Planning strategically with clear goals in mind and tactics to accomplish them is the key to success in book marketing . It's especially true for authors in nonfiction categories like business book marketing who have significant publicity opportunities. If you're an author working with a publicist, holding an initial brainstorming meeting is always beneficial. It can focus on the book, messages for the media, personality of the author, and much more. Creativity is vital throughout a marketing campaign because other books and authors are competing for the same media coverage. Uniqueness always wins the day.
The best brainstorm sessions are open to ideas but also focused on what's realistic for a book and author. For example, if someone is extroverted and does well in public speaking or being interviewed, then it's wise to seek those opportunities. But for people who are more introverted, it might be wiser to emphasize other publicity tactics. Book advertising campaigns today are well rounded and also include a healthy online component. Bloggers and social media figure into book sales heavily these days and anyone planning to write a book should begin developing a social media following well in advance.
Setting a budget is also crucial when finalizing a book marketing plan because certain activities such as travel require spending. Many authors dream of an internet-only book PR campaign (aka going viral) but it happens only to a select few and isn't dependable. Unless you have a social media following in the hundreds of thousands, it is unlikely that it alone can make your book a success. The trick is to have many elements working together to help potentially interested readers discover a book. Audience targeting in the marketing plan is crucial. Without it, you may be covered by won't sell many books.
With the PR and publicity part of a marketing plan, there are no guarantees. The media decides who to cover and people on social media decide what to share. To some extent, it is unpredictable. It's where veteran publicists can help because they have experience in making books and their authors become newsworthy. For some books it's quite automatic and for others it requires a well-crafted pitch to get things under way. But whatever is the case, there needs to be a solid plan as the foundation of the effort. It keeps all elements coordinated and make sure they contribute to the desired success.
