Archive for Marketing
E-Books Gaining Ground on Printed Books
Posted by: | CommentsIn his “Book Marketing Tip of the Week,” John Kremer writes that Amazon.com sold more digital books than printed books for the first time in its history, on Christmas Day 2009.
It’s a sign of the times, folks. E-books are now considered mainstream, and most royalty publishing houses are offering electronic, as well as print versions of the books they publish.
The thing I like best about e-books is their ease of delivery. At the Florida Christian Writers Conference last week, I brought three books I’ve written:
- The Adoption Decision
(royalty published)
- The Adoption Network
(custom published with WinePress Publishing)
- Blogophobia Conquered (self-published e-book)
Guess which book sold like hotcakes?
My e-book.
Granted, I was teaching workshops on branding and social media marketing, so conferees gravitated toward the how-to blog book. But I also made it easy for them to purchase Blogophobia Conquered.
- I saved a dozen copies of my e-book onto CDs (I discovered it helps make your e-book feel more “real” when people can purchase something tangible), and those sold out in the conference bookstore.
- I handed out fliers with a “conference special” price on my e-book, and some people paid me directly cash or checks. In return, I immediately e-mailed them their e-book.
- Others preferred to wait until after the conference and pay via PayPal.
Hauling CDs coast-to-coast definitely lightened the load of my checked-in suitcase (it was still 49.7 pounds!). And people can read e-books from their computer monitor, their electronic book reader, or they can print a hard copy.
Whether you’re a budding author or a multi-published author, you should seriously consider publishing in e-book form. E-books aren’t the wave of the future anymore; they’ve the wave of the present.
Let’s discuss this in more depth. Have you published an e-book? What has been your experience, both pro and con?
On Brains, Marketing, and White Chicken Chili
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In his wonderful book, Brain Rules
Our brains also pay more attention to information that’s surprising, unique, or presented in unexpected ways.
Did you see the GoDaddy commercials during the Super Bowl, for instance? The content of their commercials had nothing to do with domain names, but I suspect the sexy women enticed more than a few Super Bowl fans to check out their Web site, just to see what this company is all about (or more likely, in hopes of seeing even more images of scantily clad women).
Knowing this tidbit about how our brains work comes in handy when you’re planning a marketing campaign – or even writing a blog post.
Case in point:
My niece, Kelli Christianson, who graduated from college last spring, writes a personal blog called “Thirsty for Rain.” Kelli is a fun-loving woman with a great sense of humor, as you’ll soon discover. Last week on her blog, Kelli shared a favorite family recipe for White Chicken Chili, which she gave me permission to re-print. Be sure to read the entire recipe, especially the cooking instructions.
This is one recipe you won’t soon forget! As an added bonus, you’ve also got a yummy recipe you can whip up for dinner this week.
Over the weekend, Dave and I made this delicious recipe from my super special mommie’s recipe. There is nothing like sharing a wonderful home-made meal with many people you love. I want to do it again.
Hello, domestic soul whom I have been stifling and avoiding.
Three cans or 45 ounces of great northern beans
2lb of chicken breasts
2 cups of broth
1 TB olive oil
1 cup of chopped artichokes (but I always use more)
4 oz mild diced green chilies
12 oz of Monterey jack cheese
3 cloves garlic
2 med onions chopped
2 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 cayenne pepper
Cook your chicken breasts in 1/2 inch of boiling water. Flip juicy breasts as needed. Slice chicken into soupy-size bites. Use leftover water as chicken broth.
Grab large pot and add cans of beans with their water (do not drain) into the pot on medium heat. Simmer- not boil. Simmer means one bubble every second or two, anything more is boiling. Add freshly chopped artichokes and green chilies when you desire but drain these bad boys- their juices are too potent.
In another saucepan saute(e with accent)- your chopped onions and garlic in the olive oil. You can add a bit of the spices to this mix if it delights you.
Add spices at the end. All good cooks taste their food. Get a long tasty spoon and add more cayenne pepper for more spice. I usually add more cumin because it is my favorite.
Throw everything together while singing with a large glass of wine in hand.
Stir pot with a large wooden spoon while making up witchy chants. This is a very important step and should not be avoided or scoffed at.
Ladle into chubby bowls and top with cheese. The original recipe adds the cheese to the soup but less is more when it comes to diary and meat. Americans consume too much of this- plus it makes me feel bad.
