One author generated 18,000 links to his Web site in only seven months
++++++
If you have a Web site that sells something, no doubt one of the
biggest challenges you face is getting enough visitors for it to make
an impact on sales.
There are many ways to do this that cost money--pay- per-click ads,
banner advertisements, etc.--but one of the best ways to generate
free traffic is by piggy- backing on the popularity of other sites,
namely blogs, and convincing them to send their visitors your way.
One author who's become an expert at this strategy is David Lorenzo.
Thanks to a dedicated strategy of getting bloggers interested in his
book, and becoming a popular blogger himself, he's been able to get
his book and/or blog mentioned a startling 18,000 times since
November of last year. In fact, because he's doing very little other
than promoting his book through blogs and the Internet, he estimates
that about 90% of his sales are coming from this effort alone.
Here are Lorenzo's tips for getting coverage on blogs, increasing
your site's popularity with the search engines and dominating in your
online marketing efforts.
==> Become what you aspire to reach.
"You've got to be on the inside," says Lorenzo, meaning bloggers
typically like to take care of their own.
"Other bloggers will write about you and link to you if you have a
blog of your own and you 'play by the rules.' What I mean is the
blogosphere is about three
things: starting a conversation; getting good information out in a
succinct format; and pointing people to other resources. When you
start a blog, you become a part of that community. If you stay true
to those three points, then other bloggers will link to you, and
that's how you become 'known' in that medium."
==> Fill the 'news hole.'
"Bloggers are like traditional media in that they have a 'news hole'
to fill every day," says Lorenzo. "Good blogs need something to talk
about. They like to interview experts. Some of them allow 'guest
bloggers,'
where you can write a blog post on someone else's blog, like a guest
column [in a newspaper]. Ultimately, authors and experts really need
to put in the time and set up their own blog. Then they must provide
something meaningful each and every day."
==> Compile a new-media mailing list.
Part of Lorenzo's master plan was to approach bloggers the same way
most authors approach traditional media outlets. To that end, he
distributed review copies and promotional materials to a list of 500
bloggers. Fifty of those have so far wound up reviewing the book on
their site, which isn't a bad return. But the real effect has been
the number of times other sites have linked to Lorenzo's site, or
mentioned the book (without providing a full review). "The book has
been referenced over 18,000 times on the Web," he says.
"Much of this is due to the number and quality of my blog posts.
Since I started the Career Intensity Blog in November, I've written
over 700 items [for the blog), and 427 different blogs have linked to
[me] in the past three months."
==> Resources for compiling your own blogger mailing list.
Searching for blogs that cover your topic can be tedious. Here are a
couple of sites that make it easier to find the most popular blogs on
the Internet.
* Technorati (www.technorati.com): Billed as "the authority on what's
going on in the world of weblogs,"
Technorati tracks activity on more than 44 million sites and who's
clicking on more than 2.5 billion links. The site then takes this
information and compiles a list of the Top 100 most popular blogs.
This is a great starting point if you want to make blogs a part of
your marketing campaign but don't know where to start.
* Blogebrity (www.blogebrity.com): Another site that keeps on top of
who's saying what across the blogosphere, the main attraction of
Blogebrity for our purposes is "The List"--a compilation of bloggers
who have earned either "A-List," "B-List" or "C-List"
status--labels that roughly correspond to a blog's popularity,
quality and readership. As mentioned above, Lorenzo found great
success targeting the mid-range bloggers rather than the superstars,
so this might be a good place to start. (Note: The direct link to
Blogebrity's list is
http://www.blogebrity.com/thelist/ )
* BlogCritics (www.blogcritics.org): BlogCritics is a good way to
find both established and emerging bloggers who write about your area
of expertise, but it lacks easily accessible rankings that make
compiling your own media list easier. Still, it's worth checking out
if you've exhausted the possibilities from the two sites mentioned
above. For more information about Dave Lorenzo's book, Career
Intensity, visit
www.dlorenzo.com. ++++++
...Sell more books through chain stores
Three ways to get Borders, Barnes & Noble and others excited about
your book
++++++
No matter how much success you have selling your book through other
channels, you probably won't be satisfied with your book sales until
you can count the major chains among your sales outlets. The problem,
especially in recent years, is that small publishers and self-
published authors have been finding it increasingly difficult to get
chains likes Barnes & Noble and Borders interested in stocking their
books.
