A month and a half until my debut novel hits the shelves and my mind has shifted into marketing mode.
Buzz is on the brain.
In a post titled The Birds and the Bees of Marketing, popular blogger Jody Hedlund defined buzz as the chatter, the excitement, the hype that surrounds our book.
So how can I generate this buzz?
It’s a question I’ve been asking myself a lot lately.
Thankfully, I don’t have to carry the marketing load on my own. Not even close. I happen to have the best in-house marketer in the world. Plus, an amazing in-house publicist and an amazing sales team. These people are doing things I could never even begin to accomplish on my own. They are the epitome of awesome.
But still, I want to do my part. I want to do everything I can to help.
So I’ve been doing a lot of brainstorming. And I’m pretty excited about what’s on the horizon.
Will these ideas work?
Will people respond well?
Will they generate buzz?
Honestly, I have no idea.
But as I dive into the unknown, here’s the biggest, most important lesson I’m learning about marketing:
We can’t be afraid of failure.
Not every idea will work out. Some things will flop. And you know what? That’s okay.
Sure, public failure is embarrassing. Anytime I get a poor response (whether that be to a blog post or a Youtube video or a Facebook update or a contest or whatever), I feel stupid. I find myself second guessing the effort. Maybe even wishing I could take it back.
But here’s the thing.
We’ll never know unless we try.
I remember sitting in a workshop at last year’s ACFW conference, listening to Allen Arnold and Jim Rubart and Julie Gwinn. One of them, I can’t remember who, brought up the Single Ladies Devestation Youtube video posted by Carlos Whittaker. It had millions of hits.
And Allen or Jim or Julie said, “Do you know how many videos he posted before that?”
Moral of the story?
It wasn’t his first.
He’d posted plenty others that languished in obscurity. But he kept publishing videos until one of them went viral. He had no idea that one would become so popular.
All he could do was throw it out there and see.
This is what I’m learning.
We have to be willing to throw things out there. To take risks. To try. Some stuff won’t work out. Hey. No big deal. Shake it off and keep throwing until something sticks.
Let’s Talk: What lessons have you learned about buzz and marketing? What ideas have you tried?
Thanks for this information. I’m not worried about numbers right now (in terms of comments or facebook “likes”). My goal is to practice my craft and hone my authentic voice. When I present questions or post blogs that get the reader to consider a different perspective I’m satisfied in knowing that it’s just been read. Maybe I’m afraid of negative feedback =O When it’s time to publish I’m sure this will change! Praying for your success!
I just spotted this in an old Google post and love it. Thanks for the reminder that we have to keep throwing stuff out there. And as I read it I was thinking, “Keep your ability to laugh at yourself, Patti.” I guess God was sending me a message. I am able to laugh at myself, but I can just as easily take myself too seriously!! ;<)
I loved the youtube example and will be checking it out! Thanks!!
Now that I’m on the other side of my book launch,I’m evaluating my marketing efforts and it seems like the things I spent the most on had the least return. My out of the box marketing idea landed me for a midday television interview and it only took an email! So it’s hard to say what will and will not work! I still have a few marketing efforts out there that if they “work” would be completely amazing and totally God!! But I’m not sitting around waiting for it to happen, I’m on to new things and risk taking…
Wow you are really hanging in there. Can you imagine yourself being interviewed on Good Morning America. I can. OK good luck, Edward Smith
You read a lot about online promotion and I think there’s a lot to it. But I’m promoting my first novel right now (Scrapbook of Secrets) and many of the people I’ve been meeting at events are not online at all and have no idea what Twitter even is. So I think there is a real balance we have to hit. Those in person events are key. Great post!
Don’t be afraid, and go for it!
You book will be a big hit, Katie!
Sorry that should be *your* book – tricky fingers tonight.
I am not in need of marketing yet, but I’m sure it is scary to step out and do things you’ve never done before. You have such a great support group that your book will do awesome! Can’t wait!!!
This doesn’t have anything to do with writing or marketing, but when you talked about not knowing what will take off, I thought about a picture I recently shared on Facebook and then pinned on Pinterest that has gotten more comments, likes and repins than anything I think I’ve ever posted. What’s in the photograph? A cedar tree a couple blocks from our house that is covered in Wisteria and looks to me like a gigantic purple mushroom. Go figure!
It is a lot of work to market a book: calling radio stations, sending out letters and books, calling up school districts for author visits, libraries, bookstores.
Ugh!
It was hard for me last year to market my book especially because I still work full time.
