X Steps to Promotion Success #atozchallenge

Staff selling IITA promotional items during Open Day 2010 (Photo credit: IITA Image Library)

Here's an overview of the promotional process as I see it:

I.  Create and develop:  Come up with your idea.  Produce a workable prototype.  Write your book.  Have in hand whatever it is that you will be promoting.

II. Believe in your product:   Once you've got your product/book to the final stage ready to promote, then believe in it!  If you don't believe in it strongly enough you'd better go back to tweak it until you do believe in it.  Why would anyone believe in what you've got to offer if you don't believe in it with all your heart, mind, and soul.  Also, believe in yourself--this is sometimes the most difficult part.

III.  Dream into doing something:   Visualize how you might get this product on the market and how it might be marketed to success.   Dream productively, but don't waste too much time with idle pipedreams.   Dreams can hold you back if you let them consume you.  Instead, dream enough to inspire you and propel you forward.

IV.  Research your promotional steps and venues:  After the dream, focus on the realities.   Investigate everything you need to do with promotion and the channels you will need to pursue.   Read books and trade magazines, explore the internet, and talk to people who know.   Ask questions and seek advice.  Get all the knowledge you can arm yourself with before heading out into the fray.

V.  Plan your course of action and strategize:   Take the knowledge you have gained and map out your strategy.  Write out a plan of action and schedule everything so you can approach your targets in logical progression.  Don't try to schedule too much at once.  A steady long range promotion is usually better than a big bang that fizzles quickly and uses all of your resources at one time.

VI.  Act!:   Once you're fired up and have your plan laid out, then act on it.  Only stop if absolutely necessary.  If you've planned appropriately then things should go just fine.  Don't let setbacks throw you off course.  If you have alternate plans and detours built into your schedule then you should be able to deal with any changes.  Have a mind for improvisation as well.  Once you're underway, don't lose momentum.

VII.  Get others interested:   Now that you're fired up and a powerhouse of promotional force in action, draw others into the excitement.  Tell others what you are doing and find out what they can do to help you promote.   Word of mouth is the best promotion you can find.   When others are talking then more ears are listening.  Don't forget the blog action such as tours and reviews.    This step can also be started earlier or combined with previous actions

VIII.  Stay motivated:   Don't get discouraged if things don't start out well or start dragging.  Take breaks if you need to, but keep stoking the fire of enthusiasm.  Don't forget that what you are promoting is something that you believe in and want others to know about.   Align yourself with people who will help boost your spirits and keep you motivated.   Avoid the negative forces that will hold you back.  Keep smiling and hold your head high.

IX.  Follow-up and evaluate:   After a reasonable period--the first month for example--stop for a session at home or in your office to look behind you to see what you've accomplished.   This step should actually be built into your strategic plan.  If you have milestones to help measure your progress then it becomes easier to evaluate what you've done.   Be sure to follow-up with those you have contacted to see how their role in the promotion is playing out.  Call on those who expressed previous interest but were noncommittal to see if they are willing to help now.    Don't let the groundwork you've laid behind you get overgrown with the weeds of time.   Keep the past contacts up to date and evaluate the present to see where to go next.

X.   Review and renew:     After you've done your evaluation of efforts so far, it's time to review the data and renew your enthusiasm.  This is where you start asking the questions about what is working and what is not. Answer honestly and don't be afraid to ask others what they think.  Don't lie dormant too long.  If you're not happy about the success so far then it's time to forge onward.   Start back at step one and plan your new strategy.    By this time you're probably a pro at promoting and the job is much easier.

          What steps have I left out?    What steps might you eliminate or rely on others to do?   Have you approached promotional matters in this way or have you taken a different approach?

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Understand As Much As You Can #atozchallenge

Listen, Understand, Act (Photo credit: highersights)

           Often we may make mistakes or go into something with inadequate preparation because we don't understand what we're dealing with.  Looking inward to understand ourselves and looking outward to understand the marketplace and the world in general can help us to avoid wasting a lot of time, effort, and money.   Observing and absorbing as much as we are able will arm us for readiness when we are called to action.

           My biggest mistakes in the past have been relying on my own intuition and taste.   I've gotten excited about  a project and jumped right in without fully doing the research to find out how much of a need there was for the product I was promoting or if I was promoting it in the best way.  Groping my way blindly through promotion has been a recipe for big failure.   Just because I believe in my big dream doesn't mean that everyone else will care about it.

