I was recently working with a client who wanted to launch a marketing campaign. The client was extremely excited about it…a little too excited, perhaps. Why do I say that? Well, first, the client already had several things in motion when I was asked to assist with the launch and second, his timeframe for launching the campaign was less than a month! That’s not the ideal predicament to be in. So, as you’re planning your marketing activities, keep these three things in mind so you don’t find yourself in a similar situation:
#1: Think Ahead
A good lead-time for small marketing efforts is three months. That gives you plenty of time for the planning and preparation of whatever is needed to successfully execute your marketing activity. It also leaves time for the unexpected. You should allow more lead-time for more complex marketing efforts.
#2: Be Timely
Timing your marketing activity to coincide with an event, time of year or current event can help potential consumers be more receptive to your marketing message. For instance, if you own a carpet cleaning company, you could technically promote a special offer at any point. However, consumers are more likely to be receptive to and / or looking for a special offer on carpet cleaning in the spring when spring cleaning is on the mind or right before the winter holidays when they’ll have lots of visitors. For small businesses, marketing in this way produces a better return than marketing without regard to timeliness.
#3: Plan
It’s easy to get overzealous when you’re excited about a new marketing idea or activity…and you should definitely stay excited. However, do not be blinded by your vision of the end product and go straight to producing that. Instead, take out a sheet of paper and brainstorm about the idea. Ask yourself “Why?” and “How?” about everything. The goal is to consider all of the logistical needs that will have to be met to execute the marketing activity. Beyond what the resulting marketing will look like and how to get there, you must also consider the budget for the marketing, vendors you’ll need to hire and time it will take for those vendors to complete the work you’ve requested. Planning is also key for creating marketing that meshes with your current branding, which your marketing should always do.
I’m happy to say that my client’s marketing activity was completed. However, it was an uphill battle. Since the client did not think ahead and failed to plan and was financially unable to re-do what was done before I was hired to get the project on the ideal track, the original vision for the activity could not be executed. Instead, the client had to go to “Plan B,” which we were forced to create on the fly. In the end, the client achieved the intended goal, which was to increase awareness of a specific product. That client was lucky, timeliness being the saving grace. My advice to you is this: Don’t rely on luck. Think ahead, be timely and plan. If you do all three, you’ll have stress-free success every time you launch a marketing activity!
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Self-Publishing: Financial Reality Check
Thanks again to everyone who has been sending me questions. I love it. So, keep ‘em coming! I recently had an email from an ambitious woman who is looking to self-publish a series of books. She had done some research and was finding that the self-publishing “packages” that she was interested in were going to cost her approximately $2,000+ per book. Her question for me: Should it really cost $2,000+ to self-publish a book?
In my response to the woman, I told her that self-publishing, when done properly, can be expensive on the outset because the author / self-publisher is absorbing all of the costs. Therefore, $2,000.00 is not an unexpected amount to expect to pay to self-publish a book. The interesting thing about the woman’s email was that it did not include specifics on what the $2,000+ was going to be spent on. While I understand that the cost of producing the book should certainly be of concern, I was more concerned with what the money was to be spent on. In my opinion, you should be too. So, if you’re considering a book project here are a few things that are “must dos” to produce a professional grade book:
Editing – Once you’ve completed your manuscript, it’s a good idea to have an editor to review the document. The editor will be able to provide insight about how well the overall book flows as well as help to improve (or make suggestions for improving) the writing. NOTE: The extent to which an editor will do these depends on the type of editing you request.
Book Formatting & Layout – There are standards for how books are formatted. With just a glance, a trained eye can easily spot a professionally formatted book from a book put together by a non-professional. It’s critical to format the interior of your book properly if you want to attract outside distributors.
Book Cover Design – The book cover is the first-line marketer of your book. It’s there to say, “Hey! Look at me. I’d be a great read.” when you’re not there to do it. Therefore, make sure that your cover is appealing, your title is catchy and that the back cover copy is compelling.
