All About Marketing – Review

It’s time to wrap up our August theme, “All About Marketing.”  Here’s the rundown of the posts for the past month:

1)  The three essentials you must know before you can make a sale

2)  The killer that wants to slay your income and how you can stop him cold

3)  How to get your booklet to sell itself

4)  How to create a cover that sells

5)  A vital piece of your marketing strategy

6)  The most expensive marketing mistake you could ever make

7)  A simple marketing strategy that works

Join me in September for our theme, “Back to Basics,” when I’ll be discussing the fundamentals of making the sale!

To your riches!

Kim Hillman

PS:  Are you ready to write your first booklet?   Want to do it right?  Click here!

PPS:  Remember, it only takes ONE idea to start the riches flowing to you!  Subscribe to this blog now.  Click here!

Finding The Untapped Riches In Smaller Markets

Imagine two large tables piled high with money.  Around the first table are many people, crowding each other and grabbing as much of the money as they can.  But there is nobody at the second table.  All that money is just sitting there, waiting for you to come along and scoop it up!

This is how it is in the world of marketing.  There are the large markets that get all the attention.  But, there are many smaller, under served markets with money to spend, which are largely ignored.

Which One Should You Choose?

Someone once said that if you want to make alot of money, you should find a market that isn’t being served and give them what they want.  Someone else said that if you want to make alot of money, you should create a market for what you have to sell.

While it is possible to do the latter, it’s easier to do the former.  In other words, the first guy was right.  It’s much easier to create something for a market that is already hungry than it is to convince a market they are hungry for something already created.

Coffee Anyone?

There was a time in America when having coffee meant going to a restaurant or bakery for a cup of brew, which usually came in a can, envelope or jar.  If you wanted coffee at home, you bought Folger’s at your local grocery store.  There was a HUGE market for coffee, and this was what was available.  Nobody knew any different, and nobody thought about anything different.  That was just the way it was.

Then, one day someone came along and decided to give coffee loving Americans something new to enjoy – the latte.  It was a hit, and a new market of coffee lovers was born.  That market grew and spun off in many different directions. Today there are little coffee shops all over America serving up personalized coffee drinks to your individual taste.

Why Smaller Is Better

You might think the example above is one in which someone created a product (the latte) and then tried to convince a market they were hungry for it.  But, actually, the opposite is true.  They gave the coffee lovers something they didn’t have before – a real choice. And they improved upon a product that had remained unchanged for centuries, by making it personal.  The market was already there, and hungry.  They loved coffee, and now they had more choices.

You may be faced with a market that is already being served by books or magazines or online information.  But, what are they getting? Are they only getting one flavor and no choices?  Or is there variety?  Does the information serve only one particular niche of the market, such as an exclusive age group, leaving the rest of the market untouched and untapped?

Or, perhaps you’ve found a market that isn’t being served at all.  They have needs and money to spend, but everyone is focused on the larger market.  The problem is, in the larger market you’ve got more competitors. In the smaller market, there is far less competition.

You can actually do much better and make more money by serving the under served, smaller market because there are fewer competitors vying for that market’s dollars.  In other words, you can have a tiny piece of a big pie, or a very large piece of a smaller pie. Which would you rather have?

Look for the smaller and under served markets.  These have riches that are practically untouched by your competitors!

To your riches!

Kim

PS: Before you can tap into the riches from those under served markets, you need something to offer them.  Click here!

PPS: Don’t forget to click here to subscribe to this blog so you never miss a single, important post!  Remember, it only takes ONE idea to start the riches flowing to you!

Quick tip: The Most Crucial Aspect Of The Sales Process

Your printed copies have just arrived and now it’s time to get them on the market.  But how will your audience recieve them?  Will they be flying off the shelves or will they sit?  The difference has to do with how you present your booklet.