          It's important to understand that not everyone likes what you like and if there is not a strong market in place ready to receive what you have to offer, you will have to create that market yourself or adapt what you have for the market that is there.  Promotion is often an experiment. You've probably heard the term "test market".   That's what you might have to start with.

         We can't be expected to know everything there is about marketing and promotion.  And even when we think we know something, we find out that what we thought we knew doesn't work in every case.  The best we can do is use the knowledge we have and what knowledge we can gain from others.  Every promotion is part of a learning process.  

          If you fail, gain an understanding of the reasons for your failure.  And when you succeed take notice of what worked to gain an understanding of things to do when you are ready to promote again.  Business is rarely an absolute sure thing.    If you understand as much as you can about what you are doing, then you have a better chance of finishing a winner.

          Do you do careful research before starting something that is new to you?     Have you had a time when what you believed strongly in did not turn out the way you anticipated?    What advice would you give to someone who is ready to start promoting something?  

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Stand By to Stand In #atozchallenge

Regional Conference (Photo credit: Earthworm)

         A few years ago I noticed in the newspaper that a major national event was occurring in my area.  This was the first I had ever heard of this event and it was only a couple weeks away.  Since it had to do with blogging and social media I was interested in going.  However tickets were rather expensive so I wasn't sure that I could afford to go.

          Intent on finding a way to attend, I did some research and discovered that the event was going to include a number seminars and presentations.  Earlier that year was the first big A to Z Challenge and since I was keen on trying to promote the upcoming Challenge I thought that A to Z might be of interest to those attending the social media event.   An idea came to me.

          I contacted some of the organizers of the event to let them know that I would be happy to stand in for any no shows that were on their lineup if they would provide me with show passes.   They declined on my offer to fill in since they had it all covered, but they sent me the passes.

         At the event I was able to make a number of contacts that have proven useful to me, to meet several bloggers, and to pick up some cool swag at the booths.    I didn't make the mark I had hoped to, but I at least established a foothold.

         There have been a number of times in my life when I've seen an opening that needed to be filled and have offered my services to help out.   This action has never hurt me and has sometimes helped in big ways.  When I stand by in readiness to fill a slot that needs filling, I can step in to use what I've prepared for and become a hero in the eyes of others.  This is a promotional opportunity that is worth jumping on when it's available to you.

         Contact the places where you could benefit from promotional exposure for you or your product and let them know about your abilities, your proximity to them, and your willingness to be on call if they ever needed you.   If you're a writer you can contact libraries, senior citizen centers, educational facilities, or civic organizations to have them put your name on their files in case your services are ever needed.  

          Be sure to have a presentation prepared in case you are contacted.   Keep a power-point program on a portable drive if you use this type of medium.  Have a presentation kit in readiness with any materials that you might need.   Once you have the show put together, rehearsed, and ready to take to the public you might even be emboldened to be the main attraction on your own without being just a fill-in.

        Take advantage of no shows.  Be willing to stand in for others.  This willingness can create a good name for you and help you in your promotions.

          Have you ever stood in for a no-show?    Have you ever conducted an event where a featured guest did not show up and if so how did you handle the situation?   What rewards have come to you by stepping up to the plate when someone else wasn't able to fulfill their obligations?  

Battle of the Bands Result

       The result of last week's Battle of the Bands (click on the link if you don't know what I'm referring to) is really not too much of a surprise.  Between the two versions of the song "Message in a Bottle" John Mayer managed to win 6 votes from those of you who were either not big Police fans and just preferred the more mellow sound.    I had to vote for the version by the Police because it's the one I liked since it first came out and though Mayer does a fine job his version just doesn't beat the original for me.  All votes counted, the Police win with 17 votes.

       To recap:   John Mayer 6 and Police 17.

Next Battle of the Bands will be on Thursday May 1st.  Please join me for that one.

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Road Trippin' Promotion #atozchallenge

           Road trippin' promotion may not be for you if you don't want to or can't travel, but it's a concept that can work if you put some good planning and creative thought behind it.  This marketing method can be done in many different ways so it all depends on what resources you have to work with and who you have to work with you.

