Internet Marketing VS Traditional Marketing

Many people have a very difficult time understanding how Internet Marketing really works. They innocently believe that Internet marketing revolves around advertising – ‘telling people’ or ‘getting the word out’. Internet Marketing is completely different in many respects from real world marketing. What is the difference? Here’s a greatly simplified example.

The Newspaper Ad
Nearly everyone is familiar with the newspaper. I’ll demonstrate the difference by using the concept of a newspaper ad vs. a directory listing such as a yellow page style advertisement.

In newspaper advertising, an ad is placed in a paper that is distributed to the general public. A percentage of the general public will read that ad and some will respond. The number of respondents is generally very low as compared to the number of people who comprise the public base. This is because not everyone in the public base is interested in what we are attempting to sell in that advertisement.

Depending on the size of the distribution, newspaper advertising can be very expensive. We are in fact paying a lot of money to reach a large number of people who are probably not interested all. But this is how we get to the people who ARE interested.

‘Yellow Page Style’ Directories
Another way to get to interested parties is to use some kind of directories listing, similar to what can be found in the back of a phone book or perhaps the Yellow Pages. Usually the response will be much higher, as all only those who have already made a purchasing decision will flip to the back of that phone book to find those listings.

So while the newspaper ad is sent to everybody, interested or not, usually the only people who see the listings in the back of the phonebook are those who have physically looked them up. In other words, they have already made a buying decision and are now looking for a place to spend their money.

The Difference
In a very general sense this demonstrates the difference between traditional marketing and Internet Marketing. In traditional marketing we’re blasting a message to everyone, hoping to find some interested buyers, while in Internet Marketing people are instead finding us. To find us they must first enter a search term. Therein lies the key to success today. If a searcher enters a term demonstrating their interest and then finds our web site, you have an interested party in your online store. While some people see this as challenging, as a marketing professional I can tell you it is the most wonderful aspects of the Internet Marketing. We don’t have to spend all that time and money to find them if they are finding us. While we must do instead is get in front of them

We don’t have to yell. We don’t have to tell. We don’t have to sell. We don’t have to chase down half-interested parties. Instead we must be found by those who have already made a purchasing decision.

Another primary advantage to Internet Marketing is the reach. A city newspaper may reach the city, a regional newspaper may reach a region, a national newspaper may reach an entire country. In Internet Marketing we reach everyone on the globe who speaks English and uses a search term in an attempt to find us. What could be better than that?

One Old-School Rule Still Applies
Anyone who’s ever used the directory style listing is aware of the fact that many businesses name their businesses specifically to be first in line indirect restyle listings. AAA Taxi, AAA Plumbing and the like.

This of course it is very important in search engine marketing as we’re going to be competing with millions of other listings. People seldom go beyond page three of search engine results, which is 30 listings That is a real challenge for some people. But it is not as difficult as one might think.

The most important question then becomes:

How Do We Do That?
The answer to that question will be different for every audience. It will be different for every business. It will be different for every service. It will be different for every product. Grandmother will not be using the same systems as her granddaughter. Males will tend to frequent different sites than females, in the same way that males and females will differ in their preferences for magazines, television stations or radio stations. In other words if we want to reach grandma, we may use Pinterest. If we want to reach Dad, we may use Linkedin.

There is no set approach. There is no one-size-fits-all answer. It is the analysis of all the factors involved that will lead us to the specific strategy to employ to reach a particular target audience for a specific product or service.

It is the marketing strategy development that will reveal the who, the what, the where, the when and the how that will lead to a successful marketing campaign.

The Free Publicity Focus group is a top ranked marketing and publicity firm. FPFG specializes in helping clients produce real results through the development of no-nonsense, realistic strategic marketing. Get the answers you need. Read more about their no cost, no obligation step by step guide to marketing success. Get more information about this free marketing analysis

Posted by Don McCauley. Visit his profile on Google

The post Internet Marketing VS Traditional Marketing appeared first on Free Publicity Focus Group Blog.

Entertainment Book author Ben Bryant

Ben Bryant has been in show business, in one way or another, since he was in college. Until 1971 he was a successful actor and singer in theatre, film, TV and director in theatre.
In 1970, seeking to exercise his burgeoning interest in film production, he joined the award winning Group One Productions of Los Angeles as East Coast Vice-president. There he quickly developed his production skills on a multitude of projects ranging from two man second unit shoots to the filming of Carole King’s Central Park concert (with twelve cameras and a New York union crew of over one hundred.)
From ’72 until ’89 he worked in film and TV as a line producer, production manager and first assistant director. Based in New York, he has served in one or more of those capacities on over a thousand TV commercials and dozens of corporate films for clients including ABC-TV, AT&T, Continental Air Lines, Exxon, Ford, GM, Honda, IBM, IT&T, MacDonald’s, Miller Beer, Nissan, Porsche-Audi, Proctor & Gamble, Suntory and Volkswagen. This work has been done in more than half the fifty states plus Jamaica and Canada. He also worked as either production manager or first A.D. on five dramatic films including theatrical features and TV movies.
After years of operating in support of directors he decided to apply the skills learned from working with some of the best and, in ’89, began producing and directing a weekly, half-hour TV show, “Love is the Power”, as well as a series of multi-camera concerts, taped “live”. In ’90 he produced and directed the pilot for a TV series, “Auto Buyers Showcase”. For the last 23 years he has been working solely in video and has produced and directed approximately 75 half-hour, multi-camera TV shows, over three dozen live concerts and several documentaries. He takes many projects from concept through completion; often writing, producing, directing, shooting and editing.
June 2006 saw the completion of Elizabeth Hepburn’s “Better & Better Series”, a set of five DVDs for surgery patients and their caregivers which he directed and edited. As soon as that project was “out the door” Ben dove back in to “Birth of the Music Video”, a documentary feature about the unheralded filmmakers who pioneered the form in the mid-60s.
Ben has written two full length screenplays and a pilot script for a TV series. He has had several articles on editing and shooting published by Ken Stone’s FinalCutPro web site and recently contributed a chapter to DVisionaries’ new book “Transitions; Essays on the Craft of Editing”.
A member of the American Film Institute since ’75 and the Directors’ Guild of America since ’79, he holds a B.A. in Theatre & Music from Whittier College.
“Three Stages: My Journey, Book 1″ is Ben’s first full length book. The second part of his three volume autobiography, “Circumstances Beyond My Control: My Journey, Book 2″ which chronicles the years from 1972 into the early ’90s with tales of his adventures as a producer is now available. Book 3, “Waiting for Elizabeth: My Journey, Book 3” will follow sometime in 2014.