Enjoy with crunchy tortilla chips or the soda bread recipe I will post later this week.
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Build a Sturdy Platform… on the Internet
Posted by: | CommentsWriters and authors-to-be often talk about building a “platform.” Your platform refers to the combination of articles you’ve had published, the amount of public speaking you do, and all the other reputation-building activities you engage in that make you “famous” within your niche.
Building your platform takes courage, patience, and a lot of hard work. At the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference (March 26-30, 2010, near Santa Cruz, CA), I’ll be teaching an 8-hour interactive course on this topic. The course is geared for people who are in the beginning stages of building (or re-building) a platform, and will focus on low-cost, do-it-yourself Internet marketing strategies.
Below is an outline of the course — I teach individual workshops or the entire course at corporate venues as well as writers’ conferences — please contact me if you’re interested in booking me to teach at your event.
Download a PDF of the complete course outline here: Build A Sturdy Platform on the Internet
Condensed course description:
RELATIONSHIP MARKETING
Build a Sturdy Platform… on the Internet
Your best friend snaps a photo of you wearing a t-shirt with a picture of your book cover on it. You e-mail the photo to five friends, who blog and tweet about it, and post your photo on their Facebook pages. You’ve just experienced viral marketing – a powerful force that’s infecting everyone from solopreneurs to mega-corporations. During this hands-on course, you’ll shape a social media strategy that reflects your divine design; create an Internet profile with pizzazz, and practice writing search engine-friendly content. Bring your laptop and learn firsthand how online relationship-building will boost your visibility and credibility.
Session 1: Discovering Your Divine Design
You are divinely designed, with unique talents. During this session, you’ll identify your uniqueness and CRAFT a Consistent, Relevant, Attractive, Frequent, Targeted brand message you can use to market yourself.
Session 2: Making a Lasting First Impression
Hi! I’m a freelance writer!
Does a humdrum profile plague your Web site or blog? During this session, you’ll learn why an attention-grabbing profile is critically important to your brand, and you’ll write a profile with pizzazz that you can tweak for your Web site, social media accounts, and other marketing materials.
Session 3: Shaping Your Social Media Strategy
Blogs. Nings. Forums. LinkedIn. Facebook. Twitter. So many social media options; so little time! During this session, you’ll learn how to choose – and use – the online tools that best reflect your divine design, and you’ll begin developing an integrated social media strategy.
Session 4: Generating WII-FM Content
What’s In It For Me? WII-FM content is the hallmark of successful social media marketing. During this session, you’ll practice building a WII-FM promotional campaign that showcases your area of expertise.
Session 5: Optimizing Your Content
Nearly 90 percent of the people who visit your social media sites find you via a Google search. If you want to draw people in – and keep them coming back – you need to know a few simple tricks that attract the attention of search engine spiders. During this session, you’ll learn how to package your content for optimum readability and “share-ability.”
Session 6: Promoting Yourself Powerfully
Now that you’ve built a sturdy Internet platform, you’re ready to dive in to other opportunities, including radio and TV interviews, speaking engagements, book signing events – even new career paths. During this session, you’ll learn how to use your social media presence to attract new clients, mainstream media attention, and bookings.
Social Media Icons for Your Web Site or Blog
Posted by: | CommentsIf you have a profile at multiple social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc., it’s helpful to upload clickable icons to your Web site, blog, or e-newsletter. That way, if someone wants to follow you on Facebook, for instance, they can click the icon and jump instantly to your Facebook page.
I’ve been experimenting with icons, and learned that it’s best not to mix different sets of icons. I uploaded some 3-D icons, some round ones, and some square ones, put them all in a row, and they looked terrible!
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find an entire set of all the icons I was looking for in the exact shape I wanted, so I opted for a meld of square and round icons, all 32 x 32 pixels. It’s not perfect, but the overall look is much more consistent:
If you upload multiple icons to your site, it’s important that they are all the same size. Standard sizes for icons are:
- 128 x 128 pixels
- 64 x 64
- 48 x 48
- 32 x 32
- 24 x 24
- 16 x 16
Several graphic designers make icon sets available for free, as long as you don’t re-sell them. *Note: some designers require you to pay a license fee if you use the icon for commercial purposes.
