Monday Morning Marketing Tip - July 11, 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:

I can't help but chuckle when I see those funny Dos Equis commercials about "The Most Interesting Man in the World." But, there's actually a learning point for authors in this humor. There's no better way to create an online community for marketing your book than by becoming an object of interest. In essence, your style as a writer and the message of your book needs to be presented in a way that peaks curiosity in others. If not, people will have no desire to follow you. That's because people won't become your fan unless you give them a clear reason to do so. I know this sounds obvious, but it's that's simple. If you engage in social media but can't seem to build a growing community, then people probably don't regard you as interesting. You're lost in the mix of more appealing authors getting attention.

If you're struggling to determine how to make yourself an object of interest, then try this exercise. List five authors that you follow regularly on Facebook, Twitter, or their blog. Write out the specific reasons why these authors appeal to you. What makes them an object of interest? How are they able to hold your attention? How can you mimic what they do and apply it to your own approach?

Big Announcement!

New book entitled, Sell Books Like Wildfire, coming in May, 2012

I'm excited to announce that Writer's Digest publishing house has agreed to publish my new book, Sell Books Like Wildfire. The planned release date is May, 2012. This will be the most comprehensive, advanced-level, book marketing resource ever published. Topics covered will include how to improve your author branding, website power, social media activities, newsletters, public speaking, media interviews, Amazon presence, and much more. There will even be a special chapter just for novelists about how to market fiction - without ever leaving your house.

I look forward to partnering with Writer's Digest. They've been helping authors hone their craft since 1920. If you've never checked out their website, visit www.writersdigest.com today. More details on the new book to come in the near future.

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© Rob Eagar 2011. All rights reserved.

Monday Morning Marketing Tip - July 4, 2011

Rob Eagar's Monday Morning Marketing Tip

is written to help authors, publishers, and organizations

spread their message like wildfire.

Happy Fourth of July!

This week's focus:

Every community needs a hub and a leader who keeps everything together. As an author, you should position yourself as the ringleader whom all of your readers revolve around. This doesn't mean that you act like an arrogant dictator who bosses people. Instead, you act as the central point for online communication. You can create this dynamic by setting up an author website and specific pages on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or YouTube. These sites serve as meeting points for your followers to receive updates, new content, post feedback, and converse with other members of the community.

You want the online activity to happen around you, rather than wait for someone else to setup and control the discussion about your books. If you wait, then you'll be on the outside looking in on a conversation about your own work, which is awkward. That's like waiting for someone else to throw you a birthday party. It may never happen, or it may not be your kind of fun. So, take the initiative to setup on your own online presence and maintain it as the leader. This means checking in at least every few days to post new information, address comments, and wield your status as an object of interest to keep people connected. Feed the discussion with open-ended questions, articles, latest news, quizzes, free resources, etc.

Join Rob in Atlanta, GA on July 9th:

How to Sell Books Like WildFire!

Saturday, July 9, 2011 in Atlanta, GA.
All attendees receive 30 days of follow-up with Rob Eagar by phone and email.

Click here for details and registration.

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

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© Rob Eagar 2011. All rights reserved.

Monday Morning Marketing Tip - June 27, 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:

I'm surprised by how many authors are frustrated by all of the work it takes to market their books. I think to myself, "What did you expect? If you didn't write a book with the desire to promote it, then why write it in the first place?" Books don't sell themselves.

Did you have kids without considering all of the hard work it would require to raise them? Of course not. Yet, books are no different. They need constant attention, especially when they're newly born. Fortunately, instead of having to change diapers, endure doctor's visits, and feed in the middle of the night, all your book needs is some consistent love via social media, free resources, radio interviews, public speaking, blog posts, etc. If marketing frustrates you, try looking at your book like having a baby without the birth pains. That should make you feel better already.

Join Rob in Atlanta, GA on July 9th:

How to Sell Books Like WildFire!

Saturday, July 9, 2011 in Atlanta, GA.
All attendees receive 30 days of follow-up with Rob Eagar by phone and email.

Click here for details and registration.

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

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© Rob Eagar 2011. All rights reserved.

Monday Morning Marketing Tip - June 20, 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:

I've worked with a lot of authors who come from the academic world, such as counselors, psychologists, professors, ministers, and doctors. In most cases, these individuals believe that their intelligence and education will allow them to write a mainstream book that appeals to the masses. To their chagrin, however, they often run into an unforeseen challenge.