Tell us about this book.

It’s really three books – rather one book, My Journey, a memoir in three volumes. Book One, Three Stages opens in 1938 Bristol, Tennessee when I was four. The journey takes the reader through my family’s migration to Hollywood in ’48, the years at Hollywood High School, Whittier College (where I played football under future NFL Hall of Fame coaches George Allen and Don Coryell) and my fifteen years as a working singer/actor in TV, movies, theatre then my move to New York where I continued that career both on and off Broadway. And at the Metropolitan Opera.
A greatly truncated list of the famous folks I knew and worked with includes Cliff Arquette, Frankie Avalon, Jack Benny, Leonard Bernstein, Charles Bronson, David Carradine, John Cassavetes, Cyd Charisse, Neil Diamond, Clint Eastwood, Barbara Hershey, Alfred Hitchcock, Carole King, Frankie Laine, Gordon MacRae, Mary Martin, Jerry Orbach, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Bobby Rydell, Danny Thomas, Chris Walken, Jack Webb and Frank Zappa. As I said this is maybe 25% of the big name people in Book One. DON: Feel free to add or subtract from this list.
Book Two picks up in 1972 as I was making the transition from performing to producing. During my twenty plus years as a producer and First Assistant Director I often found myself in social situations – both with fellow film professionals and “civilians” – recounting bizarre or otherwise interesting and funny tales of my adventures in production. At least a dozen times someone said, “You should write a book.” I often joked that, due to the nature of my work, should I ever create such a tome it would be titled Circumstances Beyond My Control. Having finished Three Stages the obvious next step was this volume.
I find that folks are fascinated by the behind the camera ‘nuts & bolts’ of filmmaking. The title derives from the chaotic, unpredictable and crisis management nature of that process. This book is filled with often hilarious, sometimes exciting stories about my adventures in the challenging world of film production.

Do we need another celebrity list here?

I don’t want to give the impression that these books are merely about work. I married my perfect woman, Elizabeth, in ’67 and there is a lot in all the books about our life together and the Spiritual path we traveled. We were both raised by religious – albeit quite different – parents and the evolution from the religious to the spiritual was a stimulating experience we shared.
This volume ends in the early ‘90s as we were both making enormous reconstructions in our individual and married lives.
The last volume of the trilogy is called Waiting For Elizabeth. For this one you’ll have to wait. But I can tell you this much: It will have two huge surprises in it for readers of the first volumes.

Who would enjoy this book?
That’s a hard question to answer. I originally thought that people over fifty were my primary audience but I’ve found that some younger people have also liked the books. Definitely anyone interested in showbiz  and “backstage” stories will like them. One of my friends who taught in a film school thinks Circumstances should be required reading for film students.
Somewhere in the timeline as I was writing, the realization hit me that I had lived a very singular and eclectic life. No, I wasn’t famous but that didn’t mean that what I had done and experienced wasn’t interesting. And I have known and worked with some extraordinary people, some of them famous, most not well known but very much worth writing about.

Is there a message or an underlying theme in the book?
I never gave that any thought until I was halfway through the second volume. I’m still not  sure about a message. As Samuel Goldwyn famously said, “If you’ve got a message, send a telegram.” But there may be a theme and if so it’s “follow your heart.” In a way I’ve lived my life sort of in the Yogi Berra school: “When you come to a fork in the road take it” and “You can observe a lot just by watching.” Many of the seminal events in my life were the result of what appeared to be chance and observation. I’m not inclined to explain that. Read the books and you’ll get it.

What kind of feedback / reviews have you received from readers?
These are all quotes from readers:
Your background, the discussions of your childhood and your family members, and the sequences of your professional development and your realization of the character of yourself and your life, as well as those of others, is really quite phenomenal and inspiring. FW–Cinematographer
What a journey back in time, to the years just before I was born. … your descriptions brought it all to life! Your writing is absolutely captivating and full. AA–Filmmaker
Your openness and honesty and ofttimes struggles to get the right tone are rewards that readers of autobiographies seldom get as most autobiographies seem like puff pieces written for and by the ego of the author. Your autobio does not bathe in pretentiousness. Instead it showers both the reader with memories from a well-observed and interesting past. Your writing voice is authentic. JP–Teacher
The reality is you and your life are far more adventurous and varied that most of us and ours. … It’s just a fabulous tale. JM–Artist
What a … fascinating backstage look into the world of theater. BK–Medical Tech
Not only it is your personal story, but the story of an America that no longer exists – sometimes kinder and gentler – sometimes harsher and more cruel. You brought it back to life like Brigadoon, with humor and sentiment and seen through the beautiful mist of memory. ES–Comedy writer
I … was truly inspired by [your] personal journey from the hollers of Tennessee to the hills and valleys of show biz and beyond. DH–Real Estate
I never could imagine what life was like for a southern boy who sings in a church choir, becomes a successful working actor, with an amazing amount of ease may I say, then leaves a career that others would give their right arm to have. … I had no idea that you worked in opera, musical comedy and all the other things you accomplished. You have lived many life times and done more than most people could dream of. I …  Amazing, fascinating, and I want more. CW–Producer
Your book had me laughing so hard I thought I was going to spew during some passages. DE–Musician

If you could compare this book with any book out there, or even a movie or a play or a story we might already be familiar with, what would you compare it with and why?
Since it’s a memoir it is very personal and so, by definition, unique. Of all the autobios I’ve read – and I have read a lot lately – given the mix of professional and personal tales, if you had a gun to my head I’d say it probably comes closest to Shirley MacLaine’s Out on a Limb.