Have you ever watched an infomercial that presented a product you just had to have?  What made you want to buy the product? It was the way the infomercial presented it.  Maybe it would make you thinner.  Maybe it would help you do a task faster.  Or maybe it would help to beautify your home.  And whether or not the product lived up to your expectations it was the presentation that got you to buy.

The quality of your booklet is important but it is secondary to your presentation. Whether your presentation is a phone call, a letter, is done on a website, or even face to face, presenting your booklet in a compelling way that tells your audience how your booklet can meet their needs is crucial to getting them to buy.

To your riches!

Kim

PS: Don’t have a booklet to present?  Click Here!

PPS: Remember, it only takes ONE idea to start the riches flowing to you. Subscribe to this blog by clicking here.

Why A Bad Economy Doesn’t Have To Mean Bad Business, And How You Can Make Even More Sales In Tough Times

You hear it on the news quite a lot lately – the economy is slowly improving.  Is it really? And if it is, why are people still so afraid?

The truth is the economy is still in a slump.  But, this isn’t necessarily a disadvantage for everyone….

Why Some Businesses Thrive In A Bad Economy

Bankruptcy lawyers are doing quite well these days.  A down economy means a boost in business for them.  But, they’re not the only ones who are doing well during these difficult times.  Other businesses, ones you would never think would do well during an economic downturn, seem to be thriving as well.  Restaurant and movie theatre parking lots are always full on the weekends, and a quick trip to the mall will prove there’s no lack of shoppers.  Why?

During bad times people like to escape – at least mentally – for a little while. Although it would seem that now is a time when people should hang on to every cent they can, the public doesn’t see it that way.  They are willing to spend a few dollars to ease the stress, even if only temporarily, by going to a movie or to to dinner.  Somehow, the momentary fun helps to face the reality when they return home.

The Crux Of The Game

The businesses who understand the needs of their public during tough times are the ones who thrive in a bad economy. And while the malls, theatres and restaurants may seem to serve a large population that includes everyone, they have their niche just like you do! And just like you, they must know their niche market well enough to understand what will appeal to them in the worst of times.

Knowing your market is really the crux of the game.  You can’t make a tempting offer if you don’t know what your market will respond to. Discovering this may take you a little time, but it’s worth the effort and will pay off well many times down the road.

People Will Continue To Live Their Lives

No matter what the economy does, people will continue to live their lives. And as they do, they present you with a rich opportunity to help them with some aspect of it – whether in the form of advice, or simply a momentary escape from their troubles.

Will your booklet help people make money, save money or acquire better health? These are all evergreen topics which can be used to promote your booklets, even if your booklet doesn’t directly address these issues.

For example, if your booklet deals with the subject of having a home birth (yes, people do still have babies during tough economic times!), you might present it to your market from either the aspect of being more healthful for the mother and baby than a hospital birth, or you might present it as being less costly.  You could also use both angles.  The booklet itself really has nothing to do with either of these issues, yet they are a factor contained within the big picture.

A bad economy doesn’t have to mean bad business.  It can actually mean even more sales for you when you present your booklet from a perspective that reflects both the times we live in and the needs of your market.

To your riches!

Kim

PS: Now is the time to take advantage of the economy!  It won’t stay down forever!  If you’re ready to begin your booklet adventure, click here!

PPS: Don’t forget to click on one of the links at the top right of this page to subscribe so you never miss a single, important post!  Remember, it only takes ONE idea to start the riches flowing to you!  Also, if you like this post please share it on your favorite social website.  Thanks!

The Right Way To Offer Your Booklet To Your Market

It happened again today.  I received an email from some guru (how DO these people get my email address???) promising that if I attend their online webinar I’ll be told how to get my website on the first page of Google and my sales will soar. His webinar may very well tell me how to get my website on page one of Google, but let me set the record straight by saying that getting your website on page one of Google does NOT guarantee you will make any sales.

He would have been better off to simply promise his audience that they would get their website on the first page of Google (that isn’t difficult to do), and left it at that.  Sales on someone else’s website is something that NO guru can control.

