Book marketing is like brushing your teeth – you have to do it every day.
(Please click on image to enlarge.)
If you take nothing else away from these last few posts, please let it be the idea that your marketing efforts must be consistent. Are you old enough to have heard the expression “sounds like a broken record”? Records – shiny vinyl disks from which music flowed, once upon a time. No not CDs – bigger. Before cassettes. Before 8-tracks. Records. Look it up on Wikipedia. Anyway, they were played using a needle (yes, kind of like a sewing needle … oh, wait, never mind), and the needle sometimes skipped, causing the record to get stuck and the words to repeat.
My mom used to love to tell my sister and me we sounded like broken records when we’d whine about the things kids whine about. It used to bug me, but right now, I embrace the comparison because I really, really, really want you to understand the importance of consistency in your book marketing campaign. Honestly, if you’re not going to be consistent, you’d probably better not start at all. Every SBM* is willing to make a committed, consistent effort, no matter what else is vying for their attention.
What is the most consistent action you can take? Doing something every day. Not necessarily the same thing, so that you get bored, but commit to taking at least ONE step in your marketing campaign daily. Remember, your goal is to build a platform of people who are clamoring to buy your book as soon as it’s available. If your platform right now is on the teeny-tiny side, you’ve got no time to lose to start meeting people and telling them about your book. We’ve already talked about finding time vs. making time, and where/how to squeeze it all in. Just get committed and get started.
And then once you get started and have some momentum behind you, keep up the good work!
See you Monday!
MARCIE
*Savvy Book Marketer
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I completely agree. With new books flooding the market everyday, authors must do all they can to stand out, and that usually means promoting your book everyday in one way or another. Social media has been king for me.
Hi, James –
I (Laura, not Marcie) went to grade school with a boy named James Lewis! Catholic school – Phoenix, Arizona – MANY years ago…
Social media should be a very important aspect of any author’s marketing plan. You say it’s king for you – would you mind sharing what you have found to be the most useful aspect of SMM?
Laura (aka Marcie)
[…] Everyday Activities – Your example could be an everyday activity – something that is part of your weekly routine, like brushing your teeth, driving to work, going to the gym, or making dinner. Since most people have similar routines, they’ll relate to your example, and enjoy the post. Here are a couple of examples: Give Your Business the Workout of Its Life and Book marketing is like brushing your teeth – you have to do it every day. […]