What was your motivation for writing this book?
Initially I had no intention of writing a book, much less, three books. One day in November of 2011 when I was reminiscing about my childhood I found myself writing (what I thought was) a short essay about growing up in the South. I became so engaged in my memories that the next thing I knew it was two weeks later and I had written maybe a hundred pages. I realized that I was beginning to write an autobiography. At that point I had no real thoughts about publishing the thing. I was just having a good time exercising my memory but I wasn’t about to stop. It was too much fun.
Somewhere in the middle of the first volume the process became a sort of mission. I simply had to tell my story. And so I kept at it and am glad that I did.

Who influenced your writing the most?
The first name that comes to mind is Mark Twain. I certainly lay no claim to even approaching his level of genius but his use of humor – finding the funniest way to express an idea – is an inspiration to me. On my desktop I have this quote from him: The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.

Are the characters pure fiction, or did you draw from people you know?
This is a memoir. Do you think I’d admit to creating fictional characters? Seriously, I have changed (fictionalized) a few names of some of the nastier folks in my life but they are all real people.

How much of ‘you’ is in this book?
By the time I’m finished with the third book I’d say that damn near all of “me” that I remember is in there. The good, the bad and (most of) the ugly.

What would you like readers to understand about you?
Here I’ll resort to another quote: Near the end of Cormac McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men I came across a monologue of “Sheriff Bell”, which seemed resonant with my life: “It’s a life’s work to see yourself for what you really are and even then you might be wrong. … There was always some part of me that wanted to be in charge. Pretty much insisted on it. Wanted people to listen to what I had to say. But there was a part of me too that just wanted to pull everybody back in the boat. If I’ve tried to cultivate anything it’s been that.”

Other than selling your book, what do you hope to accomplish with it?
I want readers to know that it’s possible to live one’s life by, for the most part, doing what you want to do. I want them to know that you do not have to be famous or wealthy to have a rewarding, satisfying time on this planet and that the experiences of a person who is neither of those things may have something of value to share with the world at large.

In one word, what would you hope a reader might say after reading this book?
“Wonderful.”

Who should buy this book?
Anyone interested in showbiz and “backstage” stories. But as Rick Skye, the New Sun reviewer pointed out: “What could be a straightforward show biz autobiography is transformed by a poetic way with a turn of phrase and simple honesty into a non-fiction novel about a way of life in an America that no longer exists recalled with humor and sentiment through the beautiful mist of memory.” So I suppose people interested in recent US history might find Three Stages worthwhile. As to Circumstances Beyond My Control; film buffs, certainly and also those who are fascinated by how the “sausage is made”.

Where can people buy your book?
My website has a Books page with links to Amazon and Payhip.com. Everyone knows Amazon but Payhip is a great site for authors. They take a very small cut and pay the writer immediately so I can sell the books there at a lower price and they have all e-formats (Kindle, Nook, e-Book & pdf) whereas Amazon has only Kindle.
Right now the books are only available as downloads but I’m working on printed versions which have to be more expensive due to the cost of printing and shipping.

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Romantic Fiction author Rusty Blackwood

Top ranking romantic fiction author Rusty Blackwood believes the flair for fantasy is anything the mind wishes it to be, and she is a master at this. Within her expressive mind is found an endless array of romance, passion, textures and colors to sweep the reader to exotic, faraway places where anything is possible, proving that her words really do leave you breathless.

Canadian born Blackwood grew up on her paternal grandfather’s farm in south-western Ontario, Canada, where she developed her love of writing while still in grade school, entering numerous competitions and writing exhibitions throughout her area, and attributes her love of writing to her late father James, and to Gladys Carroll, her elementary teacher. Although unprofessionally trained in the field, Rusty has always had an affinity for the written word, a gift to express it, and has demonstrated this talent many times since becoming a serious writer in 2001.

She has written an eclectic array of contemporary and traditional poetry, publishing her first collection in October of 2009 entitled, “Feelings: A Rhythmic Journey in Thought,” which was later re-released in a second collection with additional content in 2011 under the title, “Impressions: A Poetic Rhythm in Emotion”. Feelings was followed in April of 2010 by a collection of assorted short stories for children, as well as the young at heart, entitled, “Young Minds,”  which was later re-released as a second collection with additional content in 2012 under the title, “Through the Eyes of Innocence.”  In March of  2012 Rusty released the short-story comedy, “The Misadventures of Derwood Tugbottom.”

Following a previously hard fought, misguided, and misleading publishing road into the competitive world of main-stream fiction with her first two-part romance/drama, ‘Passion in Paris’– Connections to the Past and Directions of the Heart respectively – Rusty was finally given the chance to accomplish what she had originally set out to do, and this exciting reprieve can be found within the pages of her new heart-touching romance/drama, “Passions In Paris: Revelations of a Lost Diary,”  now available at the online bookstores of Create Space, Barnes&Noble, and Amazon worldwide. This beautiful romance novel is expected to be followed by the romance/drama,’Willow’s Walk.’