Building A Repoire With Your Audience Takes Time

That Guru made a promise that he will never be able to keep.  His audience might see their number of visitors to their website soar, but that doesn’t mean their sales will.

How many times have you gone to a website and browsed but not purchased -  Especially if you’ve never heard of that company or person before?  People are particularly wary of who they buy from online.  It takes time to build a repoire with your audience.  People buy from people they know, like and trust.

How do you think that Guru’s audience will feel once their excitement dies down from all the traffic – when they finally realize that just getting traffic doesn’t guarantee sales?

Your Number One Goal

As an author and as a business person, your number one goal is NOT to make sales.  Yes, you read that right.  Sales is NOT your number one goal.  Your number one goal is to be someone your customers feel they can trust.

That means giving your best information in a professional product that is delivered in a timely manner.  It also means being honest about what you can deliver and what you can’t.  It means being fair and treating your customers like people, not dollars.

There are many large companies today who spend millions of dollars on marketing their products, and their focus is on the money that marketing will bring in.  They aren’t thinking about the individual PEOPLE who will see that marketing. They rely on their brand or their name because they’ve been around a while.  But, we’ve seen many companies go out of business over the past few years – many of whom had been around for years.

Why Not Having A Brand Or Established Business Is A GOOD Thing

As a new booklet author, you don’t have a brand yet or a company that has been in business for many years, so you can’t rely on these things to bring in the big bucks.  But, that’s a good thing.  It means you’ll have to learn how to do it the right way – one customer at a time.

There is a right way and a wrong way to tell customers about your product. The guru mentioned above went about it the wrong way.  He promised something he could never deliver because he will never have any control over someone else’s website.  There is much more to selling from the internet than simply getting your website on the first page of Google.  In fact, getting your website on the front page of Google can actually hurt your sales if you don’t know what you’re doing.  But this guru isn’t concerned with that.  He’s looking for the fast buck.

When you’re ready to offer your booklet to people, make sure you never promise more than you can deliver.  It’s actually a good rule of thumb to under promise and over deliver.  That means your product and delivery is even better than you said it would be.  This will delight your customers and make them want to buy from you again.

Remember, your goal is to be worthy of your customers’ trust.  If your customers feel they can trust you, sales WILL happen.

To your riches!

Kim

PS: Do you want to go about creating your booklet the right way so you’ll have a  product that will sell when it’s finished?  Click here!

PPS: Don’t forget to click on one of the links at the top right of this page to subscribe so you never miss a single, important post!  Remember, it only takes ONE idea to start the riches flowing to you!  Also, if you like this post, please share it on your favorite social website.  Thanks!

How Well Do You Know Your Subject Matter?

When you came up with a topic for your booklet, you probably did it off the top of your head and from your own experience.  But, how well do you really know your subject matter?

In order to successfully reap riches from your product, you need to know that product well. Since you’re an author and your product is your booklet, you need to know your subject matter inside and out.

Look Beyond Your Experience

Having personal experience with your subject matter is a very good start to really understanding it.  This is why it’s best to write from personal experience.  But, everyone’s experience is a little different. If you have two chess players playing together, each one’s experience and thoughts about that experience will be different.

What you need to do as an author is not only look at your own experience, but look deeper and try to get a broader view of your subject. Your own view is narrow and limited, regardless of how many years experience you have.  You want the total picture, or as much of it as you can possibly get.

The Only Reason They Will Buy From You

Going deeper into your subject matter and knowing it from a broader viewpoint is extremely important because it helps you define how your booklet will help the reader.  If you can’t tell your audience how your booklet will help them, they won’t be interested.

Your audience will be interested in buying your booklet for one reason only.  They want to know what’s in it for them. They want to know how your booklet will improve their life or help them change their circumstances.  They won’t care about your personal experience very much.  They may not even be able to relate to that.  This doesn’t mean your own experience doesn’t count.  It does.  It just means that you shouldn’t focus on it too much or make it the only thing you draw your information from.

