link your blog to your facebook page by using the NetworkedBlogs application. When you post a new blog entry, your feeds will come up on your page and your friends will be alerted. This is also a great way to attract more blog followers.
- Do make your status messages interactive from time to time. Ask a question that your friends can respond to in order to get conversations going. If it’s a topic that you discuss in your book, even better!
- Do work to build up your friend list. Did you know that you can import your email addresses from Outlook or web email servers in a few simple steps?
- Do respond to comments people are making on your wall posts to show that you are reading them.
Facebook is an ideal forum for authors to share their excitement and the latest information about their new books. Hopefully, these few points of etiquette will keep you from turning your Facebook friends into Facebook foes.
Have any Facebook faux pas or tips to share?
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One key, I have learned, is not to keep from writing when you’re feeling down. Another is not to stop writing when you’re feeling well…. But we must write regularly, ritualistically, no matter what we’re feeling.
— , Writing as a Way of Healing
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