Many academic-minded authors forget that the average person has no desire to go back to school. They don't want to read a textbook or an exhausting study of a problem. And, they certainly don't like authors who drone on through a boring manuscript like the monotonous teacher in the movie, "Ferris Bueller." If you're an author trying to making the leap from academia into the everyday world, keep these points in mind:

1. Don't tell the reader everything you know. Tell them only what they need to know.
2. Don't expect people to be enthralled with your credentials. The average Joe doesn't care.
3. Make your concepts simple, or you will make it difficult for people to buy your book.
4. Use word pictures, metaphors, and visual aids as much as possible.
5. Inject emotion and enthusiasm into your topic - even more than you typically feel comfortable. Academic institutions tend to strip emotion out of the learning process.
6. Remember that logic makes people think, but emotion makes them act.

Join Rob in Atlanta, GA on July 9th:

How to Sell Books Like WildFire!

Saturday, July 9, 2011 in Atlanta, GA.
All attendees receive 30 days of follow-up with Rob Eagar by phone and email.

Click here for details and registration.

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

click here.

© Rob Eagar 2011. All rights reserved.

Monday Morning Marketing Tips - June 13, 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:

When you're conducting a speaking engagement, book-signing, or media interview, make the audience aware of any free resources you have available (you do have free resources, right?). Don't expect people to figure it out by themselves. State the obvious. The trick to success is in the manner that you mention these marketing tools. To prevent sounding like a shameless self-promoter, I recommend incorporating your tools into the natural flow of your presentation. For example, you could:

a. Open your discussion with a quiz.

b. Show exclusive imagery or a visual aid when telling a personal story.

c. Integrate one of your how-to articles into your speech that answers a problem.

d. Offer a free resource as an application step for the audience to use the next day.

Your marketing tools will have a stronger effect on your audience when they can see the immediate use and benefit. Thus, you need to make the benefit apparent by openly mentioning your tool, showing it to the audience, and encouraging them to use it. This way, you can generate interest without being pushy by incorporating your tools smoothly into your message.

Join Rob in Atlanta, GA on July 9th

Advanced Book Marketing Workshop for Authors:

How to Sell Books Like WildFire!

Saturday, July 9, 2011 in Atlanta, GA.
All attendees receive 30 days of follow-up with Rob Eagar by phone and email.

Click here for details and registration.

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

click here.

© Rob Eagar 2011. All rights reserved.

Monday Morning Marketing Tip - June 6, 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:

Last week, I saw the new movie by Morgan Spurlock called, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. It's a fascinating documentary that goes behind-the-scenes into the world of advertising, marketing, and product placement in movies. The funny part about Mr. Spurlock's film is that he actually uses product placement to completely cover his production budget.

During the film, there's an interesting segment that shows how some Hollywood studios are using neuroscience research to determine which movie commercials are the most effective. In one scene, Mr. Spurlock visits a lab where he undergoes an MRI while watching movie trailers, and scientists analyze his brain reacting to various commercials. The technology shows how scientists can predict which movie clips will have the biggest affect on viewers. In some ways, the research was a little scary to see the lengths that some companies will take to figure out how to get people to buy their products.

However, as I listened to the summation of the neuroscience research, I heard a powerful lesson that authors and publishers need to heed. The scientists explained that the best way to create an effective movie commercial is to show scenes that evoke the strongest emotion. For example, if you're marketing a horror movie, the trailer needs to show scenes that amplify the fear and suspense. If you're marketing a relationship movie, the trailer needs to show scenes that stir up feelings of drama and tension. If you're marketing an action film, the trailer needs to amp up the energy, grit, and power of the characters. In other words, strong emotion plays a major role in convincing people to go to the movie theater.

I believe this same principle applies to marketing books, especially fiction. If you want people to buy more books, make sure your video trailer and other marketing tools (website, blog, free resources, etc.) evoke a strong sense of emotion in your audience. Perennial bestselling novelists, such as David Baldacci, James Patterson, Ted Dekker, John Grisham, and Karen Kingsbury, stay on top of the charts because they're masters of touching the heart as much as the mind. They know that logic makes people think, but emotion makes them act.

Yet, keep in mind that emotion alone doesn't trump value. You still have to answer the consumer's ultimate question, "What's in it for me?" But, when you combine strong emotion with tangible value, then you're able to capture a person's interest on multiple levels. So, take a look at your marketing activities and make sure that your style isn't too stoic. Take a lesson from Hollywood, and draw more readers to your books by making them think, "I feel the need...the need to read!"

Join Rob in Atlanta, GA on July 9th

Advanced Book Marketing Workshop for Authors:

How to Sell Books Like WildFire!