Rusty is often asked how much of herself is found in her heroines, and she has been noted to say a fair amount, adding that most writer’s inspiration comes from many different aspects of life experience and reaping from them all that one can to use to one’s best advantage, so in that respect she would have to say that many sides, aspects, and flavors of her heroines derive from her own personality and life.

Rusty has always loved the Arts in their many unique forms and this is demonstrated in the two Interior Decorating and Design diplomas she holds, as well as her many years spent on the south-western Ontario stage performing with her family’s country music band, The Midnight Ramblers, and the country- rock – blues band, MIRAGE  respectively as an accomplished vocalist, bassist, and rhythm guitarist.

Rusty firmly believes in going after what she wants, doing whatever is required to make it happen, and turning a deaf ear to anyone who says it cannot be done. She has faced many challenges throughout her life,  emerging more determined with each, but make no mistake about her methods, for she is a firm believer in Karma and the adage that whatever you put out in life revisits you, so be sure your intentions are proper.

Ms. Blackwood now resides in the cultural city of St. Catharines, Ontario

Tell us about this book

I wrote this novel somewhat in the flavor of ‘Dracula’, and ‘What Dreams May Come’ in as far as the existence of soul mates finding each other in each life they experience, and rediscovering the timeless love they share within each one. ‘Passions in Paris: Revelations of a Lost Diary’ is a fictional romance drama that centers around star crossed soul mates, Canadian Interior Decorator Joy Wychmere, and Irish actor/musician Cullen Malone, and is set in Paris on the cusp of the 21st. century. The book itself begins and ends in the year 2040 with Joy’s grandchildren whom, following her death, gather at her home to help plan her memorial. While there they come across an old diary, accompanied by an aging manuscript that was written by their grandmother years before which sweeps them back to 1999 Paris, and tells the story of ‘Passions in Paris’. Joy Wychmere finds herself in a stagnating marriage of many years. One day in early December of 1999 she turns on the radio and happens upon a contest that is tied in with the promotion of Cullen Malone’s new movie, the prize of which is an all expense-paid trip for two to Paris, diner for one with Cullen, as well as a private evening. Joy, not knowing why, has always had an unexplained attraction and affinity to Cullen and immediately tries her luck at winning. She does, and she and her husband Dean, who has his own agenda for going to Paris, arrive in the City of Light for what is originally supposed to be a weekend in duration. Cullen, who continues to remain in an unstable relationship with the mother of his illegitimate young daughter, is unsettled, and inwardly searching for a certain someone he knows exists, he just doesn’t know from where, who it is. Joy and Cullen meet. When they do it’s déjà vu, they don’t know how they know this, they just do. No sooner do they come together then unexplained circumstances begin to occur. One follows the other, each one growing more intense until one fateful night leaves the lovers fighting for survival, and those around them shocked in wonderment and disbelief.

Who would enjoy this book?

I feel anyone between the ages of legal age and old age that enjoy both an in depth and intense love story would thoroughly enjoy this novel.

Is there a message or an underlying theme in the book?

I think the two main messages or themes, if they could be considered that, would be to not jump to conclusions with regard to what you think you see because it may not be that way at all, nor should people or life be taken for granted because both can be quickly lost.

What does the reader gain from this book?

The book might possibly allow the ability to  help a reader take a look at their own life; possibly realize what they presently have that might be satisfying, or not so. If it were me reading this book I would be thankful for what I have in my life, the people I have in it, but mostly that I have my life and any happiness I find within it.

If you could compare this book with any book out there, or even a movie or a play or a story we might already be familiar with, what would you compare it with and why?

‘Passions in Paris’ has been compared to Eric Segals’ ‘Love Story, and Nicholas Sparks’ ‘The Notebook,’ which I find in itself to be an exciting honor because both of these novels are extremely well written stories executed by very talented writers. The story each of them tell is timeless, and regardless of how many times each are read they never become old, nor do they lose their ability to touch the heart and remain in the mind. That is the way I feel a good romance story should be, so I am very proud that Passions is thought of in that way, and considered along side those two great literary achievements.

What kind of feedback / reviews have you received from readers?

Passions in Paris has received numerous 4-star reviews from Readers’ Favorites, Chapters, Barnes & Noble, as well as uplifting responses from those who have read it. It’s always encouraging to hear from readers; this is why a writer writes, so I hope people will continue to read my novel and share their experience of it with others whom might be considering it.

What was your motivation for writing this book?

I love an involved stimulating romance when I read a book and I love to write the same way. I’m a romantic at heart who is is in love with love, romance, and all that entails, so I wanted to express my feelings in a story that I deliberately set in one of my most favorite places.

Who influenced your writing the most?

I admire anyone who can express their ability in well chosen, descriptive words. I don’t really have a favorite writer because I feel all writers share the same love of words and the need to express their feelings in order to entertain the reader. It isn’t always easy to open your soul to a potential reader, and in order to do that you cannot be inhibited to express yourself the way in which you feel at the moment you write the words. The one person that encouraged me the most was Gladys Carroll, my elementary teacher. She obviously saw potential in me and knew how much I liked to dabble in story telling, so she often suggested I try my hand at writing short stories and poetry. I loved the challenge and would try my best to create something different each time I tried. I’ve often thought about that as well as those days long past, and I will always be grateful to her for what she opened my eyes to as well as did her best to nurture.

Are the characters pure fiction, or did you draw from people you know?

Well it’s often been said that art imitates life or visa versa, and I feel that book characters often do as well. I think all writers, at least to a certain degree borrow from life when it comes to character creation. Sometimes you can base a character’s personality on someone you know, or have seen somewhere. There are times where a character can possess different qualities of different people rolled into one. I did this with a few characters in Passions, but the majority are totally fictitious and created solely for the purpose they’re used for.

