Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Topic 17 Marketing

                             THE 4 P'S OF MARKETING

Greetings,
 Halloween is almost upon us here in the U.S. and I got to thinking about the way candy (the product) is priced, placed and promoted to the consumer. When you purchase your favorite candy, have you ever thought about the many hours people sat around a board room discussing the 4 P's, product, price, place, and promotion, before their candy creation even left the warehouse?
   
If the 4 P's of marketing are extremely important to top candy manufacturers, should writers take the well-formulated marketing strategy lightly when our product, in this case a novel, is ready to be seen by the public? Definitely not.
   
But why wasn't packaging included you might ask? Packaging is wrapped up with product. It keeps things simple.

Let's begin with PRODUCT. You are the builder of your product. Is the editing as good as it can be? Have you asked someone else to clean the product up, meaning the proofing and editing of your work before it leaves your personal space for good? Do you feel good about the work you've just written or were you careless here and there in order to get it off to the press on time? Be honest.

When you wrote the novel, did you take into consideration what age bracket would be reading it and which group of people would be interested in it? After your manuscript has been examined by others, did you toss around ideas for your cover, and seek help in the design if needed? Remember, the perfect cover draws people to your work not away from it. Make sure to select the right one.

PRICE. Setting the right price for your product can earn you sales. Too high and people won't purchase it. When my third novel came out in 2011, a self-published one, I had to decide whether I wanted to sell it for $.99  or $9.99 as an e-book. Wanting of course a fair amount for my book,
I chose the higher price. I don't think I need to explain how the e-book sales are doing. As proud as I am of the written word in this novel and its attractive cover, I failed to determine the right price.

PLACE. Where will your novel be displayed? Location, location, location is just as important as the product. For Mc Donald's or any other food chain the corner of a very busy intersection is the top location choice. Where will your widest audience see your novel offered - in book stores, libraries, events or Amazon? Choose wisely.    

PROMOTION. The book is hot off the press. Is this when you promote it? Not according to all the sources I've read. You should be promoting the book six months before the printed form is in your hands. Send out press releases, search for people to write reviews. Share a snippet with your fans on your author page, website, blog, Tweet or anywhere else you can think of. It's time to toot your horn, the way only you can. Ask fans and friends to spread the word.

How have you promoted your book? What factored into where to show your book? I'd love to share your comments with those who read my blog.

Getting back to candy for a moment, which packaging grabs you the most? Ask yourself why?

Until next time
This is Marlene Chabot

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