Here are some icon sites from which I’ve downloaded icons:
IconArchive - Check out their wide variety of Social Network Icons. I was tempted to download the heart-shaped Chococons, but I figured I’d get too hungry every time I update my blog!
Blog Perfume – I like these simple, classic round icons:
WebToolKit4Me – The Polaroid Icon Set looks contemporary and IDs each social network — particularly handy for social media newbies:
You can use icons in your e-mail signature line, as well. I just freshened up my sig line and added icon links to my two most-used social media — Twitter and Facebook:
How about you?
- What are your favorite icon sites?
- How do you use icons creatively in your marketing?
The Best of Blogging Bistro 2009
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Yesterday I shared 16 of my best social media tutorials from the past year. Today, you get links to 14 more popular blog articles from 2009.
15 Secrets For the Perfect Business Portrait
The Three Best, All-Time Tips for Increasing Your Blog’s Readership
12 Reasons Why I Refuse to Follow You On Twitter
7 Marketing Lessons I Learned at a Rock Concert
The Cardinal Rule for Social Media Marketing
Setting Blogging Goals: How Often Will You Update?
How to Create a Blogging Editorial Calendar
Two Seconds to Impact! (Bright Ideas Blogzine, November 2009)
How to Connect with Your Readers – WII-FM
Why Every Writer Needs to be on Twitter
Body Language Lessons to Help You Become a More Effective Communicator (Bright Ideas Blogzine, May 2009)
The 3 Ps for Creating the Perfect Internet Profile (Bright Ideas Blogzine, June 2009)
How to Use Acronyms Effectively to Educate, Communicate, and Sell (Guest article)
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When I forget things (which seems to be happening more and more as I age), I tell my kids:
“I have too much information stuffed in my brain. Some of it leaks out.”
When I plan workshops, I often organize my outline around an acronym. A short, catchy acronym cements my lesson’s main points into my students’ long-term memory.
Jack Napoli wrote an excellent guest article for the HubSpot blog about how to create acronyms. He granted me permission to re-print it. Here’s a meaty excerpt from Jack’s article:
Use can use acronyms to:
- sell to potential clients.
- expand your footprint with existing customers.
- attract investors.
- educate sales & marketing people.
- communicate with your executive teams.
I, like most people, find that retaining large amounts of information can be difficult. Information is easier to recall when written and spoken communications are grouped into nuggets of distinction.
I’m an acronym lover and have been using acronyms for as long as I can remember. They are a learning tool that I’ve used throughout my schooling and my career. I swear, if not for acronyms, there would be no diplomas at any level. Now, I pass on the secret to creating lasting acronyms to you.
Create Remarkable Acronyms Using the 4 R’s
To become remarkable, I believe an acronym needs to have the characteristics of the 4 R’s:
- Retain – Is your message simplified so your audience can retain it?
- Recall – Can the audience recall your message in 2 minutes, 2 hours, 2 days, 2 weeks or 2 martinis later?
- Repeat – Can they repeat it?
- Research – If they cannot do the above, do they at least know what the acronym is so they can research why you are relevant in their world?
Give Your Acronym Meaning, Stickiness and Legs using SIMPLE
Acronyms simplify your message and make it easy for the masses to articulate your value proposition when you are not around (which is usually about 99% of the time). If your audience can’t remember what you, your reps, or champions told them after your conversation, you’ve only created more work for yourself.
Use my SIMPLE acronym to help give your acronym maximum impact and longevity:
Simple – Are they 3-6 characters in length?
Immediate Impact – Do they communicate your competitive advantage, product superiority or customer intimacy?
Meaningful – Does the acronym compliment the subject matter?
Purposeful - Do you have so many acronyms that you actually dilute the overall effectiveness of your message?
Lasting – Does it have quantifiable, tangible, or distinctiveness at its core so it’s value is immediate and will stand the test of time?
Engaging – Does it jump out at you and your audiences so your message is remarkable?
Acronyms Help the Swarm Carry Your Messages Away
Acronyms are the gifts you give your swarm, so they should be SIMPLE enough for them to carry away. First step to accomplishing this is to known what information is hard for your audience to understand, then simplify that information into an acronym using SIMPLE.
To read Jack’s complete article, visit:
About Jack Napoli: With 31 years in high tech and 26 years in direct sales, customer care & sales development, Jack has a lot of experience getting his messages through the clutter. He’s now a semi-retired entrepreneur and acronym enthusiast focused on sales education, coaching, and consulting. Contact him at jack.napoli@cox.net.
