Monday Morning Marketing Tip - January 31, 2011

Rob Eagar's Monday Morning Marketing Tip

is written to help authors, publishers, and organizations

spread their message like wildfire.

This week's focus:

My wife and I recently attended a performance by the Blue Man Group. It was an enjoyable evening that combined music, comedy, and multi-media into a sensory experience. However, as we discussed the event driving back home, we both agreed that the performance suffered from one issue...too much downtime.

There were too many instances during the show where a sense of dead space and lack of energy occurred for several minutes. For example, sometimes it seemed to take too long to change out set pieces on the stage. Other times, the actors took too long to comb the audience for a volunteer. This downtime made the show occasionally lose momentum. When you're paying high ticket prices for an event of this caliber, that kind of downtime can leave a bad taste.

How does this issue apply to you and me? Be careful to avoid creating unnecessary downtime when people interact with your message, such as a book, product, or service. For instance, if you're an author, examine if your book has parts where the material loses momentum for several pages. Do you keep readers riveted with suspense or value-laden information? If you're a business owner, does it takes too long for customers to find a particular product online or in your store? If you provide a service, do you make your clients walk through unnecessary steps that break their momentum? In rare situations when downtime is inevitable, make your customers aware so that their expectations can be adjusted.

You have more power than you think over a customer's experience with your message. If you want to create a marketing wildfire, you've got to keep the flame stoked or it will burnout. Likewise, once you've got people engaged, keep the momentum strong by avoiding unnecessary downtime and keeping them focused on your value.

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© Rob Eagar 2011. All rights reserved.

Monday Morning Marketing Tip - January 24, 2011

Rob Eagar's Monday Morning Marketing Tip

is written to help authors, publishers, and organizations

spread their message like wildfire.

Continued congratulations to WildFire Marketing client, Lysa TerKeurst, on the success of her new book, Made to Crave. This week, Lysa was notified that she hit # 9 on the New York Times bestseller list for paperback advice. Plus, Walmart just placed a large order for her book! This accomplishment outshines her previous achievements on Amazon and B&N.com. I'm honored to be part of Lysa's success. It's exciting to help clients start a wildfire and watch it spread across the country.

This week's focus:

For those of you writing a book, remember that the process of marketing must begin before you finish your manuscript. As you focus on writing a great book, put the same amount of effort and detail into building nuggets of value that can act as powerful standalone marketing pieces and promotional items. These tools will make it easier to capture the attention of readers and media producers when your initial book launch occurs.

Too many authors forget to consciously develop marketing tools for their books. Then, they wonder why it's difficult to promote their message and boost sales. Avoid this problem by brainstorming during the manuscript stage, and insert as many appropriate ideas as possible. Examples of good book marketing tools can include quizzes, helpful articles, resource guides, recipes, lists, and even QR codes that launch exclusive multi-media content.

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© Rob Eagar 2011. All rights reserved.

Monday Morning Marketing Tip - January 17, 2011

Rob Eagar's Monday Morning Marketing Tip

is written to help authors, publishers, and organizations

spread their message like wildfire.

This week's focus:

If you want to get more media coverage for your business, non-profit, or book, try connecting your message to major holidays and events. The media industry depends upon a regular diet of guests to fill their interview slots, and they're always looking for someone new.

For instance, if your focus is on the importance of patriotism, you might be considered a great fit for media programs around the July 4th holiday or coverage during a congressional election period. If you provide resources that help moms hold their families together, then Mother's Day would open doors to get exposure. However, don't stretch the connection beyond realistic levels. There must be a legitimate link. Otherwise, a radio or TV producer will see you as just making a self-seeking attempt to get attention for yourself.

I've helped several of my clients sit down with a calendar, analyze each month from January to December, and brainstorm various connections that could arise. This exercise usually yields several applicable options throughout the year. Knowing these options ahead of time allowed them to tailor a pitch to media producers early and get in line before other people filled the open slots.

Even though the media world runs 24/7, they work ahead of the calendar to make preparations for featured shows, such as Christmas specials, back to school, or Valentine's Day. Thus, you need to plan your media calendar and contact producers early. For instance, if you want to tie-in with a specific holiday, the magazine industry works on a lead time of 4 - 6 months. Radio and TV generally prefer lead times of 30 - 90 days. Newspapers and blogs can thrive on shorter lead times, such as 7 - 30 days.

