If you watched any TV over the past week, you probably saw countless shows playing up the Super Bowl hype. Cooking shows were making special recipes, talk shows were interviewing football players, and news shows were giving sneak peeks at the best commercials. Even if you aren’t a football fan, you probably knew all about who was playing and possibly got caught up in the Super Bowl craze. The media was able to convert almost everyone, whether they were watching for the game or the commercial, to a “fan.”
What does this have to do with self-publishing? Successful self-publishing authors know that just like during the Super Bowl, marketing and branding are extremely important. Companies pay millions of dollars to market their products and services to Super Bowl viewers; while self-publishing authors don’t need a Super Bowl commercial, they can learn important lessons from the marketing experts.
1. Know your audience.
If you watched any of the Super Bowl commercials, you probably noticed a few popular themes appeared over and over again — fast cars, beer, and hot women, to name a few. That is because marketers know these things appeal to the majority of the viewing audience. When creating your marketing plan, it is important to know who your audience is, what is important to them, and how to get their attention.
2. Memorable is key.
Super Bowl commercials have one goal — to be memorable! It doesn’t matter if you hate or love the commercial; the company just wants people to remember it, and if they can get people talking about it, that’s even better. The more you see and hear about a product or service, the more likely are you to remember it when you are in the market for that product or service. The same is true when marketing a book. You want readers to see your book on a store shelf and say “Oh, I remember hearing about that book!”
3. Hype it up.
The week before the Super Bowl all the media channels were hyping it up. Everyone was talking it, and the topic was approached from a variety of angles to reach a large audience. By the time the game came, thousands and thousands of people were making Super Bowl snacks, hosting Super Bowl parties, wearing Super Bowl gear, and of course, watching the game. Some of these people may have never done those things if they hadn’t seen a great Super Bowl recipe online or heard a great idea on their favorite talk show. Approach marketing your book in the same way. Hype it up as much as you can. Get exposure in a variety of ways. Get creative about your marketing. Your goal is make people know about you and your book.
I’d love to know, how is the Super Bowl inspiring your self-publishing marketing plan?
 |
ABOUT JODEE THAYER: With over 25 years of experience in sales and management, Jodee Thayer works as the Director of Author Services for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department is composed of knowledgeable customer service reps, publishing consultants and marketing professionals; together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process in order to help them publish the book of their dreams and on assisting authors with marketing and promoting their book once published. Whether you are a professional looking to take your career to the next level with platform-driven non-fiction or a novelist seeking fame, fortune, and/or personal fulfillment, Jodee Thayer can put you on the right path. |
Self Publishing Advisor 