Saturday, July 9, 2011 in Atlanta, GA.
All attendees receive 30 days of follow-up with Rob Eagar by phone and email.

Click here for details and registration.

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

click here.

© Rob Eagar 2011. All rights reserved.

Monday Morning Marketing Tip - May 30, 2011

Rob Eagar's Monday Morning Marketing Tip

is written to help authors, publishers, and organizations

spread their message like wildfire.

This Memorial Day, please join me in honoring the thousands

of soldiers who sacrificed to make our freedom in America possible.

This week's focus:

A speakers bureau can be a great source of new speaking engagements. However, most reputable bureaus only work with popular, in-demand authors and leaders. If you're new to the speaking profession and relatively unknown, you will find it hard to get on their roster. These organizations tend to gravitate towards bestselling authors, well-known athletes, celebrities, and active politicians.

The best way to get the attention of a particular bureau is by showing how your message is different from any other speaker they represent. If you know a speaker who is already on their roster, ask that person to make an introduction for you. Schedule a meet-and-greet by phone or in-person and give several examples of the results you've produced for audiences in the past. Be prepared to provide a top-notch video demo and several testimonials from nationally-known leaders.

Some authors mistakenly believe that speakers bureaus do all of the marketing legwork and magically setup a ton of new engagements. This is a big misconception, because bureaus usually promote just their top tier speakers and let the lower level speakers fend for themselves. If you're not a big-time personality, you will be lucky to get a promotional spot in their annual catalog mailing and a mention on their company website.

The benefit of speakers bureaus is that they can get authors access to high-profile events due to behind-the-scenes connections. Bureau agents work hard to build relationships with event planners and trade show directors. These relationships pay off as the event director contracts their speaker needs to the bureau. When the bureau receives a request, they will recommend you if you're considered the right fit for the event.

The price of working with a speakers bureau is the 15% - 20% commission they take from your speaking fee. Therefore, I don't recommend that authors work with bureaus unless you're so busy that you need someone for administrative help. If you do go with a bureau, never sign an exclusive arrangement. Always keep your options open to be represented by several bureaus at the same time.

Join Rob in Atlanta, GA on July 9th - Signup early and save money

Advanced Book Marketing Workshop for Authors:

How to Sell Books Like WildFire!

Saturday, July 9, 2011 in Atlanta, GA.
All attendees receive 30 days of follow-up with Rob Eagar by phone and email.

Click here for details and registration.

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Rob Eagar's 5-hour teaching series, Speak and Sell Books in Any Market, is now available as a mp3 file download and 5-CD audio set. Even better, the previous price of $125 has been reduced to an amazingly-low $75 for the mp3 format and only $99 for the CD's. Click here to purchase now, and you could be listening to Rob's top-level instruction within minutes on your computer, iPod, or smartphone.

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© Rob Eagar 2011. All rights reserved.

Monday Morning Marketing Tip - May 23, 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:

As we enter the 2012 presidential election cycle, Barack Obama and most of the Republican candidates are releasing videos to announce their official bid for the job. These videos have become an important marketing tool to promote their agenda and draw more votes. In many ways, however, these presidential videos are no different than the book trailers that authors and publishers use to promote their books.

As I've watched these videos, though, I've been surprised to see that most of these politicians are making the same mistake that tends to hinder book sales for authors and publishers. The mistake is that none of these men answer the question, "What's in it for me?" Instead, they tend to ramble about their past, use cliché political jargon, and list the various problems that America faces.

This is a problem because you and I already know that stuff. Tell me something I don't know. Thus, we don't need politicians giving us their background stories and recounting all of our current struggles. That's not effective. Instead, their videos would more powerful if they listed specific results they've helped create in the past - and connect those results to America at large today.

This political mistake is similar to when authors talk about the topic of their book, rather than the results they produce. Nobody cares about the topic of a book. Instead, people want to know why they should spend their hard-earned money and time on a book. How will you specifically make their life better? Will your fiction inspire the reader to view the world differently? Will your non-fiction help the reader overcome a challenge or learn a new skill?

Politicians want more votes. Authors want more book sales. The best road to reach both of those goals is to focus on how you make the public better off. You may not become the next president, but your book will be elected and re-elected in bookstores across America.

Join Rob in Atlanta, GA on July 9th - Signup early and save money

Advanced Book Marketing Workshop for Authors:

How to Sell Books Like WildFire!

Saturday, July 9, 2011 in Atlanta, GA.
All attendees receive 30 days of follow-up with Rob Eagar by phone and email.

Register early by May 27th and only pay $499! (Lowest price ever)

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© Rob Eagar 2011. All rights reserved.