5 Email Marketing Traps Book Authors Should Avoid

I know it's tough to market your book these days. With all the marketing tools out there for authors, it can get overwhelming. 

This morning I received a query through my LinkedIn for an ebook. Since I market authors, I assumed it was an author inquiring about marketing assistance. After I opened the email, I noticed the author had included a "free copy" of his ebook and asked me to read his book and pass along to my friends and colleagues. I did not know this person and I didn't know anything about his work or his book (despite the fact that he has 600 plus connections on LinkedIn, that doesn't mean anything to me).

Spam is a HUGE pet peeve so it's important to understand what NOT do when you use email to market your book. This also applies to any product or service and not just books. 

1. Do NOT solicit or sell your book to someone you don't know or has not subscribed to your email list. That's just common courtesy and you want to grow your email list and not lose subscribers. 

2. Offer your email subscribers valuable content, articles, and free reports/downloads. How can you help people and offer assistance? Email marketing is not about pitching your book 24,7. It's about making real connections with people. Think of your sales funnel. Only about five to ten percent of website visitors will actually buy the first time they visit your website. You need to provide them with valuable information so they'll stay interested in you, as the author, and your book. 

3. Do NOT give away your entire book away via email. Many people think this is an effective sales tactic and will generate more interest and will make the book go viral faster. If your book sales aren't a priority and you want to use the book to market your business (specifically non-fiction authors), then you can go that route but that's an entirely different marketing campaign altogether. However, if you are a fiction writer and book sales are your number one goal, provide only a sample chapter of your book. You want to generate interest with your sample chapter - just enough to entice the reader to want to buy your book. Why would someone want to purchase your book when they just read it for free? 

4. Include videos in your email marketing campaigns. Viral video is hot for book authors. If you want to try a visual marketing tactic, create a book trailer video (stay tuned - I will be posting an interview soon about the importance of book videos). You can also take on the persona of your character in your video and talk about the book through the eyes of your character. You don't need to spend a lot of money either. Use your webcam or digital camera. The video only needs to be a few minutes long, and it also puts your face in front of your audience.

5. Be consistent with your newsletters.  If you start an e-newsletter, make sure you send them out on a regular basis so you stay in touch with your subscribers. If you only send out emails every few months, then people won't take you as seriously and they will probably lose interest in your book. With the hundreds of thousands of book choices people have out there, it's very easy to lose people's attention. Your newsletter doesn't have to be long but be consistent - if you send out emails monthly then keep up with that schedule! Automate your newsletters through your CRM software, and implement an editorial calendar to help you stay on track. 

If you are a newbie book marketer, take these tips into account before you blast out emails to your email subscribers. You don't want to see people opting-out left and right -- not a good sign! 

 

 

The Ego Turn-Off: Why Your Email Lists Unsubscribe

As a copywriter and marketer, I support my fellow colleagues in their sales endeavors. We all have to make a living and support our businesses. But there is always that one email that leaves me shaking my head. 

Yesterday I received an email from a professional copywriter and marketer. First, I have never heard of this guy. I possibly could have opted-in to his list months ago, but this is the first correspondence I received from him.

What was the big turn-off? I can sum it up in one word - ego. He reeled me in with "So can I ask your opinion?" Sure, I'll give you my opinion. However, I stopped reading after the first paragraph. The email was all about HIM and how he's made millions of dollars for his clients. I scanned the length of the email, and it was at least five pages (possibly more). In the first paragraph, he made excuses as to why he hadn't sent emails lately. He was just too busy to bother with us lowly people, because he was too busy making other "cool" people rich. Yeah, that will win a lot of people over to your side with that kind of bragadocious tone.

Not only was the sales pitch riddled with his ego, but it was poorly written. He calls himself a copywriter and professional marketer, and claims he knows the biggies like Michael Masterson and Clayton Makepeace.

His email turned me off, and I definitely did not want to find out more about his marketing course he was trying to sell. He lost me at hello! After my experience with this email sales pitch, it made me realize (once again) that we only have a few split seconds to make a good impression. 

In email campaigns that involve sales pitches, I suggest you avoid the following:

1. Don't turn your email into a "brag book." Testimonials from clients are great, but I didn't see one testimonial in his email. I would have been more impressed if he had actual testimonials from his million-dollar clients -- instead of him bragging up and down about how he's been so busy with these clients. 

2. Offer to HELP people and be genuine! Did he offer me a free report on how I could make more money? No. Did he offer me a free consultation to discuss my marketing goals? No. 

3. Do NOT write dissertation-length emails. Who has time to read ten pages worth of copy? My head was swimming as I scrolled down his email. Far too much copy for one email! 

4. Break up key points by using bullet points, boxes, or different colors/fonts. 

5. Use a CLEAR Call to Action. I scrolled to the end of his email, and I couldn't find a succinct Call to Action, Did he just want my opinion or did he want me to buy his course? Or both? I was lost in his jumble of words, and I couldn't pinpoint a clear message -- what the heck did he want me to do?

As a result, I unsubscribed from his email list, and I sent him constructive comments as to why I unsubscribed. Maybe he'll take my comments to heart and realize he needs to dial back his ego (or maybe not).

