This Week's Topic: On My Mind
What's on my mind this week? Marketing plans. Coming up with an improved version that will hopefully net more sales with a positive ROI. I've subscribed to assorted marketing guru sites and newsletters, enough to make my mailbox weep from the digital space hoggery. Some guides are useful for general sales, others for books, and still others for fiction. Of that, maybe 2% is relevant to selling fantasy novels. That's the kicker with most marketing resources, very few are applicable to novels. Fashion? Beauty? Tech? Resources abound, but selling books is a different beast. Moreover, selling fiction is different from selling non-fiction, just as selling Inspirationals is different from selling Grimdark. The key to successful marketing is to get your product in front of your target audience without getting too niche. There's a cost to micro-refining your audience, both in higher monetary cost as well as loss of potential audiences.
Don't get me wrong, this isn't bitch post. It's a statement of the opportunity landscape. Speaking of opportunities, the places to advertise--both digital and print--for small businesses with small budgets are very limited. Conversely, the publishers (indie, small, and trad) number in the millions and are all vying for that limited space. Apply the basic economics of supply and demand, and it's no wonder advertising costs are rising while sell-through (actual sales) are stagnant (or declining. Yoiks!)
Wah wah wah. {Tiiny violin.} What's to be done? For me, I gotta get over my strong distrust of certain digital institutions that offer small business advertising platforms (lookin' at you, Meta) and reevaluate venues that generated negative ROI 5+ years ago to see what's changed, what's improved, and what's best left untouched. Additionally, I need to catch up on the tech advances of certain sales/advertising resources and update what promotions I have running. Oh, right, I also need to create an advertising calendar that empowers me to develop, engage, and track promotions, instead of pantsing and forgetting (doh!).
Yeah, I reckon I oughtta get to getting on my list Ought To's instead of weeping over the derth of sales. After all, I can't whine if I'm leaving opportunities on the table.
{Well, I can whine, but. that'd just make me a big 👶}
