HAS MARKETING BECOME A 4-LETTER WORD? (Part 2)

QUESTION: Is it easier to build a following of 10,000 people or get 10 people with 1000 followers each to share something exciting about your book? Or 20 people with 500 followers?

 

Time to assemble your TRIBE!

A Tribe by any other name

Launch Team
Street Team




Advocates


Any other name you want or like—use it!


What is a Tribe?

An organized group of fans who are dedicated to the success of your book!


How do you find your Tribe?

Start close to home and work outward. Friends, family, and co-workers
Believe it or not, you already have a substantial number of fans. Most will buy your book no matter what. Recruit them and ask them to help excite others and perhaps recruit a few as well.




How large your Tribe is, depends on you.


Can you have too few?
Can you have too many?


Dos & don’ts with your Tribe

DO make your Tribe an exclusive club. People genuinely want to feel they are part of something special, make them feel that way.
DON’T try to bribe them with some big prize. Treat them with dignity. If they don’t genuinely WANT to help you succeed, you don’t want them!




DO give them an advance copy of your book—print or eBook, but be selective.

Ask them to leave a review-good, bad, or indifferent-and ask them to post it on your book’s release date. ***




DO set expectations and ground rules from the start.

Be clear what you expect from them and when—give them a checklist with instructions and dates. And keep in mind, some will simply not play along.


DON’T make it too hard for them
DO give them the tools they need. Spoon feed them what you want them to share…Tweets, FB posts, Goodreads posts, etc… Make it easy by giving them something they can share in a few seconds, otherwise they will put it off and forget about it.


Track your and your tribes’ posts by the use of #.
DON’T create a Facebook page just for your Tribe! They just don’t work as you intended. You’ll likely be disappointed with the outcome. They just won’t use it much. Maybe in the beginning, but then it drops off to nothing.


DO focus on one-way communication. Put them on a separate email list. Create an email list of your Tribe and keep them up to date. Encourage everyone use the Reply All when communicating.
DO invite all your fans to be a part of this special group.


Make your Tribe a success

 

THE SUCCESS OF YOUR TRIBE DEPENDS ON YOUR DEDICATION TO ITS SUCCESS.

 

What else can you do?

 

CREATE INCENTIVE—Ask yourself, how many books do you want to sell?

Incentive and Scarcity

Sell hard to existing fans. Even though you already gave your tribe a book, ask them to buy one. (At least the eBook)
Why should someone buy your book? Know the answer because sooner or later, someone will ask.




Design scarcity—Create offers or a bonus if people buy before a certain date or pre-order.


MAKE IT EASY FOR READERS TO BUY YOUR BOOK!!!

PayPal, Square
Amazon, BN, Kobo, Smashwords, etc…

 

BUILD A BUZZ

To Blog or Not to Blog, that is the question…

Share stories about your research, especially funny stories.
Write in your own voice, as if you are speaking directly to them, not in a stilted, dull voice. Make jokes. Use sarcasm in a way that will make the reader smile.




Share your excitement and enthusiasm. If you can get them to feel your energy and excitement, they will WANT to buy your book.


Videos, podcasts, and Book trailers
Again, make it easy to buy your book.
Social Media

Saturate social media
Leverage your fans

Question: Is it easier to build a following of 10,000 people or get 10 people with 1000 followers each to share something exciting about your book?






Post your book launch event on FB, Twitter, Goodreads, community calendars, and anywhere you can think of.


Send invitations — email, snail mail, Evite, etc…
Inherently, your fans want to help. It is your job to show them how.
BUT, they don’t know how so you must equip them. Give them quotes to post, tweets to tweet, images and graphics to share, etc…

 

GET ADVANCE REVIEWS

Review Houses

Kirkus Reviews
Foreword Clarion Reviews

Foreword reviews…free pros & cons






Midwest Book Review


Apex, Reader Views, many more… Google book reviewers


Endorsements

Non-fiction—experts in the field, specialty professionals
Fiction—like genre authors


Net Galley — You’ve heard the old adage, it takes money to make money, meet Net Galley. Upload eBook and wait. Reviews start coming in after a few weeks.
What do you do with all those reviews?

Post expert reviews as they come in on FB, Twitter, Goodreads. Engage your Tribe to do the same. Spread the word. When readers see what the professional book reviewers are saying about your book, they will buy!

 

HAVE A BOOK LAUNCH EVENT—Virtual and Physical

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE BOOKS!!!
Location, location, location

Bookstores
Rent venues


Timing

Does your book have a seasonal theme? Time you launch accordingly.
Check community calendars for potential conflicts.


Keeping the Buzz

As your release date nears, get more and more active with your buzz. Ramp it up!


Involving your Tribe

Keep your Tribe actively involved. Same as above, as release date nears, have your Tribe get increasingly more active. Flood social media the week of your event. Don’t let people forget it is coming.


Dealing with the Press

Invite the press. Odds are they won’t come, but extend them a formal invitation. Make your event sound fun! If they do show, watch the $$ come in.


BLING!!! — Everybody like stuff, especially free stuff.

Bookmarks
Posters




T-shirts


Coffee cups
Mouse pads
Much, much more — Café Press


Volunteers

You cannot do this by yourself. Recruit reliable volunteers. Give them a t-shirt and have them wear it to your event.


Conducting your Event

You are the ENTERTAINER — Make the event fun!
Catering




Create contests and giveaways


Entertain the crowd. Tell funny stories. Do a reading if you want to…or have someone read.
Share the core ideas that were the backbone of your content/book
Share stories of interesting people you met during your research


Keep it light and informal. Make everyone feel comfortable and at home.


Presentation

How you arrange your table is very, VERY important. Find the most interior design inclined person you know to help you with placement of your products.


All the extras add up to sales

COLLECT EMAIL ADDRESSES AT THE EVENT AND ADD THEM TO YOUR EMAIL LIST!
Arrive early.




Stay late.


Offer to help clean up
Add as much to this list as you can think of to make your event a tremendous success.
MAKE IT EASY FOR READERS TO BUY YOUR BOOK!!!

If you are running your own cash box at your event, make sure you have the capability of accepting credit cards and cash. I recommend you do not take checks unless you know the person well. There is nothing more awkward than having a friend give you a bad check and having to ask for payment again.

Square






Ask your buyers to become sharers.
Ask your buyers to leave reviews.

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