Proofreading – The book should be proofread twice. The first time should be before the manuscript sent to be formatted. After all, what good is it to lay out a book that’s grammatically incorrect? The second time the book should be proofread is after the text has been placed in the book layout. This second time is primarily a double check to make sure no mistakes were made when copying text from the manuscript document into the book layout or missed earlier in the process.
Initial Promotional Book Verbiage – At minimum, you will need compelling copy for your back cover and a general book description. You will likely need additional standard evergreen copy but what you will need beyond the back cover copy and book description depends on your book marketing strategy. Speaking of that…
Book Marketing Plan – Many authors make the mistake of focusing only on writing the book and publishing it. They neglect to think about what they will do with the book once they have it. Don’t make that mistake! If you do, you will likely find yourself shelling out money left and right trying all sorts of things to promote and sell your book. Admittedly, that may work for a while but it’s a potentially costly method. A more sound business idea is to invest in a book marketing plan. That way you have specific strategies and tactics that you can use to promote and sell your book.
The cost of each of the above will vary, depending on your manuscript type and length as well as the professional that you hire to assist you. However, $2,000 would likely cover a majority of the items on the list above. In fact, you may even come in under that budget for a short book. But, if you note, that list did not include promotional items (bookmarks, postcards, etc. IF you choose to use them), the book ISBN, copyright registration, printing costs or having copies of your book on hand. The takeaway for you: If you don’t have the money to invest in producing and marketing a book, plan your project in stages and don’t move on to the next phase until you do have the money to move forward. You will have much better results and greater success in the long run. Remember: The benefits of being a published author come post-publishing, once you've sold enough books to break even and begin pocketing pure profit—which isn't typically an overnight kind of occurrence.
As always, if you have a marketing question that you would like me to answer, send me an email.
*****
About Tanisha Coffey:
Tanisha Coffey is a professional freelance writer and marketing consultant based in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. She provides her services under the Scribe, Etc. and Scribe, Etc. Publishing (www.Scribe-Etc.com and www.Scribe-Etc-Publishing.com). When she’s not working on client projects, Coffey spends her time developing educational courses for entrepreneurs, blogging and working on creative pieces of her own. The fiction and non-fiction works range from short film scripts, childrens’ books and poetry to self-help, business education and editorial guides.
In my response to the woman, I told her that self-publishing, when done properly, can be expensive on the outset because the author / self-publisher is absorbing all of the costs. Therefore, $2,000.00 is not an unexpected amount to expect to pay to self-publish a book. The interesting thing about the woman’s email was that it did not include specifics on what the $2,000+ was going to be spent on. While I understand that the cost of producing the book should certainly be of concern, I was more concerned with what the money was to be spent on. In my opinion, you should be too. So, if you’re considering a book project here are a few things that are “must dos” to produce a professional grade book:
Editing – Once you’ve completed your manuscript, it’s a good idea to have an editor to review the document. The editor will be able to provide insight about how well the overall book flows as well as help to improve (or make suggestions for improving) the writing. NOTE: The extent to which an editor will do these depends on the type of editing you request.
Book Formatting & Layout – There are standards for how books are formatted. With just a glance, a trained eye can easily spot a professionally formatted book from a book put together by a non-professional. It’s critical to format the interior of your book properly if you want to attract outside distributors.
Book Cover Design – The book cover is the first-line marketer of your book. It’s there to say, “Hey! Look at me. I’d be a great read.” when you’re not there to do it. Therefore, make sure that your cover is appealing, your title is catchy and that the back cover copy is compelling.
Proofreading – The book should be proofread twice. The first time should be before the manuscript sent to be formatted. After all, what good is it to lay out a book that’s grammatically incorrect? The second time the book should be proofread is after the text has been placed in the book layout. This second time is primarily a double check to make sure no mistakes were made when copying text from the manuscript document into the book layout or missed earlier in the process.