            What I'm talking about is taking your promotion on the road to bring it directly to a wider audience.  Staying within your own community can severely limit your ability to reach out to customers on a face to face basis.  For example, if you're an author, a tour of book signings and speaking engagements can have a lot of impact on your sales numbers.   When you manage to get onsite engagements it can be easier to secure radio, television, or other media interview slots.  Making your rounds geographically in person gives you some real marketing advantages.

           The ideal situation is to have an agent or marketing rep who can set up all of this for you--something that most of us don't have.   So how can you do something like this?  Travel is an expensive proposition when you factor in transportation, accommodations, food, and anything else you require while on the road.  How can the average person do something like this?

          With relatively modest means a person can take to the road on their own.  Put a tour plan together that entails visiting places that might be open to letting you set up a table, speak to a group, or participate in a special event.  It's best to check out possibilities on the internet or other resources and contact people ahead of time.  Start with a 100 mile radius from your home to test your abilities and the market.  If things go well you can widen your circle.   You can set up a schedule for fixed period like a week or two or just experiment with weekends.

         Another possible approach is to squeeze some promotional time into travel that you were planning to do anyway.   This may not appeal to everyone, but usually there is some down time during a vacation that can easily be used for promotional work.   Especially if you're driving and not in too much of a hurry, you can discover small shops that might be an ideal outlet for your product.   The hotel where you're staying might work.  And don't forget restaurants.  See what people are willing to do to help you.  You might be surprised.

        An author friend of mine tells the story of when he was flying somewhere and he left cheap promotional copies of his book on every seat in the plane.  That didn't work so well, but if he had focused on people whom he saw reading and struck up a conversation with them leaving them a book or even a bookmark he might have gained a few new readers.  Gumption and opportunity is the key.  If you've got 'em then use 'em.

       There is so much more that I could say about putting travel and promotion together, but I need to keep this blog post relatively short.  I realize that this is a method that might not work or appeal to all of you, but if you like traveling and have something to promote you might want to brainstorm on this concept.  It might be easier and more fun than you think.   Dreaming about it won't hurt.  Putting a road trippin' promotion plan into action might be just the thing you need to kick off sales in a big way and have fun traveling at the same time.

        It's bold but it is workable.

          Do you like to travel?   Can you organize trip details well?    Do you mind mixing business with pleasure?    

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Play Peek-a-boo #atozchallenge

P1040749 (Photo credit: 150hp)

   
         You've probably played "Peek-a-boo" with babies or little children.  They delight in the element of anticipated surprise and revel in the attention they receive.  Good marketing entails audience involvement with the added element of expectancy.   Let the marketing audience sense that something is coming and then use their sense of anticipation to "surprise" them.   If your targeted audience is having fun with your promotional campaign then you have a better chance of winning them over to your side.

          With more on this concept I'm joined once again by Nicole Zoltack who is currently promoting the upcoming release of her book White Hellebore.

Peek-a-boo Promoting

Marketing isn't always fun and games, but it can be.

Sometimes less is more. One way to lure people into your cover reveal is to do one atypically, such as to stretch it out by revealing a few puzzle pieces over a couple of days before revealing the cover in all of its glory.

Sneak peeks, deleted scenes, anything behind-the-scenes work well to get a reader hooked with your story. You want readers to be invested in you and your story.

Look at the special features on DVDs. Those bonus features can spark ideas for ways you can up your ante with marketing, making it fun for both you and potential readers.

Just make your games creative and catchy and soon everyone will be playing peek-a-boo with you.

What marketing games have you tried or want to try for your next book release?      Do you like promotion related contests?     Can you think of a "Peek-a-boo Promotion" that you've seen used as a marketing strategy?

Take a Peek at White Hellebore

BLURB: After destroying Skull Krusher, Nicholas Adams thinks Falledge is safe and becomes a security guard at the museum, watching a valuable statue. Unfortunately, the Egyptian statue houses the soul of a scorned witch, biding her time to have her revenge on the descendants of her cheating lover.

Kiya the witch isn't the only new foe in town as the drug that created Skull Krusher has now transformed a scientist into yet another monster, forcing Nicholas to don his Black Hellebore mask again and save Falledge.

Nicholas has no help this time as Kiya gains possession of his love Julianna's body and brings the soul of Justina, Nicholas's high school sweetheart and Julianna's twin, with her. Despite himself, Nicholas is torn between the sisters. If he can't stop the fiends from taking over the world and destroying humankind, he'd never be able to find lasting, true love.