What It Really Boils Down To

What it really boils down to is knowing your product. When you have a thorough understanding of your subject matter and you know all the angles, or at least several of them, it gives you something to bring to the table.  It gives the impression that you know your stuff and therefore your booklet must be good and worth investing a few dollars in.

When you take the time to research and discover other angles with your subject, even if you don’t include them in your booklet, it adds to your expertise. You can then use that expertise in a variety of ways – from creating other booklets to making sales.

Knowing your product – your booklet’s subject matter – inside and out is fundamental to being a successful booklet author.  Look beyond your own experience and try to get a sense of the bigger picture.  It will only add to your riches.

To your riches!

Kim

PS: Don’t forget to click on one of the links at the top right of this page to subscribe so you never miss a single, important post.  Remember, it only takes ONE idea to start the riches flowing to you!  Also, if you like this post please share it on your favorite social website.  Thanks!

When People Ask Why They Should Buy Your Booklet, How Will You Answer?

You’ve got a fantastic idea for a booklet and you just know it’s going to be a top seller.  Great!  But, you need to ask yourself one question.  Why would anyone want to read your booklet?

What’s In It For Me?

No matter what kind of product a business has on the market, the question people will always ask themselves is “What’s in it for me?”  In other words, they want to know why they should consider purchasing that product.

In the case of your booklet, the answer should be somewhat obvious.  The answer is that your audience is receiving information that they want or need.  Your job is to make sure that the information truly is what they want or need.

Why It’s Not About Price

Most of the time, when a product doesn’t sell it isn’t because of the price – unless it’s too low.  If you price your booklet too low nobody will believe the information inside has any value and they won’t be inclined to buy.

When a product doesn’t sell, it’s usually a marketing issue.  Either the market isn’t interested in the product (because they asked themselves what’s in it for them and they couldn’t get a satisfactory answer), or the company selling the product isn’t marketing it properly.  Both of these issues can be solved with a little research.

Do Your Homework

It’s important to do your homework before you write your booklet.  You must be able to answer the question, “Why should I read your booklet?”  Think of a person from your target market.  Imagine that person in your mind and hear them asking you that question.  What will you tell them?

Whatever your answer is, begin with that and work from there.  As you go you’ll find many reasons why people will want or need your information.  Even after your manuscript is finished and your booklets are printed, you’ll continue to discover answers to this question.  Those answers will help you with both your marketing and writing future booklets.

People have choices when it comes to your booklet.  They can buy it, they can buy something else, and they can buy nothing at all.  By asking yourself why people would want to buy your booklet (as opposed to buying something else or nothing), it helps you create a booklet people will want and you will be able to market it successfully.

To your riches!

Kim

PS: Don’t forget to click on one of the links at the top right of this page to subscribe so you never miss a single, important post!  Remember, it only takes one idea to start the riches flowing to you!  Also, if you like this post, please share it on del.ic.ious, StumbleUpon, or the social website of your choice.  Thanks!

10 Ideas To Help You Come Out A Winner When You’re Thinking Of Going In A New Direction

What do you do when you have a booklet, or a series of booklets that you’ve been marketing and doing well with, and you want to go in a new direction, creating new booklets for a completely different market?  This can be a tough decision, especially when you’re really passionate about your new idea.  But, it can be done and if it’s handled properly, it can bring in even more riches for you!

Here are some ideas to help you navigate this decision so that you come out a winner!

1) The first thing you must consider is the booklet or booklets you have been doing well with. This is your current income stream and therefore you should continue making this product or products available.  If you don’t, you won’t have the income to bring your new idea to fruition.

2) With your current booklet going like gangbusters, the next thing you should ask yourself is whether your new idea could fit within your current market. This would give you a new product to offer those who already have your other booklets.