Initial Promotional Book Verbiage – At minimum, you will need compelling copy for your back cover and a general book description. You will likely need additional standard evergreen copy but what you will need beyond the back cover copy and book description depends on your book marketing strategy. Speaking of that…
Book Marketing Plan – Many authors make the mistake of focusing only on writing the book and publishing it. They neglect to think about what they will do with the book once they have it. Don’t make that mistake! If you do, you will likely find yourself shelling out money left and right trying all sorts of things to promote and sell your book. Admittedly, that may work for a while but it’s a potentially costly method. A more sound business idea is to invest in a book marketing plan. That way you have specific strategies and tactics that you can use to promote and sell your book.
The cost of each of the above will vary, depending on your manuscript type and length as well as the professional that you hire to assist you. However, $2,000 would likely cover a majority of the items on the list above. In fact, you may even come in under that budget for a short book. But, if you note, that list did not include promotional items (bookmarks, postcards, etc. IF you choose to use them), the book ISBN, copyright registration, printing costs or having copies of your book on hand. The takeaway for you: If you don’t have the money to invest in producing and marketing a book, plan your project in stages and don’t move on to the next phase until you do have the money to move forward. You will have much better results and greater success in the long run. Remember: The benefits of being a published author come post-publishing, once you've sold enough books to break even and begin pocketing pure profit—which isn't typically an overnight kind of occurrence.
As always, if you have a marketing question that you would like me to answer, send me an email.
*****
About Tanisha Coffey:
Tanisha Coffey is a professional freelance writer and marketing consultant based in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. She provides her services under the Scribe, Etc. and Scribe, Etc. Publishing (www.Scribe-Etc.com and www.Scribe-Etc-Publishing.com). When she’s not working on client projects, Coffey spends her time developing educational courses for entrepreneurs, blogging and working on creative pieces of her own. The fiction and non-fiction works range from short film scripts, childrens’ books and poetry to self-help, business education and editorial guides.
Friday, May 23, 2014
7 “Must-knows” When Requesting Quotes
Entrepreneurs need help. It’s a fact. Though the type of assistance needed may vary—accounting, marketing / advertising, payroll, mailing services, legal advice, etc.—there is one thing that is true for all services: The entrepreneur must know (or have a decent idea) of what they need in order for the provider to be effective in helping them. So, when it comes to contacting a service provider, be sure that all of you entrepreneurs out there have thought through the following questions before making a call or sending out an email:
If, on the other hand, you know exactly how you want the provider to solve your problem, say that. However, you should realize that if you’re adamant about what you want and how you want it done, that is what the provider will do. Most providers will advise you if what you’re requesting isn’t the best option for your needs but some will not. Additionally, at the end of the day, the provider’s goal is to make the client happy. So, be sure you’re requesting the right service and that any stipulations you mandate are what you really want and need to solve your problem. Otherwise, you can end up paying for work that you requested that fails to address your original issue.
- What’s the easiest, most succinct way for me to describe my business and the product / services that I offer to the provider?
- What is the issue that I am dealing with that this provider can help me fix?
- What is the source for this problem? / Why am I having this problem?
- When the work is complete, what is the desired outcome? What’s my goal for the work being requested?
- Is there a specific way that I need or want to have the issue addressed? If so, what are the “must-haves” or guidelines that I’d like the provider to adhere to?
- What things have I tried before that either didn’t work or that I don’t care to do again?
- What is the budget / price that I can realistically afford to pay to have this project completed as I want and need it to be completed?
If, on the other hand, you know exactly how you want the provider to solve your problem, say that. However, you should realize that if you’re adamant about what you want and how you want it done, that is what the provider will do. Most providers will advise you if what you’re requesting isn’t the best option for your needs but some will not. Additionally, at the end of the day, the provider’s goal is to make the client happy. So, be sure you’re requesting the right service and that any stipulations you mandate are what you really want and need to solve your problem. Otherwise, you can end up paying for work that you requested that fails to address your original issue.
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