Another View on Marketing
By Jerry D. Simmons | October 19th, 2006 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
In the traditional publishing world, marketing is broken up into three distinct areas. The first is advertising, which is anything you would pay for, such as placement in a newspaper or magazine, sixty-second spot on radio or television where you advertise your book. The second is promotion, where you are bringing attention to your book. Writing pens, badges, t-shirts, mouse pads, any item that you give away as a means of drawing attention to your book is considered promotion. The third is publicity, where you send press releases or announcements to the media in hopes of getting their attention and prompting them to write an article or ask you to appear on their radio or television show. Publicity is free; it cost you nothing, and is the most important way to generate sales for your book.
When you consider each of the three components, you may be wondering about a web site. Where does it fit in and do I need one? Your web site is considered advertising since you must pay to have a site constructed and you pay for the monthly hosting charge, which supports the traffic to your site. The cost of creating and maintaining the site is considered part of your advertising budget. You definitely need a web site, because in today’s competitive environment the web site has replaced the business card in some respects. Your web site has become your calling card. The site promotes and publicizes you and your book, tells a person about you and your writing. A web site has become a must for any author. Web sites do not have to be complex, they can be simple so don’t spend thousands of dollars on a web site, think of it as part of the cost of being an author. Please don’t be scared of the technology, it’s important to embrace and understand. It’s simply part of another view on marketing.
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