Download Mix and Match Your Promotion

Mix and Match Your Promotion
By Brian Jud
A carpenter knows that the right tool applied in the proper situation gets the job
done most effectively. Similarly, you should use the correct marketing tools when
building a successful promotional campaign.
The Promotion Mix Promotion is one of the most important functions of
marketing. It makes people aware that your book exists, and makes them
understand why they need to buy it. There are four general promotional tools you
can use at different times to accomplish these goals.
1. Sales promotion uses items such as premiums, giveaways, brochures and
coupons for generating awareness and stimulating demand through short-term
awareness campaigns. They can easily be tied in with other promotional tools.
Conversely, they usually have short-term impact, overuse of price-related offers
may hurt your profits, and competitors easily copy effective promotions.
2. Publicity, such as press releases and reviews, is perhaps the most economical
element of the promotional mix. It increases awareness and credibility through a
third-party testimonial. On the other had, you have no control over what is printed
in a review or article about your book.
3. Advertising, including direct mail, can reach many consumers simultaneously
with the same message, with a relatively low cost per exposure. It can increase
awareness of your titles and educate people about the benefits of buying them.
However, since your advertisement reaches many people who are not potential
buyers, you could waste a lot of money. In addition, consumers easily screen out
advertising.
4. Personal selling can be the most persuasive selling tool because it allows twoway communication. It is the best tool for closing the sale. The major
disadvantage is its high cost per contact.
Your job is to determine when and how to use each of these tools to optimize
your sales. For example, suppose your author is about to conduct a book
signing. It will be more successful if you precede the event with an awareness
campaign. This might include an enlargement of the book's cover featured in the
store (sales promotion), press releases sent to the local media (publicity); post
cards mailed to prospective customers (advertising) or media appearances
promoting the signing (personal selling). Match your promotional
mix to the circumstances Creating and implementing a successful
promotional mix will be more likely if you match your promotional mix to:
1. Your overall marketing objectives. If your title is in its introductory stage, mass
communication techniques should be emphasized. Initially, people need to
understand why it is in their best interest to purchase your book. Later, they need
to be reminded to buy it. The people you are trying to influence may be
acquisitions people at distributors, libraries, bookstores, or the consumers
themselves. If your objective is to market nonfiction to specific niches, then direct
mail might lead your attack. If you plan a heavy trade-show schedule, then
personal selling may prevail.
2. The personality of your authors. Authors who loathe media appearances might
be better suited to a promotional mix heavy in direct mail, publicity and
advertising. Others may thrive on national exposure and excel in performing on
the air and in personal performances.
3. The nature of your product line. A list heavy in fiction lends itself to a mix
weighted toward sales promotion, publicity and advertising where mass
communication's low cost per exposure stimulates demand most efficiently. Of
course, personal selling in the form of a national media blitz is also suited to
stimulating broad awareness and demand.
4. The nature of your markets. A nonfiction title destined for a tightly defined
market niche dictates personal communication, perhaps implemented through a
targeted campaign of direct mail, publicity and advertising.
When building a promotional campaign for a new or existing title, look at all the
items in your toolbox before deciding which to use. Stimulating awareness of a
new fiction title from an introverted author requires a different mix of tools than
you would use for a nonfiction title written by an author who is a veteran media
performer. Use the right tool and hit the nail on the head.
Brian Jud is an author, book-marketing consultant and creator of the Book
Market Map directories for special sales. Contact Brian at P. O. Box 715, Avon,
CT 06001; (800) 562-4357; [email protected] or visit
http://www.bookmarketingworks.com