Have you ever wondered if a book cover design portrays the message of the contents? More importantly, does YOUR book cover capture the essence of your manuscript? Does your cover design speak to the target market you’re trying to reach? Is it attractive, eye-catching or compelling enough for a prospective buyer to take a closer look? Do you know what to look for when critiquing a cover design? Kerrie Lian, the senior designer on my team recently created the cover of the first book in a series for a new client, Tom Matt. Tom asked Kerrie if she liked what she created….
A client pointed out that the projects my team and I create – websites, one-sheets, and other marketing tools – successfully “encapsulate” what the target audience really wants; they don’t simply describe the product or service being sold. In other words, the copy focuses on the benefits and results the target audience receives. I asked my team member Patrice Rhoades-Baum to address marketing tools focus points. Patrice is a marketing consultant specializing in branding for solopreneurs and micro-businesses, and she’s an expert copywriter for websites and one-sheets. Do your marketing tools focus on YOU or your PROSPECTS? Take a quick quiz!…
Are you ready to create a marketing piece, but don’t know where to start? Regardless if you’re doing it yourself or getting professional design and writing help, there are some simple, yet essential steps to follow that will make the whole process go smoothly and prevent costly mistakes. Here are 10 questions to answer before you create a marketing piece: What is the purpose or objective of your piece — to entertain, inform or to persuade? What action do you want your prospects to take — request information, visit your website or call you? Keep your marketing purpose in mind when…
A book media kit can be a paper folder or a page on your website with the essential information and marketing materials about your book. The media kit should provide the media with all the information they need to write a story, or do an audio or video interview with the author. For a hard copy media kit you can gather the following items and arrange them in a classy folder (a solid color in gloss is good). Paste a color postcard of your book cover on the front of the folder. For an online media kit, add a page…
This month, my friend and teammate Mary Walewski of Buy The Book Marketing explains how to research your niche so you can tailor your book to your market. You can use free resources found in your library and online. Self-Publishers: Here are 7 Tips to Research Your Niche By Mary Walewski Copyright © 2009 Most authors working on a first book never really give any thought as to who their book is for. “It’s for everyone!” I’ve been told with a radiant smile. As a marketing person, this declaration makes my heart go into my shoes. If a book if for everyone, it’s…
Can you brand your business and launch your brand online . . . . without losing your mind? A great idea can hit you anywhere. It can wake you at 2:00 a.m., so compelling that you jump out of bed, put on a pot of coffee, and begin outlining your business plan. Remember, though, in the heady rush of dreaming up the business, to build a launching pad for it. In other words, a presence on the Internet. Because in today’s buzzword search-engine climate, a website is the most powerful marketing and sales tool available to any company, large or…
Today I have some good news and some bad news. First the good news. The good news is that the great people at SmallBusinessCEOMagazine.com are publishing an article in their December issue that was submitted by yours truly. Click here to read my article: “How Relationship Marketing Can Help Your Business During Bad Economic Times.” If you haven’t visited SmallBusinessCEOMagazine.com yet, you’ll have to check this out. They have created an incredible open-to-the-public online magazine just for small business owners and entrepreneurs like us. You can access articles written by the top people in their professions. They also have a…
Are you hunting all over the Internet to find competent graphic professionals to help build your brand, design marketing materials and craft your website? Is it possible to find one studio, designer or design team who does it all? Based on my decades of experience in graphic design, I’ve found it’s impossible for one person to do it all, and do it well. We all have limitations on our time and skills. So to stay competitive and serve my clients better, I’ve built relationships with other professionals in the same or supporting fields. I’ve also established strategic alliances with marketing consultants…