Action step: Take a moment this week to grab a calendar and go through it month-by-month looking for potential media opportunities. When you identify appropriate connections ahead of time, it's easier to tailor your pitch to a producer's needs and be the first in line for consideration.

Based on the success of last year's workshop,

Rob Eagar will be conducting another value-packed, one-day seminar:

How to Sell Books Like WildFire!

Saturday, March 5, 2011 in Atlanta, GA.

Don't wait. Space is limited to the first 20 people who signup.

Click here for details and registration.

To receive Rob's Monday Morning Marketing Tip directly to your email inbox,

click here.

© Rob Eagar 2011. All rights reserved.

Monday Morning Marketing Tip - January 10, 2011

Rob Eagar's Monday Morning Marketing Tip

is written to help authors, publishers, and organizations

spread their message like wildfire.

This week's focus:

Congratulations to WildFire Marketing client, Lysa TerKeurst, for an extraordinary achievement last week. Lysa launched her new book, "Made to Crave," and achieved the #8 sales ranking on Amazon.com, the #1 ranking on CBD.com, and the #25 ranking on Barnes&Noble.com. Breaking the Top 10 on Amazon is a rare feat, which means she was outselling big-name books, such as Decision Points by George W. Bush and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.

I've consulted with Lysa for the past three years, and many people have asked me why the latest of her 14 books has suddenly fared so well. None of her earlier books experienced such strong sales results so quickly. There are several reasons for her success, and Lysa's publisher, Zondervan, deserves a lot of credit. However, for this marketing tip, I want to focus on one reason that I know has made a major impact.

A big part of Lysa's success is due to how much she has invested in her audience over the past several years. She has consistently provided genuine value for free to thousands of women across America. Lysa transmits this value by blogging four times a week, contributing several times a month to an email newsletter, speaking around the country, posting on social media, and tirelessly giving of herself to encourage others.

If you want to succeed like Lysa, do you have to work as hard? Not necessarily, but you have to follow the same principle that I taught Lysa. If you truly invest in your audience, they will respond. It may not happen immediately, but it will eventually occur. People appreciate authors and companies who care more about helping others than making a buck off of them.

So, this week's question is: What are you doing to consistently invest in your readers? If you're a business owner, what are you doing to invest in your customers? Helping others is the fastest way to reach success. But, you have to convince the public that you're serious. If you're not regularly investing in people, don't expect them to respond when you need it later.

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© Rob Eagar 2011. All rights reserved.

Monday Morning Marketing Tip - January 3, 2011

Rob Eagar's Monday Morning Marketing Tip

is written to help authors, publishers, and organizations

spread their message like wildfire.

This week's focus:

Recently, my wife and I got hooked on watching Cesar Millan's television show, "The Dog Whisperer" on the National Geographic channel. The odd thing is that we don't have pets. Yet, we love the show, because of what takes place during each episode...life change.

People beg "The Dog Whisperer" to come fix their peculiar dogs with supposed aggression, obedience, or phobia problems. The interesting part is that Cesar doesn't only focus on the dog. Instead, he usually winds up counseling the human owner, who unknowingly has contributing issues, such as high stress, apathy, or an aversion to discipline. As Cesar helps the owner address these issues, the dog suddenly transforms into a better pet.

By the end of the show, people think he's a hero. As the episode ends, the participants record glowing testimonials about Cesar and send in real videos of their dog's improved behavior. They explain the specific results that he helped them experience. Their success stories are so powerful that you can't help but view Cesar as the top expert in his field. The results are overwhelming. Today, he has a television show, several bestselling books, a magazine, a foundation, corporate sponsorships, and a lucrative consulting business.

Here's the question to ponder this week. Do you have people giving glowing testimonials and success stories about your business, books, or services? Do you create results that could be easily explained on a video from a happy customer? If not, what changes do you need to make to create that dynamic? If so, what system do you have in place to capture and display those stories from satisfied people?

Dogs may serve as man's best friend, but success stories serve as the best friend of your business.

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© Rob Eagar 2011. All rights reserved.