How much of ‘you’ is in this book?

Quite a bit actually. There again I feel that any writer borrows from experience in life, or life in general, and in order to write something in a convincing manner I feel you first have to have experienced it, and as much as the novel is fiction there are places where it is based on actual happenings, or at the very least drawn from.

What would you like readers to understand about you?

I write how I feel and I am sincere in everything I do. I’ve come to know if what I’ve written is any good or whether it needs a good revamp, and I’ve also come to know that if I don’t feel it at the moment I can’t express it convincingly.

Other than selling your book, what do you hope to accomplish with it?

I would hope that those who read it will very much enjoy the journey throughout it, and that it might help provide an outlet for not only their fantasies, but a window to possibly help them cope with any problems they might be experiencing. Sometimes when you read a protagonist’s plight it can help you deal with something you yourself are coping with, and even though what you’re reading may be fiction the road it’s taking might help you along your own.

In one word, what would you hope a reader might say after reading this book?

Wow.

Who should buy this book?

Anyone who is looking for a powerful in depth read that will impact their heart and soul.

Where can people buy your book?

Amazon in both paperback and Kindle — in fact all Amazons worldwide — Barnes and Nobel  in paperback and NOOK, Createspace  in paperback, and in e-pub for all readers on Smashwords. People in the Niagara area may pick up copies at Seaway Mall Coles in Welland, Ontario, and directly from me in paperback by e-mailing me through my website at www.rusty-blackwood.com

The post Romantic Fiction Author Rusty Blackwood – An Interview appeared first on Free Publicity Focus Group Blog.

Book Marketing: You Are Marketing Your Book – Why?

I read a really cool blog post this past weekend. The writer mentioned that she had been having a hard time in regards to book marketing when she experienced a bit of a revelation.

While she had been out there fighting the good fight, it never occurred to her to identify WHY she was doing what she was doing.

The fact is that, in regards to creating an effective marketing strategy, it is always necessary to START with WHY. The WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN and HOW are not really so important to the buyer. It is always the WHY that will resonate with the audience and will cause them to hit that buy button.

In the normal course of my work, I visits many hundreds if not thousands of author websites every year. I am appalled at the number of websites that never mention WHY someone should buy the work.

Yet THAT is what will sell the work. WHY must be the first thing the visitor sees. And WHY should be the last thing the visitor sees.

Now, we don’t want to hear this perhaps, and we don’t want to accept it, but the visitor is there to ask but one question:

“What is in this for me?” In other words, “WHY should I buy THIS book?”

The buyer might care a little about WHAT. A bit about WHO. WHERE, WHEN and HOW are not of much concern to the buyer. What they are concerned with is WHY.

“What is in this for me?” “WHY should I buy THIS book?”

In years past, we bought books from stores. We faced a wall that held a limited number of books in a particular genre. Our choices were somewhat limited. And so the goal for many authors in those days was to get that book ON THE SHELF in a real bookstore.

Today however every single book in the world is available to every buyer who owns any type of electronic device. They are all right there on that little screen.

Your competition today is ‘everybody who is selling a book’.

If you are not telling your visitors WHY your book is the one to choose today, you are in trouble. Not only must you tell them WHY, you must do it better than ‘everybody who is selling a book today’. If you don’t, some ‘everybody’ will. And that ‘everybody’ will likely reap the rewards.

Think about how you buy books. WHY do you buy a particular book? While we give many answers to the question, they nearly always fall under one broad heading:

‘This book appears to fill my needs at this moment’.

If you are not telling your visitors WHY your work will fill their needs better than ‘everybody’ else, you are completely missing the point regarding ‘WHY’ people buy books.

And if you miss that point, you will likely never meet your book marketing goals.

The Free Publicity Focus group is a top ranked marketing and publicity firm. FPFG specializes in helping clients produce real results through the development of no-nonsense, realistic strategic marketing. Get the answers you need. Read more about their no cost, no obligation step by step guide to marketing success. Get more information about this free marketing analysis

Posted by Don McCauley. Visit his profile on Google

The post Book Marketing: You Are Marketing Your Book – Why? appeared first on Free Publicity Focus Group Blog.

Book Marketing: How To Really Market A Book

Over the last decade or so I have spoken with thousands of authors. The conversation naturally centers around what that person is doing to market their works. I have found in a very high percentage of cases that, while most believe they are MARKETING their work, in fact they are not. They are instead ADVERTISING their work. There is a major difference between these two approaches

MARKETING – is getting a work in front of a pre-defined target market; a group that has already expressed an interest in a particular type of product and is ready to make a purchase

ADVERTISING – is telling the public at large that there is a particular type of product for sale

What is the difference?

Book advertising generally produces miniscule returns and small numbers.
Book marketing naturally offers the opportunity for much better results as that target audience has already given a buying signal and in fact may have already made a purchasing decision.

Book advertising is yelling. It is intrusive. It is interruptive. It is selling. Audiences will naturally reject that type of approach.
Book marketing is offering to fill a need the potential buyer has asked to have filled.

Book advertising starts with the seller.
Book marketing begin with the buyer.

Book advertising pushes a message out.
Book marketing pulls a buyer in.

Book advertising is hard sell.
Book marketing is soft sell.

Book advertising is an attempt to find buyers.
Book marketing is an attempt to get buyers to find you.

If you spend all your time chasing buyers around, yelling, telling and selling, shoving a ‘buy my book’ style of message at them, you and your message will likely be rejected and your results will not be what you hope them to be.

If you spend your time pulling pre-sold, interested buyers in and offer the best choice in regards to getting their needs (as they perceive them) filled, your sales numbers will naturally be much higher.

So, are you really marketing? Or are you advertising?