Add it on Goodreads!   https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21912639-white-hellebore

About the Author:    Nicole Zoltack loves to write in many genres, especially romance, whether fantasy, paranormal, or regency. When she’s not writing about knights, superheroes, or zombies, she loves to spend time with her loving husband and three energetic young boys. She enjoys riding horses (pretending they’re unicorns, of course!) and going to the PA Renaissance Faire, dressed in garb. She’ll also read anything she can get her hands on. Her current favorite TV show is The Walking Dead. To learn more about Nicole and her writing, visit http://NicoleZoltack.blogspot.com

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Message in a Bottle (#atozchallenge & Battle of the Bands)

        A marketing campaign is unlikely to be successful if the outreach is limited.  If you stuff your promo message in a bottle and throw it into the ocean waiting for someone to find it, you might be waiting a long time and there's a good chance that it will never be seen.   The message you want to send out to the marketplace needs to be one that will be seen by the largest possible audience.  Also the message has to have impact to be effective.

         You can buy advertising if you've got the budget, but in many cases that budget will be small.  To get the most mileage for your marketing dollar be sure to have a decent press kit or at least send out press releases to the sources you think might be most apt to use them.

         Make contact with people you know to see if they can help.  If your sister has a friend who has a cousin who has an in-law in the radio business see if you can snag a radio interview.  In other words enlist the aid of those who could possibly be of any help to you.

          Be willing to try innovative experiments to deliver your message, but be sensible as well.   Most people will never hear of you or your product if you don't take action to get the word out to them.

Battle of the Bands:  Message In A Bottle

          A message in a bottle might not be a good marketing tactic, but it makes for a nice romantic story.  It is also is the basis of the classic song written by Sting.   This Battle of the Bands pits two different versions of "Message in a Bottle" in contest to decide on the readers' favorite.

          This is another edition of the twice monthly feature The Battle of the Bands.   First conceived by Faraway Eyes at Far Away Series and joined by Stephen T. McCarthy at Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends, I've been also joining in the Battles on the 1st and 15th of each month to add my own twists on the musical mix.   Others join in now and then--you will find some of those blogs at the end of this post--and you are welcome to stage your own Battle as well--just let us know in the comments so we'll come visit your contest.

          Here's how it works:  You listen to the song versions we offer on our sites and for each battle you vote for your favorite version in the comments and let us know why you picked that version.  Winners of each Battle will be announced on each site sometime next week.  I'll announce mine on Tuesday April 22nd. Fun, easy, and even a bit educational.   So let's get started:  


The Police  "Message in a Bottle"  (1979)

        This song first appeared on Reggatta de Blanc, the second album by the Police.  Sting has been quoted as saying that this is his favorite Police song.






John Mayer "Message in a Bottle" (2003)

        Next a more mellow take by singer/guitarist John Mayer.






Now Vote!

        Which version do you prefer?   Tell us in the comments and let us know why you prefer this version.  Then visit the other Battle of the Band participants.

  Here are some other bloggers who may or may not be participating in the Battle of the Bands:

         Faraway Series
         Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
         Your Daily Dose
         DiscConnected
            Donna Hole
            SteveIsHungry 

   
        What are some of the ways that you've delivered marketing messages?   Have you ever helped someone else spread the word about their product or cause?     Do you still read newspapers?


         

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Free Your Mind #atozchallenge

Man thinking on a train journey. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

         Some of the most successful promotional campaigns have been the result of out-of-the-box thinking.  We can get so restricted to traditional advertising methods that our efforts become tired and stale, lacking in effectiveness.   People tend to eventually ignore what they've seen over and over, but surprise them with something totally unexpected then you've got their attention again.

         This is not to say that we should give up on all media efforts.  There is something to be said for that persistent media campaign if you can afford it.  But media can be very expensive and often we may not have the resources to maintain a media push that is effective.

         Use your noggin to think up other angles for attention getting.  Blogging and social media campaigns are fine to attain an initial outreach on a limited scale, but you are mostly restricted by the size of the community that you've built or have become a part of.   Distribute your time and resources through a number of outlets.

