Marketing Monday Blues

Sometimes marketing feels like a wash. It's because there are some methods to marketing that you can't quantify.

If you're only doing things that give you metrics, you lose out on some of the wonderful opportunities that you really can't tell if they work or not.

One of the things I use in trying a marketing method is how it works on me and my friends. This past year I found the more exposure you have to something, the more you think about it. Makes sense. But...I'm not going to specifically buy a Pepsi just because I see an ad. I have to like Pepsi.

Here's a statistic that might depress you. I used myself and my friends as control subjects. It takes an average of 6 years for us to find a book. Ouch. Yes. Six years. Every time I get a book I really enjoy like...Natural Law: 2 (Nature of Desire) I realize...it took me oh...9 years to find it.

For a writer it might seem depressing. But that's nine years of Joey Hill writing tons of books every year to give me more of what I want!! I'm not going to forget Joey or Natural Law anytime soon, and I'm willing to buy what she's got. Oh...I think I'm going to skip books 3 & 4 for right now and jump to #5 I want to see Jonathan Powell go DOWN!!! And I'm glad I didn't find Joey Hill until now...I have so many books to catch up now :)

Okay, so as always I'm going to tell you the bright side of the story...

That's six years of books you've been writing for your readers. Somewhere between books 6 and 10 your readers find you. Call it funnel. Call it tenacity, but that's six years of books that can be bought...as long as the publisher doesn't take your stories down. Grrrr.

Sorry, I'm still a bit grudgey. <-- yes a Stephanism for I'm not holding a grudge, but I won't forget your poor handling of a past situation...Kobo. Anyway...

That's six years of happily writing, or six years of misery because "nobody's buying your book". Take it how you see it. Drive hard and burn out OR steady, goal-driven work. I don't really have deadlines for my own writing because it's not a race for me. I do have goal dates, and it gets the work out there, but I know that the more books out there the more likely my readers will find me.

And readers really do find their authors. But as you can see, it does take time for them to find you. Even when you have an outstanding product.

So what's the ACTION ITEM? I could say write more or write faster, but today I really think it's time to pull back, take a look at the marketing you've done and realize, it all works. People don't always react that fast in buying something that's necessity. Heck, even when it is necessity, sometimes people DON'T buy. 

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