3) If your new idea can be marketed to your current audience, that makes your marketing easier.  You already know how to reach this market.

4) Another advantage of being able to sell your new idea to your current market is that since they have bought from you before, it is safe to assume that a majority of them will buy from you again.

5) If your new idea is not marketable to your current audience, for example if your current audience is working mothers and you want to write a booklet for motorcycle enthusiasts, you must consider the amount of time that you have put into your current marketing in order to make and keep it successful. Will marketing to a new audience take away from the successful marketing you’ve been doing already?  And, will you have enough time to devote to marketing your new booklet?

6) Count the cost. Very little marketing is actually free.  Even marketing that might seem to be free will cost you in time.  Can you afford to market to both audiences?

7) If your audiences are vastly different, you probably won’t be able to successfully market your booklets under the same business umbrella.  You may need to create a second business for your new booklets, or you may need to create some kind of division within your current business to accomodate your new passion.

8) Always look for the simplest, most cost and time effective way to do things. If it’s too complicated, find a way to make it easier.  If you can’t it might not be worth doing.  In the case of your new idea, if it’s going to make things in your business much more complicated, it will end up complicating your life.  Make sure that you can add your new idea to your current schedule of things to do without having to make too many sacrifices long term.

9) Consider your new market. Is it larger than your current one?  Are you likely to gain even greater benefits by marketing to the new market than you are to the old one?

10) How will the new market enrich and enlarge your business overall?

When you take these things into consideration, you’ll be well on your way to making the best possible decision as to whether you should pursue your new interest now or wait until a later time, and the best way to go about it.

To your riches!

Kim

PS: Don’t forget to click on one of the links at the top right of this page to subscribe so you never miss a single, important post!  Remember, it only takes one idea to start the riches flowing to you!  Also, if you like this post please share it on del.ic.ious or StumbleUpon, or the social website of your choice.  Thanks!

There’s A Fortune In Your Story – Are You Telling Yours?

People buy the things they do for a number of reasons.  One of those reasons is that the company making the sale knows how to tell a good story.

Although your booklet is probably a work of non-fiction, you still need to be able to tell a good story.  Stories are what capture people’s interest.  Stories also give people a way to connect with your booklet.

The Betty Crocker Story

One of the most famous stories is that of Betty Crocker.  Betty Crocker is not and has never been a real person.  She is the fabrication of General Mills.  Her birth came about as the result of a clever marketing ploy.  The company asked people to fill in a crossword puzzle and send it to them for a promotional item – a small pin cushion that resembled a bag of flour.

Along with the completed crossword puzzles, the company also received letters asking for cooking advice.  The company’s advertising director decided to answer the letters, but he felt a little uneasy about signing his own name to them.  Why should housewives listen to him?  So, he came up with the pseudonym Betty Crocker, and the rest as they say, is history.

Betty Crocker went on to become one of the most famous advertising icons the world has ever seen.  She was, back in the 1930′s – 1950′s, the Dear Abby of her day, answering not only questions about cooking, but also about budgeting and even dating.  She created a story behind the cookbooks, and for a while even had her own radio show.  Today the name Betty Crocker presents a wholesome image of a mother preparing nutritious meals for her family – meals that are made with love.

Kiehl’s – A True Story

Not all stories are created.  Some stories are true.  Kiehl’s is one company that tells a true story.  Established in 1851, Kiehl’s creates natural skin and hair care products.  Their story is simply that they are a historical, family founded store that is dedicated to quality and customer service.  Their website has a historical feel to it which lends itself well to that feeling of nostalgia and tells you this is something special.

If you would like to see the Kiehl’s website for yourself, you can visit it at http://www.kiehls.com.

Stories And Booklets

Just like Betty Crocker and Kiehl’s, you need a story for your booklet.  If you’re writing non-fiction, your story should probably be true, and should reflect your reason for writing the booklet.