Bravado and rambling, confusing sales pitches just won't cut it anymore. People can smell a fake a mile away, and based on his email tone alone I wouldn't spend my hard-earned money on his course. He didn't give me a good enough reason to invest in him or the course he's offering. I'm not downplaying his expertise. He could be the best marketer in the world, but how would I know that based on his rambling, all-about-me email? 

5 Reasons Why People Drop Like Flies From Your Email List

It's a bad sign when my Blackberry sends me alerts that I'm running low on memory. I can thank my in-box for sucking up space. As a result, I went through my in-box and cleaned out old emails. Not only did I delete emails, but I unsubscribed from email lists that just didn't do it for me anymore. 

As I hit the"unsubscribe" button, I thought about why I wasn't interested in their newsletters (besides taking up space in my in-box). How did these companies lose my interest, and why did I opt-out? As a copywriter, I write email copy on a regular basis for my clients, and I've learned what "not to do" by reviewing these not-so-hot emails that flood my in-box. 

I recently unsubscribed from Copyblogger's list. As a copywriter, I felt like they were missing the mark and their content had fallen flat. It's too bad beause I was a long time fan who enjoyed reading their blog. Be careful what kind of content you include in your emails. You can't please everyone, but the last person you want to turn off or insult is your targeted readers. 

Here are my top 5 reasons why people drop like flies from your email list. When people unsubscribe from your lists, realize that you just lost a potential (or even a regular) client. It might be time to review your email campaign strategy if you are losing subscribers right and left. 

#1 - You bombard people with too much spam disguised as "specials and deals." Emails should contain 95% valuable content and 5% sales pitch. If you bombard people with a spam-a-lanche of sales pitches, you can say good-bye to your subscribers (and you will probably end up in the spam round can - a place you don't want to be).

#2 - You send too many emails per week. This is my biggest pet peeve - when companies inundate me with too many emails in one week. Less is more. If you do send emails on a regular basis, allow subscribers to make that choice when they want to receive your emails (i.e. daily? weekly? monthly? quarterly?)

#3 - Your emails contain irrelevant, useless information that does not help your target market, customers, etc. This is one of the BIGGEST reasons I opt out of email lists. I also can't stand emails that talk down to me, have too much jargon or are filled with so much copy and images that I become dizzy just looking at the email.

#4 - You forgot to include a call to action or you have too many calls to action in one email. What the heck do you want people to do as a result of reading your email? A big email faux pas is including too many calls to action in one email. Don't ask people to call you AND go to your landing page to fill out a form - pick one or the other. When you have too many calls to action in one email, you confuse people and they won't take any action at all. Give them a reason to want to find out more about your products and services.

#5 - Your email copy is boring. When I read emails that sound like a "monotone" sales letter or a PhD dissertation (i.e. lackluster headlines, bunched up, rambling copy lacking bullet points, lists, etc.), those emails are the first ones I delete.

For social media users, ASK people's permission first before you send them your newsletter or include them in an email campaign- this is just professional courtesy. I've received random emails from people that found my email via my social media accounts (those emails immediately went into my spam list). Build viable relationships with your social media connections (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.).

Don't use social media as a platform to advertise or sell - that's not the purpose behind social media. Be considerate and don't spam the heck out of everyone that you meet via social media. Spam and hard sales email blasts are a sure fire way to lose social media followers, and they will put you on their "blocked" lists.

So remember these simple email don'ts  - don't spam or push sales pitches down people's throats. DO share valuable content that will help people - emails are a great way to share your expertise and knowledge but don't use emails as your personal soapbox either. Be creative and fun - include contests and giveaways to attract and retain your email subscribers. Don't be BORING! 

What creative techniques have you used for your email campaigns? How did you build a solid email list? Please share your feedback, tricks and tips! 

8 Easy Email Marketing Tips for Successful Book Promotions

I'm diving into a big book ghostwriting project for the New Year and was reminded of my book publicity and publishing days.  As you think about writing your award-winning ebooks this year, don't forget that marketing your book is JUST as important (if not more!) as writing it.

If you go the self-published route, you are the best person to promote your book. Email campaigns are one of the easiest ways to market your book - especially if you have a viable CRM list. 

1. Define your audience and target your list accordingly - who will benefit from your book? What problems will your book solve for readers?

2. Give them a good reason to BUY your book - introduce yourself and your book in a compelling way. Make sure your email copy is concise and to the point! 

3. Good grammar is everything - double check your typos and use spell check before you blast out the email.

4. Review other New York Times bestseller book campaigns, emails and promotions for helpful hints and ideas.

5. Keep important information ABOVE  the fold or you will lose your readers (and potential sales!) When you keep information at the top half of the page, you are more likely to capture their attention and readers won't opt out.

6. Use a STRONG Call to Action at the end of your email copy - don't give your readers a reason to opt out. You want them to click for more information and BUY your book!

7. Include a book image and your photo to make your email look more friendly and engaging. 

8. Preview the email in text only and HTML before sending out - send yourself a test email to make sure the images aren't distorted and the email reads well (from a visual perspective).

Remember to take advantage of social media to promote your book - another easy way to blast out information about your book!

For more helpful book promotions' tips, please contact me directly - find out more online publicity tips to get you started in the New Year!