10 Popular Phrases You Must Immediately Delete From Your Writing
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I eagerly downloaded and printed a 30-page Special Report from a well-known blogger. Highlighter pen in hand, I began reading, expecting to find many nuggets. I did do a lot of underlining, but not the things the author hoped I’d highlight.
Instead, I marked 10 words and phrases the author used repeatedly. Here they are, followed by my translation of each:
1. Leverage (used as a verb) – Make something work to your advantage so you can earn more money.
2. Incentivize – Entice people to buy something.
3. Merchandize (used as a verb) – Sell something.
4. Monetize – Make money.
5. Generate leads – Find people willing to give you their money.
6. Revenue streams – Make money multiple ways.
7. Repurpose – Recycle something you’ve already developed and sell it to a different audience (see revenue streams)
8. Exploit – Use to your fullest advantage.
9. Thought leader – Charismatic personality who isn’t afraid to talk about his/her creative ideas in public.
10. Entrepreneurial opportunity – Creative way to make money.
Thirty pages of drivel can be summed up in 91 words:
Come up with one great idea that people want. Sell it. (If people don’t know they want it, convince them they do.)
When you become successful (i.e., wealthy and famous), recycle a variation of your original idea and sell it to others who don’t realize they want it. When you become really successful, hire others to do the drudge work for you so you can continue inventing new stuff and convincing people they can’t live without it.
Want to learn how to do this? Sign up for my expensive online course.
Thirty pages of marketing industry jargon, from a writer who constantly preaches, “Write powerfully. Use strong verbs. Use strong nouns.”
It’s easy to fall into the jargon trap, isn’t it? Every profession has its own jargon – words, phrases, and acronyms that roll off the tongue and onto the page before we think twice – terminology that sounds like a foreign language to people outside our industry.
The phrases I highlighted in the report are also euphemisms – words that substitute for concrete, descriptive words. Monetize sounds flashier and more impressive than make money.
But make money is the author’s sole goal in writing and distributing this report. Why is he afraid to tell us that? Everyone who downloads a special report knows it’ll contain a sales pitch. But we also expect to get value from the report itself – an inspiring thought or a practical idea.
When we use jargon and euphemisms to disguise the true purpose of our communication, we dilute its effectiveness.
Let’s challenge each other to eliminate industry jargon from our writing and speech:
- Make a list of 10 words and phrases specific to your niche that could be construed as jargon or euphemisms.
- Share your favorites (or least favorites) with us.
- Vow to become aware of how those words slip effortlessly into your vocabulary.
- Every time you notice jargon, axe it from your blog post, e-zine, special report, book chapter, or speech.
Tell it like it is. Simple. Plain. Unadulterated.
…and yes, you have my permission to point out when I’m using jargon!
Note: I’m participating in the Group Writing Project: 2009 in Review on DailyBlogTips.
Using Gender Labeling to Make Your Brand More Desirable
Posted by: | CommentsProducts marketed to women can cost up to 50 percent more than similar products for men, according to a new article in Consumer Reports.
We’re talking twin products – ones that have identical ingredients yet have different packaging, description, or name.
Curious to see if I am falling prey to paying 50 percent more because of gender labeling, I did some snooping around my house. Found two cans of shaving cream, pictured below:
My husband’s Rite Aid Extra Thick Shave Cream for Sensitive Skin (14 oz), and my Skintimate Essence “Soothing Escape” Moisturizing Shave Gel for Dry or Sensitive Skin (9.5 oz).
The cost for each:
- Rite Aid Shave Cream – Approximately $1.79 for 14 oz
- Skintimate – Approximately $3.00 for 9.5 oz (I bought the Costco 3-pack, so it was probably a bit less per can)
Now, these aren’t identical products, but they’re close enough. The four main ingredients in both products are:
- Water
- Stearic Acid (hubby’s) Palmitic Acid (mine)
- Triethanolamine
- Isobutane (hubby’s) Isopentane (mine)
Turns out I paid closer to 70 percent more for my girlie shave gel (even more, when you consider that his can is 4.5 oz larger than mine). And for what?
A “pretty,” skinny can with a picture of a leaf on it.
My husband’s thick, stubby can has a bold, “manly” type font and ugly clip art of a blob of shaving cream.