For example, if you’re writing a booklet about weight loss, your story might be that the ideas in the booklet helped you lose 50 pounds in 16 weeks.  Or, if your booklet is about traveling on a tight budget, your story might be about how you have traveled to exotic destinations for a mere fraction of the normal cost.

Your story doesn’t have to be elaborate.  It just needs to be believable and it needs to relate to your booklet.  People will look for a way to connect with your booklet.  If they make a strong connection, if they feel something about your story, they are much more likely to buy.  If not, they’ll be onto the next thing.

There’s a fortune in your story.  Make sure you tell a good one!

To your riches!

Kim

PS: Don’t forget to click on one of the links at the top right of this page to subscribe so you never miss a single, important post!  Remember, it only takes one idea to start the riches flowing to you!  Also, if you like this post, please share it on del.ic.ious, StumbleUpon, or the social network of your choice.  Thanks!

The 2012 Goldmine – Will You Cash In?

Trends present a huge opportunity for anyone in any media to cash in big.  This includes authors and writers across the spectrum.  The 2012 thought movement is a mega trend.  Whether you believe catastrophic events will occur in 2012 or not, the fact is that many people do.  In fact, the 2012 thought movement is a global trend of thinking which makes it a huge, ripe market that is right here, right now.

The 2012 Phenomenon

What is a trend and what makes 2012 such a mega trend?  A trend is simply something that is popular among a group of people, such as teenagers.  A mega trend is something that is popular on a global level, or across a huge spectrum of the population.

2012 has become a mega trend for two basic reasons.  First, it is promoted by the media. You see it everywhere – online, in bookstores, on magazine covers, and very shortly you’ll even be able to see it in the theater.

Why is 2012 being so heavily promoted?  Because the media know the value of taking a good trend and turning it into a mega trend or a phenomenon.  And what works for the mainstream media can often be scaled down to work for booklet authors!

The second reason 2012 is such a mega trend has to do with human curiosity, fear and our love of a good story.  2012 is in the future.  Since it isn’t here yet there’s no way to know exactly what will happen or how things will play out that year on a global scale.  This leaves plenty of room for fear tactics as well as good story telling about events that might occur.

It’s Been Done Before

2012 isn’t the first global trend the media has recognized as being prime material for exploitation.  Do you remember Y2K?  That event ushered in another global trend of thought – one which the media was able to expand and cash in on.

So many people are talking about 2012 now that the media’s job has gotten easier.  The media may have started the fire, but word of mouth is fanning the flames.  All the media needs to do now is add some new, hot information to the fire every once in a while.

You Are Part Of The Media Too

In a sense, you are part of the media.  All media does is bring information to the public.  You do this too, with your booklet.  Movie producers do this with their films.  Blog owners do this with their blog posts.  There are many different forms of media.

When you see a trend happening, such as 2012, and you see other forms of media tying into it, that’s a good clue that you should tie your booklet into it too if you possibly can.

Your booklet doesn’t need to be specifically about 2012 or events or prophecies tied to it.  Your booklet might have value in another way.  The trick is to be creative and ask yourself how your booklet might tie into the trend.

A good way to come up with ideas is to study the 2012 phenomenon and learn a little more about what people think about it.  Another thing to do is watch the media and see what they tie into it. Even your local news may occasionally mention it.

Watch the magazines on the news stands and the books that come out in your local bookstore.  All of these things will give you clues as to what people are thinking on a global scale, as well as spark some creative ideas in you for tying your booklet into the 2012 phenomenon.

2012 is really a goldmine for you as a booklet author.  It’s just a matter of doing a little digging to find the right vein.  Will you cash in?

To your riches!

Kim

PS: Don’t forget to click on one of the links at the top right of this page to subscribe so you never miss a single, important post.  Remember, it only takes one idea to start the riches flowing to you!  Also, if you like this post, please share it on del.ic.ious or StumbleUpon or the socail website of your choice.  Thanks!