The following UnderstandingMarketing.com column illustrates how one person has been successfully using guerrilla marketing tactics to promote a self-published title.
When it comes to marketing my new book it has been guerrilla marketing all the way. I did not have time to wait for others to validate what I had to say or give permission for my writing, so I self-published and planned how I was going to get the product out.
First and foremost I did not go into marketing blindly. I used a specific scale and formulas for organizing my entire project and then began to follow them. Second, I designed the cover to be bright and appealing to the eye. I thought about people referring to my book and I wanted them to have visual specifics to remember. Next, having a web site was most important. People needed to visit the project any time they made time. I got promo cards made that resembled the book, gave a little blurb about the content, and told where and how the book could be purchased. Now I was ready to start.
I opened social networks in Facebook, Myspace, and Ning for starters. I started a Facebook Fan Club too. This is how I developed a following for the book and made people aware of the topic. I began discussions on other prominent websites that dealt with the book’s topic and got tremendous response. I then scheduled appearances at events that were well publicized and relevant to my product. I had an attractive display and my assistants and I wore colors to match the cover if the book and all promo. We were attractive to the eye to say the least. I developed mailing lists for people to sign at the events, with the book cover on each side. Mailing lists are golden because they are people’s permission to contact them even after their signing. From these I created my database for the book’s following. We made a definite impact wherever we went.
Really important and potentially challenging to come by was my “media liaison.” This young lady saw me on Facebook, loved the work and began networking for me like mad. From her participation came organized, videotaped book discussions, a presence on YouTube, commercials for the book, invites to the discussions by prominent figures, radio interviews and articles in print media. She was a direct result of that scale I followed in the beginning of the project.
My web designer made sure I had Stat Counter to monitor how many visits to the site I had and I realized that visits were particularly high after good radio shows with people that called in. Outside of all this, I speak to people about my book daily. I pass out my card and give one to every mom I can. I post on public bulletin boards and make posters with my picture telling people that I wrote a book and how they can get it. What’s been most effective is outright asking followers on Face Book to buy the book. This is where the bulk of our sales have come from and it is only the beginning of the journey.
Editor’s Note: Asadah is the author of “Beat Black Kids,” which is a book about not having to beat children to discipline them. Combing her 15-year expertise as an educator and her experience as a single mom, she developed a riveting book that generates immediate attention and gives viable solutions for handling a controversial issue confronted by major media sources to date.
Additional resources that may help:
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