I saw a news item yesterday on The Power of Two. The Power of Two is having two healthy habits that will add years to your life. Yesterday’s segment suggested that you (1) find out your family medical history in order to prevent diseases you may be prone to and (2) that exercising your brain by doing things like crossword puzzles can prevent dementia as you get older.
So, I got to thinking. What would be the top marketing habits of successful authors? (Everything relates to marketing these days for me.)
They would be:
1. Successful authors know their audience and write with their audience in mind.
2. Successful authors build customer relationships. It’s much easier to sell to an existing customer than to find a new customer. Successful authors offer a newsletter, a podcast, or other “ethical bribes” to create an opt-in email list of interested people. They use that list to announce new products and news about their topic. They also offer free stuff to thank their loyal readers and keep them coming back for more.
3. Successful authors stay on top of what’s happening in their field. They are active in associations connected to their topic and read industry publications to stay current. They also contribute to the existing body of knowledge.
4. Successful authors focus on promoting their work by developing a platform. Having a platform – a cause that you actively work on – gets you noticed in a crowded field.
5. Successful authors don’t rely on the status quo. They are always looking for a new way to repackage their information for the non-book readers, like ebooks, podcasts, and video. Successful authors know one book is not a business.