The Free Publicity Focus group is a top ranked marketing and publicity firm. FPFG specializes in helping clients produce real results through the development of no-nonsense, realistic strategic marketing. Get the answers you need. Read more about their no cost, no obligation step by step guide to marketing success. Get more information about this free marketing analysis

Posted by Don McCauley. Visit his profile on Google

The post Book Marketing: How To Really Market A Book appeared first on Free Publicity Focus Group Blog.

How To Market A Book In 2014

Book marketing strategies have changed – forever. What might have worked for authors and publishers in the past likely do not produce bottom line results today. Below are 10 ‘do’s and don’ts’ that will allow one to develop and effective book marketing strategy for today’s online environment.

1. Don’t – try to get people to visit your book page by chasing buyers around, urging them to visit the page.
Do – Get your page in front of pre-qualified, pre-sold buyers through optimization strategies.

2. Don’t – present a generic, non-branded header on your website or book page that says something like “John Smith – Author”.
Do – present a powerful, well-researched brand and branding statement specific to buyer profiles and make sure it is the first thing potential buyers see.

3. Don’t – use amateurish, self-centered ‘me-me-me’ language (“I write because”, or “I think” or “I am”).
Do – speak from the buyers’ perspective and state specifically why your work will meet your buyer’s needs (“You will get”, “Readers will find”).

4. Don’t – try to sell your work to a generic “anybody age 8 to 80” audience.
Do – understand your buyer profiles (age, gender, geography and specific needs), and understand their needs as they perceive them.

5. Don’t – present one message to all buyers.
Do – sharply segment your audience and present a laser sharp message developed specifically for each one of those segments.

6. Don’t – have threatening calls to action on your book pages (buy now).
Do – engage with your audience through non-threatening calls to action (download now).

7. Don’t – use social media as a sales tool to get people to buy your work.
Do – use optimized social media posts to get in front of key influencers, develop interest and to brand you and your work.

8. Don’t – endlessly chase ‘maybe’ buyers around.
Do – bring pre-qualified, interested buyers to you through optimization strategies.

9. Don’t – spend all your time chatting, talking to or engaging with other authors who will never buy your work.
Do – spend your time chatting, talking to or engaging with interested potential buyers.

10. Don’t – have book pages out there that have not been optimized.
Do – Optimize all book pages for your target audience profiles.

And finally:

11. Don’t – work hard.
Do – work smart.

The Free Publicity Focus group is a top ranked marketing and publicity firm. FPFG specializes in helping clients produce real results through the development of no-nonsense, realistic strategic marketing. Get the answers you need. Read more about their no cost, no obligation step by step guide to marketing success. Get more information about this free marketing analysis

Posted by Don McCauley. Visit his profile on Google

The post How To Market A Book In 2014 appeared first on Free Publicity Focus Group Blog.

Many authors hope to get interviewed in the media, both Internet and traditional. Why? They hope to sell books of course. But that is just far too broad to be really useful, so let’s break it down a bit. The goal of any traditional media appearance is four-fold:

1. To create awareness of your work in people who have previously demonstrated an interest in your subject matter. (targeted marketing)
2. To create credibility for you and your work
3. To demonstrate its value to the audience and
4. To convince the audience that your work will satisfy their needs better than competing artists

A great media interview, properly presented, can accomplish these goals. A poor message, or a message with a poor presentation, can create the opposite effect. You don’t want to send a very bad message to a very large audience. Let’s cover some basic but often overlooked facts:

A Media Appearance Is A MARKETING/PUBLICITY Opportunity – Not A Selling Opportunity
There is a key distinction that must be made here. A media appearance is not an opportunity to directly SELL your work – it is an opportunity to MARKET you and your work. There is a difference between these two approaches and it is very important that you understand that difference.

Marketing is not selling. If you come off sounding like you are trying to ‘sell’ your work, your media interview will most likely not produce good results (and you will most likely not be asked back). In many situations the author and the media could be said to hold conflicting goals. The author hopes to sell books. The media outlet hopes to draw a large audience through the presentation of news that holds value for their audience.

If a traditional media outlet does not present value in the form of news, it will lose its audience and its revenues. Therefore, most traditional media outlets do not consider a book to be important news, and will most likely not be interested in a BOOK. However, the media WILL be interested if that artist, through their work, presents a MESSAGE OF REAL VALUE to their audience.

A traditional media appearance is not an opportunity for a ‘free commercial’. A media appearance is an opportunity to present value to the audience.

Focus On The Subject
Always focus on the subject matter of your book – not the book itself. Any media audience wants information – not a sales pitch for a product. Your goal here is to be perceived to be an expert in the subject matter under discussion.

Be Conversational
Though you might want to have your answers prepared in advance, you certainly do not want to sound as though you are have memorized the answers to the questions. Be yourself. Be natural. Be real. A media appearance is not a performance – it is a conversation. You are under no pressure to ‘perform’. There is no right way. You are there to provide information as an expert.

Do Not Sound ‘Sales-y’
Though we want to create maximum impact with your target audience, nobody wants to ‘be sold’. For most people a sales pitch is something to avoid. If you come off sounding like a huckster, a talking head or a pitchman, your interview will likely become something people hope to avoid. Your interview should lead your target audience to a buying decision naturally. Don’t try to force it.

People Buy The Artist – Not The Product
People buy books from famous authors without a second thought. Why? They trust the artist.

People buy music from artists, often without listening to any of the tracks on the CD without a second thought. Why? They trust the artist.

Authors, musicians, painters and all other types of artists sell millions of copies for one reason – people like the artist and believe they will like anything that artist creates. Never pitch a book, as that screams ‘novice’. Concentrate instead on building a platform.

