I would use as many marketing methods or avenues that are open to me.  In my experience it has been very beneficial for me to market off line as well as on line.  Some of the things that you really cannot do online that have been very effective for me are:

• Attending networking events.
• Being a member of the Chamber of Commerce.
• Speaking and teaching. (can be done online,  but I sell more books when it is offline)
• Going out for coffee or lunch with another writer or local business person.

An example of successful marketing online:  Outside CBS Studio in New York with Harry

Though I wouldn’t say it is an absolute necessity, it is a very good idea.  If your media kit is available online, journalists and reporters can view it and download it at any time.  This makes their job easier. It also saves on ink, paper and postage.

Any time you can make a writers job easier, the better your chances of being interviewed and used as a source. Having an online press kit available gives anyone more information about you, your experience, what you have done and what you are doing now.  I offer my press kit as a PDF document, or in a Text Document format.  I include my latest press release, my bio, book reviews, a sell sheet about my books, business expereince information and past press.  I also offer an option to “Request an interview with Michelle” which sends an email directly to me.

Marketing isn’t really about how much money you have to devote to it, I have marketed for 11 years for as little money as possible.   That’s why in my new book “Mosquito Marketing for Authors” there is a chapter on how to market for free, how to market for under $50, under $100 and under $250, so you can do what is best for you and your business.  (Yes, being an author is a business).

Once you start writing your marketing plan, you can look at the things you want to do and see what costs money and what can be done for free.  You can then plan a budget based on your research and be ready when you get to that point in your plan.

Every day. Marketing is like exercise, you have to do it consistently to get results.

Not having a marketing plan can greatly impair your ability to be successful.  With a marketing plan you don’t have to spend so much time thinking and analyzing, you can do “the next thing on your list”.

Try to do at least one thing every day to market your book or business.  Another great way to get marketing into your schedule is to pick one day of the week as your “marketing day”, for me this is Wednesdays.  Schedule marketing activities into your schedule and don’t break the appointment, you will see a huge difference.

Do you market online? What online tools are you using? How are they working for you?

A great online way to make more sales and expand your platform is to participate in Joint Venture campaigns online.  Another great online tool is teleconferences, which can be done from anywhere, your office or home phone or your cell phone where ever you are.

Remember to be strategic and consistent in order for the greatest return on the time you invest into your online marketing.

When trying to promote anything, yourself, your business, your book  – you must start locally and then spread out from there to have success.

• Try covering a 100-mile radius of your location or a location where you might sell books, have a book signing or teach classes.
• Try donating copies of your book as a door prize at conventionsna dlocal auctions or events.
• Minimize expenses while maximizing exposure, for example use the internet instead of traveling.

What is your most effective marketing tool? Is it your website? Your business card?

Some authors tell me that their most effective marketing tools are:

• Top notch sales people
• Networking
• Word of mouth
• Speaking & selling books in the back of the room

Please share your tools!

I took a poll of over 150 authors and writers and these are the things that were the most commonly successful for them in order to build up their platform and to sell more books, I hope that you will do one or more of these things so you can be as successful!

The top answer for this one was repeated by almost everyone I spoke with.
Repeat traffic happens when a person purchases one of my books and enjoys it enough to inquire about other products.
How do you drive repeat traffic to your website or store and how do you make more sales to existing customers?

What percentage of your time do you dedicate to marketing?

One marketer I interviewed said:
Every waking hour.  I discuss my books where ever I am.  In line at the grocery store, beauty shop, swim class, in meetings, everywhere I go.
Another didn’t go into detail but claims they spend 80% of their time marketing their books.

How much time do you spend on marketing each day?