Promote, promote, promote!

Okay, I've published my books online (one of them also in paperback) and I have done all the other things I've been told to do: website, facebook page, twitter, blogging, mingling on LinkedIn, posting blogs to all sorts of places, created a special blog "The Lit Chick Show" (where I feature other authors' work), and I participated in loads of giveaways and have also been on Blogtalkradio a few times, and on and on. Even so, I cannot help but think that I've only touched the tip of the promotional iceberg. So what else can I do to create more exposure?

Well, I want to share a little tip that I learned from the days when I used to be involved in network marketing. Statistics show that one of the most powerful tools we can use in order to promote a service or product is "word of mouth". This is even more powerful than celebrity endorsement, believe it or not. I learned this during those days in network marketing, when I used to have wonderful products to sell, but no matter how much I advertised I just didn't seem to get the results. And then I learned that people will often trust those they know when they endorse a product.

So if I'm your friend, sister, aunty, whatever, and I tell you that I read a great book or I used a fantastic brand of toothpaste, chances are that you will go and buy the same book or the same brand of toothpaste and give it a go. Word of mouth is not a "hard sell" and you don't have to be in anybody's face; it is simply sharing your experience with others--and if those others trust you, they will try whatever it is you are talking about, whether it is a book, lipstick, a household product, a car or some kind of service, like a doctor, accountant, etc.

Therefore, while I still keep up with my other activities, I never miss a chance to tell people about what I do. I don't force it on them, however. I simply look for the opportunity to talk about my books without making people feel uncomfortable. Example: if someone asks me what I do, I say I'm a novelist. Then it's up to them to ask me what kind of books I write. If they don't ask, I don't say anything else, but if they ask what I write, I tell them. This often leads to a question like "where can I find out more about your books", and then I point them to my website. Sometimes, a friend reads one of my books and because they like it, they will share this with other people they know, and some of those people might then buy the book, and if they like it they will share it with others, and then others will do the same and so on and so forth. Word of mouth is very powerful and it needn't be overwhelming for the author who is trying to promote their work.

Give it a try and see. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain, and the plus side of it is that if you relax and allow yourself to have some fun with it, it will all come naturally.

Another example: some months ago I ran into a neighbour in my building. We got chit chatting about this, that and the other. I asked what he did for a living; he said he was a sports writer and editor of a newspaper. I said: "Wow! That's a coincidence, because I also write." And one thing led to another and here is the result of that little five minute conversation I had with him (see pic).