But social media did help and now I have a better following than I did at this time last year. So, hopefully, when the next book comes out, It’ll be a little easier!
Bes of luck to you!
You’ve got a lot of little bees willing to help you buzz, chica. 🙂 Count me among those!
Wise words, Katie. Keep trying until something sticks. Then keep trying some more. I’m watching what you and others try to learn a great deal. So very excited for you!
I am so with you–we have to try! How else will we learn? Not everything I do succeeds, but it helps me narrow down what DOES succeed, and that’s just as important. Good for you!!
Yes, I’m with Heather, above…we all have those posts we wish we hadn’t hit “publish” on, or those comments we made on someone else’s blog that don’t reflect us in our best light. Every mistake helps us do better the next time! And I think you’re doing a great job w/marketing, Katie! You know I want to read your book!
Thanks Heather!!
But isn’t to nice to know we’re human and mistakes happen? 😮
I’ve learned a lot about marketing from other authors and how *I* like to be approached as a reviewer. I’ve learned a lot before I hit the point where I need to be active.
I think there is a huge difference between marketing and just being annoying. Which is such a fine line. I’m trying to learn it now with the start of my new Etsy shop. It’s a challenge!
A challenge for sure! The line is a very fine one!
I’m a marketer by trade these days as part of a nonprofit development team, but it’s a whole different thing thinking of marketing myself. 🙂 But, it’s about building relationships, isn’t it? And I suppose all relationships have those awkward, embarrassing moments (like a flop of a blog or video)…so probably the best thing to do is expect those moments to come with the territory and then simply…laugh. 🙂
You know…I’ve never thought about it this way.
Not the relationship thing. I definitely think about that. I want to be available to my readers and build a relationship with them. But I never thought about how every real-life relationship has those awkward moments. So why should we expect the same in this new format? Great insight Melissa!
I love your honesty here. If I ever release a book, I’m sure I’ll be feeling the same way!
It reminds me of the old saying: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”
I’ve worked in marketing for a home builder for over seven years, and I consider myself pretty good at my job. When it comes to marketing myself or my books, I get stuck. I know how to market; I just don’t know how to market myself.
I must have missed that post by Jody. Very helpful! Speaking of helpful… I haven’t yet had to worry about buzz and marketing, so I have nothing to contribute in the way of advice, but I sure will be cheering you on, my friend! I agree with Keli, you wrote a great story, and word of mouth is sure to be a BIG piece of the marketing puzzle for you. 😀
Thanks Barb!
“Sure, public failure is embarrassing. I find myself second guessing the effort. Maybe even wishing I could take it back.” – It’s so funny. I’ve felt those things – Wishing I could take a blog post back or regretting a stand I took on an issue, but you know what? We look at our own shortcomings way more harsh than anyone else does. Most people have forgotten a bad 5am blog post by 5:05 a.m. We just have to pick ourselves back up and keep moving forward. The “next” post, YouTube video, or public appearance will create the buzz we’re after. Because you’re right about one thing, we have to take the risk and keep putting things out there, or we’re sure to flop.
I’m so excited for your big release day!!!
“Most people have forgotten a bad 5am blog post by 5:05 a.m. ”
LOL, I love this, Heather! So true!
You’re so right, Heather. We notice our flops way more than others do. I’m pretty sure people aren’t stalking my Facebook page wondering why I only got three comments on a Would You Rather question. 😉
which is a good thing b/c I clearly spelled embarrass wrong above. 😉
That’s great you have some awesome supportive staff behind your efforts. Can’t wait to see what you do!
It’s a good thing I don’t embarras easily! 😉
Because I sure like taking risks and trying new things.
~ Wendy
I’m watching the marketing and promo efforts of you and others, Katie, and learning heaps. One thing that’s struck me is that whatever I do, it has be authentic. It has to be me. If not, it’s likely it won’t work well.
Some people can’t stand the idea of doing book signings, considering them to be a waste of time. Me? I love the idea of meeting readers face-to-face and encouraging them to pursue their dreams just as they’re helping me achieve mine. Will you see me hiring a pricey promotion firm to run a contest? Nope. At this early state of my career, my teacher hubby and I can’t afford to pay the thousands of dollars that option would require.
I’m eager to see the choices you make, Katie. I feel certain you’re going to do an awesome job promoting your book. But the thing that’s going to sell it better than anything else is the fact that you wrote a great story readers are sure to love. How do I know that? Cuz I won an ARC and got to read it months ago. =)
Thanks Keli!!