While it's certainly true that getting into these stores isn't as
easy as, say, selling your book on Amazon.com, the requirements of
the major bricks-and- mortar chain stores are pretty straightforward:
established distribution, an effective marketing plan and, of course,
a good book.
Here are some tips on giving the chains what they're looking for and
increasing the chances they'll work with you:
==> Develop a serious marketing plan.
For a chain to want to carry your book, they're going to first want
to know that it will sell once it gets there. Because so many authors
view their book's publication as the end of the road, and not the
beginning of the journey that it actually is, these stores are
understandably reluctant to carry a book that doesn't have some
marketing muscle behind it.
(This really holds true for most sales outlets you explore, but is
doubly true for the large bookstore
chains.) Don't make this the reason your book is rejected. Describe
the tactics you're going to use to create a buzz about the book and
drive customers into the stores in search of it. Mention media
appearances, interviews, reviews and any paid publicity you plan, as
well as the amount of time you're planning to put in.
Anything that conveys how serious you are about marketing your book,
as well as its quality and what makes your book stand out from the
competition, is going to be a plus to chain-store decision makers.
==> Get distribution in place first.
This is vital. As Borders notes, the "use of distributors and
wholesalers greatly increases the opportunity for your book to be
considered." In fact, trying to get your books carried by the major
chains without a recognized distribution channel is going to be
nearly impossible. You'll want to go with one of the national
companies such as Ingram, Baker & Taylor or Biblio. Other companies
such as Partners Book Distributing, Koen and Bookazine handle
regional accounts, and might also be acceptable. The ins and outs of
picking a distributor or wholesaler, along with the requirements of
each company, would require an entirely separate story, so we won't
go into too many details here. What's probably easiest is to visit
the Web sites of each company to find the ones that match your
requirements and your situation. For example, Ingram prefers to work
directly only with publishers who have 10 or more books in print. For
publishers with less, or for self-published authors, Ingram suggests
working with Publishers Marketing Association, Lightning Source
(www.lightningsource.com) or, as mentioned above, a company like
Biblio Distribution.
==> Explore third-party programs.
Publishers Marketing Association (www.pmaonline.org) offers two
programs that can help you solve the distribution dilemma and get
into the chain stores if you don't have any luck on your own. Both
the Ingram Wholesale Acceptance Program and the Trade Distribution
Program can be great options for authors and publishers who need
assistance. You can find full information on these programs at PMA's
Web site, but here's a very basic overview. PMA convenes
representatives from the major chains, distributors and wholesalers
to consider titles for inclusion in the program. These reps evaluate
your book and, if it's accepted, agree to a distribution contract
with you. Again, you can find the details on both of these programs
at PMA's Web site.
==> Contacting chain stores
The two largest bookstore chains are Borders and Barnes & Noble. Both
are always looking for new titles. Here's the official way to contact
both:
* Barnes & Noble: "If you would like your title to be considered for
placement in Barnes & Noble stores, please submit a copy of the book
(no manuscripts, please), along with marketing and promotion plans,
trade reviews and a note describing what makes the book unique, to"
The Small Press Department, Barnes & Noble, Inc., 122 5th Ave, NYC
10011.
* Borders (also runs Waldenbooks): Send two copies of your book along
with a cover letter, contact information, marketing programs,
distribution channels and proposed terms to: New Vendor Acquisitions,
Borders Group, Inc., 100 Phoenix Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48108.
Distributors and wholesalers who work with chain stores
While not all-inclusive by any means, here are several distribution
channels that will make getting carried in chain stores easier:
* Ingram Book Group: Represents more than 43,000 publisher imprints
and lists nearly four million books in its extended database. The
best way to contact Ingram is through its Web site at
http://www.ingrambook.com/contact.asp. * Baker & Taylor: Maintains 385,000 titles in stock, with more than
1.5 million available for order. You can contact Baker & Taylor at
btinfo@btol.com, 1-800-775-1800, or via the company's Web site at
http://www.btol.com/contact.cfm. * Biblio Distribution: Biblio specializes in working with small
presses. First check out Biblio's Web site
(www.bibliodistribution.com), where most of your questions about
working with the company are answered.
You can also contact Theresa Thomas
(tthomas@bibliodistribution.com; 301-459-3366, ext.
5505) if you need more information than what's provided there.
Pam Perry, Chief Visionary
and author of "Synergy Energy"
info@ministrymarketingsolutions.com
Ministry Marketing Solutions, Inc.
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Posted By: Pam Perry
Sunday, April 11th 2010 at 12:35AM
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