Credibility Is Key
Credibility is the key factor in creating book sales (or sales of any kind, for that matter). You must know what you are talking about. If you don’t (or appear as though you don’t) it is unlikely that anybody will ever buy anything from you. If on the other hand you DO know what you are talking about, people will most likely buy anything you produce. Again, people are not interested in a BOOK. They are interested in what YOU have to offer them.

Present A Strong Brand
Remember there are millions of books available. And today, ALL of those books are available right there – on your potential buyers’ phone, tablet or computer. You must set yourself apart from all the other books and you must do so in a powerful way. If you have not yet created a strong brand and branding statement, watch this video from our original site. It’s dated, but the information is very relevant:

http://www.freepublicitygroup.com/VideoBranding.html

The Free Publicity Focus group is a top ranked marketing and publicity firm. FPFG specializes in helping clients produce real results through the development of no-nonsense, realistic strategic marketing. Get the answers you need. Read more about their no cost, no obligation step by step guide to marketing success. Get more information about this free marketing analysis

Posted by Don McCauley. Visit his profile on Google

The post Media Interviews appeared first on Free Publicity Focus Group Blog.

Number 7 in a series

The call to action is one the focal points of any website. This is especially true for book marketing websites. Calls to action allow you to build:

Mailing lists
Lists of future buyers
Newsletter lists

Of course these lists allow you to engage with buyers, potential buyers and allow you to begin to build word of mouth. This has always been very important and is even more important in today’s book marketing model. Why is this so?

Suppose you sell 10,000 books today. Next week you publish another book. Now, how will you inform those previous buyers that you have written another book? You cannot, unless you have them on a list of buyers.

What Is A Call To Action?
A call to action asks the visitor to take some form of action in a non-threatening way.

Study after study demonstrates that permission based marketing produces better results (conversions and sales) than any other form of marketing in the Internet marketing environment.

What Is Permission Based Marketing?
Permission based marketing goes by many names. The simple definition: A potential buyer gives a seller permission to send future marketing messages (opts in). The potential buyers gives the seller an email address and permission to send future messages.

This is extremely important, as anyone who has done any marketing at all knows that only a miniscule percentage of visitors buy on the first visit to a site or page. Most new visitors will need to be exposed to a product or service a number of times before they can or will make a buying decision. The visitor who ‘opts in’ for future mailings is giving the seller permission to send more marketing communications.

While higher conversion rates are reason enough to use permission based marketing, this form of marketing also allows the seller to ‘weed out’ those who are not really seriously interested, as those who are not interested simply will not opt in. This is important for, as marketing professionals, we should spend the bulk of our time talking to those who ARE interested.

‘Non-threatening’ calls to action VS ‘Threatening’ calls to action
Non-threatening calls to action create a sense of curiousity or a desire to learn more.

Threatening calls to action ask for a final decision.

‘DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE (giveaway) is a non-threatening call to action.

‘BUY THIS NOW!’ is a threatening call to action

Nothing is worse than to visit a webpage and immediately to be presented with a book cover and a statement that says ‘BUY NOW!’ This is much like asking someone to marry you the minute you meet. It’s agressive, overbearing and just plain silly.

The real goal of the non-threatening call to action is to get an email address and permission to send future mailings to that email address, thereby greatly increasing the possibility of a conversion.

Have you ever entered a store in the real world in which the sales clerk runs up to you as you walk through the front door and says, ‘I’ll need you to decide to buy this and give me your credit card right now!?’

Of course not. Nobody would be that stupid. Yet, if a picture of a product with a ‘BUY THIS’ button is the first thing the visitor to your site sees, that is exactly what you are doing. Don’t do that.
 

The Giveaway
The goal is to exchange something of value in exchange for an email address to which you can mail in the future.

Don’t give away something for the sake of giving something away. If you give away a free iPad, everybody will sign up (even those people who have no interest in your product).

A sample chapter can work as a giveaway, as those who download a chapter are demonstrating that they do have an interest in your work. Newsletter signups can also work.

The rules are simple. The non-threatening call to action:

1. must be non threatening (of course)
2. must be something your target audience really wants and demonstrates real interest
3. must be easily seen and very hard to miss
5. must be very simple to understand
6. must be non threatening (again)

This is how people buy today. If you are not following the above process, you are probably missing out on a large number of new sales and a real opportunity to build engagement, word of mouth and future sales.

The Free Publicity Focus group is a top ranked marketing and publicity firm. FPFG specializes in helping clients produce real results through the development of no-nonsense, realistic strategic marketing. Get the answers you need. Read more about their no cost, no obligation step by step guide to marketing success. Get more information about this free marketing analysis

Posted by Don McCauley. Visit his profile on Google

The post Book Marketing: Calls To Action For Author Websites appeared first on Free Publicity Focus Group Blog.

Segment #4 in a series

Suppose for a moment you really like the color blue. You like the color blue so much in fact that you wish to turn everything in the world blue. There are 2 ways you could accomplish this:

1. You could get a paintbrush and some paint (a lot of it) and go out there and attempt to paint the entire world blue (the hard way).

2. You could buy some eyeglasses with blue lenses and put them on, thereby seeing everything as blue (the easy way).

How does this relate to book marketing?

In the attempt to attain any goal, there are two ways to go about it – there is a hard way and there is an easy way.

Likewise, there are two ways to go about book marketing – a hard way and an easy way:

1. You can chase the general public around, hoping to find that miniscule percentage of people who might be interested in a particular type of book (the hard way) or

2. You can present your book to those who have already decided to buy a book like yours (the easy way).

In both the above cases, if you choose option 1, you will spend a great deal of time, money and expend a lot of effort to end up with very few results. You might feel good because you are very busy, but it is unlikely you will ever achieve the goal.

