Majanka Verstraete's Blog - Posts Tagged "target-audience"
Marketing Tip: Start with a Marketing Plan
A lot of authors agree that marketing is the hardest part about being an author. I mean, we got into this business because we wanted to write, not because we wanted to market. Unfortunately, one thing requires the other if you really want to succeed. So we put on our brave hats and struggle through the dark cave of marketing, trying to find the dragon’s treasure, the one key that makes our books successful.
Unfortunately, it isn’t that easy. Marketing is tough. It’s a grind. You have to be at it daily, you have to find your niche, your fanbase, and then you have to find some way to expand that. Creativity, originality and resourcefulness is key.
That’s why you need a marketing plan. A marketing plan is your life line. Ideally, you get started on it months before your first book releases, but we don’t all live in an ideal word. Even if your book has been out for months, or years, it’s not too late to get started on your marketing plan.
Open up an empty MS Word document (or whatever you prefer), and let’s start brainstorming. There are some key elements every marketing plan needs, and we’re going to describe them here in detail.
1. Description of your book
Start with a small description of your book. Think about what you are promoting, what genre/market you will promote it to, and what makes your book stand out from the crowd. If possible, add in an elevator pitch as well. Think of an elevator pitch as a 10-second pitch you’d use to describe your book if someone asked about it in line for Starbucks. It needs to be short, precise, and to the point.
I’ll give you an example for my book, “The Doll Maker”.
The Doll Maker is a scary lower grade chapter book aimed at both boys and girls, that can be read as a stand-alone and focuses on young protagonists who do not back down in the face of danger.
Elevator Pitch: A doll shop opens in town, and Derek’s sister wants one of their dolls. However, the doll has strange powers, and Derek grows convinced it’s alive. Is there a tie-in to the mysterious dissapearances in town?
In the first part, the description, I focused on:
What I am promoting: The Doll Maker
Genre: scary lower grade chapter book
Market: boys and girls, lower graders, who enjoy scary books
What makes the book stand out: can be read as a stand-alone, focuses on young protagonists who do not back down in the face of danger
My elevator pitch focuses more on the story and content. This is what I want to tell potential readers. The description is what is important for me. Keep your elevator pitch under fifty words, and two-three sentences (preferably).
2. Define Your Target Market
Describe your ideal reader. What are their interests? Who are they influenced by? Where do they spend their time online and offline?
Even though you might consider your book to be a ‘must’ for everyone, you need to narrow your focus. Find your core target audience. For instance, my target audience would obviously be children. But adults may read my books as well – maybe when they’re reading it to their children, or their cousins, grandchildren, etc.
Target Market: The ideal reader for The Doll Maker would be 7-11 years old, and have an interest in scary books and horror. He/She is not easily afraid. The book is aimed at both boys and girls.
Next, describe how you plan to reach your target market. For me, since my target market are children, and they aren’t often online, or if they are, they do not have money to purchase books, I need to reach the parents first.
Parents: I need to target parents who enjoy scary reads themselves, and who want to share their passion with their kids. They need to have kids age 7-11.
Reach target market: Write blog posts aimed at parents (about topics that tie in with the books). For The Doll Maker, write posts about famous haunted dolls, movies featuring haunted dolls, haunted dolls in literature, etc.
Read the rest of the post here: http://majankaverstraete.com/2014/08/...
Unfortunately, it isn’t that easy. Marketing is tough. It’s a grind. You have to be at it daily, you have to find your niche, your fanbase, and then you have to find some way to expand that. Creativity, originality and resourcefulness is key.
That’s why you need a marketing plan. A marketing plan is your life line. Ideally, you get started on it months before your first book releases, but we don’t all live in an ideal word. Even if your book has been out for months, or years, it’s not too late to get started on your marketing plan.
Open up an empty MS Word document (or whatever you prefer), and let’s start brainstorming. There are some key elements every marketing plan needs, and we’re going to describe them here in detail.
1. Description of your book
Start with a small description of your book. Think about what you are promoting, what genre/market you will promote it to, and what makes your book stand out from the crowd. If possible, add in an elevator pitch as well. Think of an elevator pitch as a 10-second pitch you’d use to describe your book if someone asked about it in line for Starbucks. It needs to be short, precise, and to the point.
I’ll give you an example for my book, “The Doll Maker”.
The Doll Maker is a scary lower grade chapter book aimed at both boys and girls, that can be read as a stand-alone and focuses on young protagonists who do not back down in the face of danger.
Elevator Pitch: A doll shop opens in town, and Derek’s sister wants one of their dolls. However, the doll has strange powers, and Derek grows convinced it’s alive. Is there a tie-in to the mysterious dissapearances in town?
In the first part, the description, I focused on:
What I am promoting: The Doll Maker
Genre: scary lower grade chapter book
Market: boys and girls, lower graders, who enjoy scary books
What makes the book stand out: can be read as a stand-alone, focuses on young protagonists who do not back down in the face of danger
My elevator pitch focuses more on the story and content. This is what I want to tell potential readers. The description is what is important for me. Keep your elevator pitch under fifty words, and two-three sentences (preferably).
2. Define Your Target Market
Describe your ideal reader. What are their interests? Who are they influenced by? Where do they spend their time online and offline?
Even though you might consider your book to be a ‘must’ for everyone, you need to narrow your focus. Find your core target audience. For instance, my target audience would obviously be children. But adults may read my books as well – maybe when they’re reading it to their children, or their cousins, grandchildren, etc.
Target Market: The ideal reader for The Doll Maker would be 7-11 years old, and have an interest in scary books and horror. He/She is not easily afraid. The book is aimed at both boys and girls.
Next, describe how you plan to reach your target market. For me, since my target market are children, and they aren’t often online, or if they are, they do not have money to purchase books, I need to reach the parents first.
Parents: I need to target parents who enjoy scary reads themselves, and who want to share their passion with their kids. They need to have kids age 7-11.
Reach target market: Write blog posts aimed at parents (about topics that tie in with the books). For The Doll Maker, write posts about famous haunted dolls, movies featuring haunted dolls, haunted dolls in literature, etc.
Read the rest of the post here: http://majankaverstraete.com/2014/08/...
