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Prolific Beats Precious When It Comes to Discoverability

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Prolific Beats Precious

Prolific beats precious.

Many times a great idea was in my reach and I didn’t share it because I thought I had to be perfect first. Does this sound familiar? I bet it does. I discovered that being perfect isn’t the answer to meeting the right customers, finding a great friend, having a wonderful romance, and enjoying life. Getting out there and living is far more valuable, and fun.

[embedyt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBJ80IODm5o[/embedyt]

A Shift from Perfect to Powerful

Maybe I saw the light during my year of being a Wellness Warrior and winning over cancer. Maybe I shifted my thinking when I realized that in today’s fast paced world, most of what I create has a rather short shelf-life. I am not saying sloppy is o.k. I am not saying it is o.k. to do a poor job. What I am advocating is to stop worrying about being perfect. Perfection is the enemy of taking action.

I discovered the concept of “Lean Start-up” and “minimum viable product” several years ago. Trying out an idea in its most basic form before trying to perfect it became a new way for me to look at creativity and what I was doing in my life and in my business.

What has changed for me?

Instead of hoarding my expertise, I recognized that prolific beats precious. I  started making short videos and posting them to YouTube, embedding them into my blog, sharing them on Pinterest. I blog at least once a week (most of the time), and I post updates on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. I am making my expertise available in many places and at many different times.

When I start a project, I look at what I must do, how much time I have to do it, and what my resources are (partners, money, what can be outsourced.) Then I work creatively within this framework. It is liberating. I do my very best with the resources I have. I learn from every project. I spend less time worrying about what I don’t have or don’t know and producing what I need for my clients and myself.

Persistence + Consistence = Power

Blogging and posting consistently is your ticket to being discoverable. As an author, that is really a lot of what it takes to sell your books. A best seller is one that people are talking about, sharing, and reviewing.

You can start blogging and posting well before your book ready available for sale. You can share stories of how you came to write your book. You can talk about the characters or as one of your characters. Non-fiction writers can share case studies that highlight their expertise. The idea is to get people talking. No one can talk about you if they don’t know you exist.

20,000 Views on LinkedIn in 1 Week

My friend, Ted Prodromou did something really amazing. He got 20,000 views on LinkedIn in 1 week. His strategy was simple. He used a LinkedIn post as his hub and pointed all of his other social posts for the next 7 days to this one page. You can watch a replay of a live stream event he did with Alex Mandossian by following this link to his original post.

You Too CAN DO Amazing Things When You…

  • Stop procrastinating
  • Start doing
  • Share Your Expertise
  • Start small
  • Experiment
  • Find Partners
  • Stay the course
  • Do what works, forget what doesn’t
  • Be willing to fail
  • Keep moving towards your goals

My Request

  • Tell me what is working for you, or if you feeling stuck.
  • If you like what you see here, please share it with your friends (as long as you give me credit).
  • Follow me for more marketing tips.

 

 

Free Book Marketing Tip – Using Facebook Pages

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Free Book Marketing Tip - Facebook Pages

Facebook Pages are Free

It doesn’t cost you anything but your time and creativity to add a Facebook Page to your marketing mix. Advertising fees are surprisingly low and you have complete control over how much, how often and what goes into your targeted ads.

Make a Facebook Page for Each of Your Books

I went to a workshop put on by Facebook. I learned some great ways to reach your desired audience by using Facebook Pages. Facebook Pages are different from a personal profile in several ways:

  • Pages give you the ability to select your audience using demographics (location, age, gender)
  • You can advertise from a page
  • It is all about your book
  • You can link a group of pages together if you have separate but related content

The Power of Visibility

The more places you feature your book, the more likely your book will be discovered. One of the best benefits of using a channel like Facebook is the sheer volume of people who are on it every day. You can share posts, photos, video, audio, links to your blog, links to other social channels too.

Try it and See

Get started now, whether you are already published or if you are in the pre-publication phase of your book. Facebook Pages can help you connect with your ideal audience and get them talking about your book. You can see an example of a Facebook Page for a book here. We have used photos, video and outbound links to help educate our audience.

Setting Up Your Facebook Page

There are articles and support for setting up your page and using it on Facebook. Take a look at this page to get started.

Need help?

Not sure what or how to do it yourself? Don’t miss out on this opportunity to reach your ideal audience. Call on me, Judy Baker, your book marketing expert. I can build an attractive Facebook Page for your book and show you how to use this platform to sell more books.

Free Book Marketing Tip #2 for Independent Publishers

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Today’s free book marketing tip – Don’t Build Your House on Rented Land.

Your website is your marketing hub. That means, you have a domain name (url) that you own. Yes, it is possible to create a website for free on social sites like blogger, Tumblr, and even WordPress.com. I advise you to invest in your own domain which will cost about $10 a year. Put up a hosted site using WordPress.org (this is free).

Once you have a website, put your content there first. Then, share it on social channels like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. You own your content. You might even turn your blog into a book (Nina Amir is the expert in how to do this and has created templates and guides for the process.  Click here to view more details.)

Post often to your own website/blog and then share using links to your content on your site.
Free Book Marketing Tip #2