In the time that I’ve worked with authors and entrepreneurs, it’s clear that many of them think promoting their services or products online is too expensive. Fact is, it can be. Bad news is, spending big bucks on pay-per-click or advertising doesn’t always translate to online sales – at least not for the "ordinary Joe".
If you’ve been reading this blog, you’ll know that I’m keen on relationship marketing – building conversations with blog readers and site visitors, being your authentic self, and establishing yourself as a trusted expert.
Three quick and easy techniques I’ve used time and again are:
1. Blogging
2. Publishing on Amazon’s Kindle
3. Social networking
Here’s my quick take on each:
Blogging
For authors, blogging can be as second nature as breathing. For non-writers, blogging may be torture (that’s why you hire someone like me to write your posts!)
It’s well-known – search engines love blogs-particularly those that are updated at least a few times a week, and are filled with solid, no-B.S. content. Search engines swoop through blogs like bed bugs in the Bates Hotel–spidering content on a daily (or even more frequent) basis.
Entrepreneurs use blogs to build a solid readership, add to their e-mail lists, and get comments so meaningful it gives them plenty of ideas about which to write.
If you’re an author, build your blog readership BEFORE submitting a proposal. Book proposal committees love a built-in audience.
Cost: Zero, if you use a free blog service like Blogger.com or WordPress.com
Publish on the Amazon Kindle Platform
Regardless of Sony and iPhone’s chest-beating about beating the Amazon Kindle in the digital reader wars, Amazon has one thing no one else has – access to more than 300,000 books and articles delivered wirelessly (immediately) to the Kindle.
Publish your articles or special reports to Kindle, and you will achieve INSTANT expert status. Remember – we ALL love to do business with the best!
Truthfully, Amazon did NOT make it easy for people to convert their own books and articles to Kindle format, but it’s doable. If you’re willing to do tech-stuff, you can do it yourself. I started converting my own work several months ago, and there is a learning curve.
The good news is, by converting your work to Kindle format, you can get your books, articles, and reports in front of Amazon’s 54.2 million monthly visitors. If the conversion process makes you want to shoot yourself, contact my amigo Steve (the Kindle Guy) and tell him Nancy sent you.
Cost: Zero, if you convert the work yourself.
Social Networking
Millions have jumped on the social networking bandwagon over the past few years. In fact, one person I know brags that he’s on 34 different social networks. Don’t know about you, but I’d rather be on the RIGHT three networks, than the 34 where my audience does NOT hang out!
How can you tell where to find your audience? Take an afternoon and cruise through MySpace, Facebook, Digg, Twitter, Tumblr, et al, and search for your target keywords. You’ll quickly discover which services house your audience; once discovered, devote your social networking time to that service only. Quality over quantity matters.
Seek out questions in your field and answer them. Remember, it’s about letting the world know that you’re the expert.
Cost: Zero
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{ 2 comments }
I think some of serious blogger will not host in free blog host like blogger. It is less control and doesn’t look professional. However there are plenty way for many people who don’t like writing. They can build a website. Just like me.
Dear Nancy
I like the information you posted! The reason I am writing to you is, I have written and published a novel. The novel is called (Villad-The lore of the vampire, by G.E. Huston). I went with PublishAmerica whom I thought would circulate my book (i.e.) US, Europe and beyond, but did not. I am very unhappy with my publisher; unfortunately I have signed a seven year contract, yuck! I am currently writing a second novel that has nothing to do with the first. I am looking way to get my name out there. So my question is, that I don’t understand is, what is social net working, and blogging, what do you say or place there. I am very confused. I thought about going with Amazon but it is kind of expensive, do you have any advice for me that you could give me.
Thank you
George Huston