If you choose option 2, you will expend far less time, money and effort and the goal can be achieved.

How do we do that?
Through BUYER TARGETED marketing. This is the most powerful form of marketing ever created.

To use buyer targeted marketing effectively, we must first identify those who have already made that book buying decision. So, how do we do THAT?

The answer to that question is covered in detail in this free book marketing report entitled ‘How To Get In Front Of Your Target Audience’.

The Free Publicity Focus group is a top ranked marketing and publicity firm. FPFG specializes in helping clients produce real results through the development of no-nonsense, realistic strategic marketing. Get the answers you need. Read more about their no cost, no obligation step by step guide to marketing success.  Get more information about this free marketing analysis

Posted by Don McCauley. Visit his profile on Google

The post Book Marketing: How To Get In Front Of Book Buyers appeared first on Free Publicity Focus Group Blog.

Book Marketing – success or failure?

Segment 3# in a series

A huge percentage of people use the Internet to make book buying decisions. Even those who still buy books in the ‘real world’ use the Internet to research books before making a book buying decision. For these reasons, a powerful Internet book marketing strategy is an absolute necessity. (Note the phrase “powerful Internet book marketing strategy”).  Unfortunately a huge percentage of people who attempt to sell books on the Internet are not happy with their results. Often this is because they not understand what causes people to a.) become aware of books and to b.) buy books on the Internet. Below are a number of reasons why many book marketing plans fail.

1. Interested Traffic
To sell books, you must have interested traffic to your website or book marketing page. Studies show us that huge numbers of people search for books on the Internet every month. Here are a few examples taken from Google Adwords:

Fiction Novel
Global searches – 368,000

Historical fiction
Global searches – 135,000

Romantic fiction
Global searches – 49,500

Children’s books
Global searches – 823,000

Always remember that searchers will not search on your name or the title of your book. They do not yet know your name or the title of your book. They will use generic phrases such as the ones shown above.

The buyers are there, but can those buyers find you?

Optimization in the form of keyword strategies and content strategies are necessary to bring traffic to your site.  If you have not developed a strategy for keyword optimization and content relevance, buyers most likely will never find your book marketing site.  If you have developed a great site, but buyers cannot find your site when they type in these generic phrases, it is like having a five star restaurant in the back alley on another planet. You will be virtually invisible to those pre-sold buyers.

Remember in today’s marketplace, you’re competing with not just some books but instead with every person selling books on the Internet on planet Earth.  For this reason keyword and content optimization strategies are extremely important.

2. Blogging
Blogging is one of the most efficient ways to offer compelling content to your audience and to be found by your audience.  Unfortunately most people do not optimize their blog to get that traffic.  While a blog may be a great place to offer opinions or stories, the function of a marketing blog is to attract book buyers.  Therefore it is necessary to optimize your book marketing blog for those interested buyers.

Having a blog that is not optimized to bring traffic is like spending hours writing a really great story and then deleting it. If your book marketing blog is not optimized to bring traffic, nobody will find it and subsequently nobody will ever read what you’ve written.

3. Social media
As a general rule, social media can be used in two ways: it can be used as a networking tool or as a marketing tool.  Most people do not use social media to shop. Nevertheless social media can be helpful in creating some awareness with your audience.  But you must use it properly.  You do not want to use it as an advertising tool.

If you use social media to talk only about yourself or your own work, you will likely be seen to be like that guy at the party who never stops talking about himself. This is narcissistic and very boring.

Instead, your social media posts should be optimized for your target audience and should offer them engaging entertainment or related information.  If you’re constantly pitching your book, people will simply stop reading your posts and your social media efforts will be in vain.

4.  Branding
In today’s book marketing environment, every book on the planet is one click away from your buyer. It is extremely urgent that you present a well developed laser sharp brand, and demonstrate to your audience why they should buy your work, as opposed to buying the competition’s book. Failure to do this can result in visitors who never turn into buyers.  If we take all the time and trouble to optimize all our content to bring traffic to our site or blog, only to have those pre-sold book buyers click immediately away, we’ve wasted a great deal of time and effort.

Your brand and your branding statement must clearly demonstrate, in powerful ways, WHY someone should buy your work and what THEY will get from buying your work, as opposed to buying one of the other gazillion books out there.

5.  Non-threatening calls to action

In the real world it is said that a buyer must be exposed to a product or service 7 to 12 times before they will take action.  And these days everyone knows that permission based marketing produces results at higher rates than anything else.  A non-threatening call to action (note the phrase “non-threatening“) accomplishes this goal.

The goal of the non-threatening call to action is to get the buyer to exchange their e-mail address for something that buyer will find to be of value.  This can be a sample of the book, related gifts, or many other things.  When that e-mail address is exchanged, they have in effect given you permission to send more material at a later time.  This allows you to engage with that buyer and to bring that potential buyer back time and time again to make subsequent offers, thereby satisfying the 7 to 12 rule.

If an interested book buyer visits the site, and then clicks away, never to return, you have lost the opportunity to turn that visitor into a buyer.

While the above is greatly simplified for clarity it can serve as a starting point to allow you to begin to uncover problems in your book marketing strategies and approach, and to further explore how to optimize for traffic, develop content strategies, communicate a powerful brand and develop and implement non-threatening calls to action. All of this can greatly improve your Internet book marketing efforts.

The Free Publicity Focus group is a top ranked marketing and publicity firm. FPFG specializes in helping clients produce real results through the development of no-nonsense, realistic strategic marketing. Get the answers you need. Read more about their no cost, no obligation step by step guide to marketing success.  Get more information about this free marketing analysis

Posted by Don McCauley. Visit his profile on Google

The post 5 Reasons Why Your Book Marketing Plan Is Not Working appeared first on Free Publicity Focus Group Blog.