          No idea is necessarily too crazy to think about, though you do want to carefully think through particularly wild ideas before executing them.   Wild ideas can be toned down to make them work for who you are. Attention getting is what you want so long as it is good attention.  Bounce your ideas off of others you trust to get feedback.  

           Don't be afraid to use your imagination when planning promotional strategy.  Decide on how you want to portray yourself or your product to the marketplace and then let your mind run free.

           Are you willing to take chances?    What are the best free or low cost options you can think of in promotions?    What is the craziest thing you've ever done for the sake of promotion?

What Works?...and what doesn't

What's Happening?
         
        Anyone who has been following my blog for some time is probably aware of my keen interest in the topics of marketing and promotion and how the two can be used effectively in blogging.  I'm not going to delve too deeply into my own thoughts on marketing as you can do a search of my blog under the terms "marketing" or "promotion" and come up with plenty of posts on those and related topics.  

        In fact my A to Z theme in 2012 was marketing and promotion and those posts would be a good place to find out some of my thoughts on the subject as well as get an idea of what the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge is about.   If you want to read the first installment of that series you'll find it here and then just continue on if you want more.

        The current blog event is about what you bloggers think and have to say about marketing, promotion, and related ideas.  There's no magic formula that I know of that makes for successful marketing.  Sometimes what works in one instance may fall flat in another.   Other times totally absurd ideas may work in a big way. Some ideas are fairly tried and true while others are just a shot in the dark.  Sometimes they work and and sometimes they don't.

       With What Works....and what doesn't we want to get some idea of what some of you may have actually tried or observed.   We hope to learn some of your philosophies, psychological insights, hard factual data, or your pipe dreams about marketing.   We want to try to figure out What Works...

Why What Works...?

     In November Yolanda Renée and I were having an email interchange about the guest post she did at my dream blog, A Faraway View.  We were examining stats and experimenting with different tactics to see what worked in drawing visitors to the site.  A Faraway View typically is a low activity blog, but our combined efforts brought considerably more viewers to her post than I usually get.   Though the numbers for that post are still low, through our combined marketing efforts the post garnered some of the highest views and most comments of any other post on that site.  Was it due to our marketing efforts?

          During the course of our exchange I came up with what I thought might be a good idea for a blog event.   The "blogfest" should have a wide range of interest among most of our followers since we all are promoting something whether we admit to it or not.   This would not be just a fun blogging exercise, but " a blogfest with information you can use."

        The premise would be for participants to tell about a marketing idea they've used that worked or one that didn't work.  Their post could describe a campaign that succeeded in a big or small way or one that failed drastically.  This wouldn't only be limited to authors but also apply to those who have gone into business,  observed in another business campaign, participated in an organizational event, helped their kids with a fundraiser, or anything where a bit of promotion was necessary.  In other words this is a blogfest anyone could participate in and everyone can learn from.  Posts can be informational, a personal experience account, or a funny marketing story.  Experience gained from a promotional effort in one area can have applications in other efforts.  

         The ultimate goal is to learn what others have done right that we all can use and what to avoid.  Hopefully we can get marketing stats like Yolanda and I were doing in our study and other hard data that might be compiled into specific or fairly decent conclusions.   We want to know What Works... and I'm sure many of you would find this type of information useful as well.

Also Brought to You By:

         Since I've had more than a few interchanges on the subject of marketing with my good friend Jeremy Hawkins, I contacted him to bring his knowledge to the table.  I know Jeremy is very interested in marketing since he has a number of ventures going.   His artistic expertise provided us with a super cool logo for the event.

        And of course no great blogging event would be complete without Alex J. Cavanaugh.   Alex has mastered the art of cross promotion, building his name, blog recognition, and brand by promoting others.  I owe a special thanks to Alex for being at the helm of this event while I was on vacation and during my subsequent illness.  That's why we call him "The Captain".

Be sure to check out all the blogs of the hosts.  And if for some reason the Linky List does not appear on my page you should be able to find it on theirs:

Arlee Bird - http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/

Yolanda Renee - http://yolandarenee.blogspot.com/

Jeremy Hawkins - http://www.beingretro.com/

Alex J. Cavanaugh - http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/

Now let's find out What Works...and what doesn't.  
Here's the list of participants!  

<!-- end LinkyTools script –> *****
Remember--if you don't see the Linky List here then check the other participating sites.  I've been having some computer problems.

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