But I’ll bet both formulas help remove hair with equal efficiency.
According to a product manager Consumer Reports interviewed, girlie shaving cream costs more because 80 percent of women shave in the shower, and cans with aluminum bottoms don’t rust. Also, tall, thin cans cost more to manufacture than short, squatty ones. And women’s products usually contain more fragrance.
Consumer Reports discovered gender-based price discrepancies in other products, including antiperspirant, pain reliever, eye drops, body wash, and razor blades.
I confess: I succumb to the allure of gender-based marketing. I like my feminine-smelling shampoo, body wash, moisturizing lotion, and shave gel! (I’m the only female my four-person household; that might explain why.)
But from now on, I’m going to think twice before paying extra just for pretty packaging.
YOUR ASSIGNMENT
- How can you make your brand more desirable?
- Brainstorm a gender-based product you could provide (in which you would charge more for an identical product marketed to either men or women). Write out a 2-sentence description of your product and post it in the Comments area. We’ll give you feedback.
Source:
- “Men win the battle of the sexes,” Consumer Reports, January 2010, pp. 8-9.
The Secret to Writing Great Media Interview Questions
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When I was preparing a media kit for an author who’s written a book for addicts, I discovered the following question (which the author intends to be used in a media interview):
Your book is over 200 pages long; surely the addict will get bored and roll joints with the pages rather than read them?
I decided to use the question in the media kit because:
1. It made me laugh out loud
2. It’s controversial
3. It will definitely grab the audience’s attention
Too many media kits begin with the question: “Why did you write this book?”
Boooring!
The above question essentially asks why the author wrote the book, but it does so in an intriguing way.
When you write interview questions in preparation for a media appearance, get creative! Inject humor or a stiff dose of controversy, and you’ll keep listeners entertained.
Your turn. Imagine you’re preparing for an interview on a TV talk show. Write 5 entertaining questions that tout you, your products, and/or your services. Share your favorite one with us. It’s Friday; let’s have fun with this!
TV Ads We Love to Hate (Poll)
Posted by: | CommentsI’m not much of a TV watcher. But during the past month I’ve been battling a flu-like bug, and have spent hours slumped in a recliner, flipping channels with the best of them. I’ve watched countless commercials that are so irritating, I’ve vowed never to buy the products.
Here are my least favorite commercials, in no particular order:
Erectile dysfunction products – I walked into my optometrist’s office as a Viagra commercial began running on the plasma TV in their waiting room. Both female receptionists cringed and chorused, “Too much information!” It’s unfortunate that the Viagra jingle is so catchy… my teen sons go around the house singing, “Viiiiagraaaa!” just to bug me.
Jack in the Box – That crude, Styrofoam-headed dude creeps me out! I refuse to eat at Jack in the Box unless I’m famished and it’s the only fast food joint within 50 miles.
Beer ads – They inevitably show well-heeled yuppies drinking responsibly. Get real. Show a drunken frat boy retching into the shrubbery.
Scooters for the mobility-impaired – A senior spins in circles on her new scooter as she does a Miss America wave for the camera. What’s she going to do next: pop a wheelie?
Prescription medication – Pills to make you fall asleep, pills to keep you awake, pills to make you lose weight, pills to lessen the symptoms of fibromyalgia and every other chronic condition imaginable. Does everyone in America need to be drugged up? The worst offenders advertise depression medication (“side effects may include depression or suicidal thoughts”).
Mac vs. PC Wars – Mac’s negative Bill Gates look-alike commercials make me want to sprint toward the closest PC store as fast as possible. *Disclaimer: I’m a PC.
Sitcom teasers – Lame “jokes” packed with sexual innuendo and fake laugh tracks. Who writes these shows, anyway? Eighth graders?
Campaign ads – Ominous background music, scare tactics, and images of the opponent that look like mug shots taken at the county jail. Are these commercials truly supposed to help us make informed voting decisions?
I don’t know about you, but the main reason I celebrate Election Day is because I won’t be subjected to ridiculous campaign ads for another nine months. My hope is that our elected officials will (someday) pass a Constitutional amendment banning ALL campaign commercials, phone solicitations, junk mail, and yard signs. All candidates will be required to donate the millions they would have spent campaigning to the homeless, the hungry, or health care reform.
Which TV ads do you love to hate?
Vote for your least favorites, and tell us about the commercials that send you through the roof.
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