So I know I speak and write about the time shifted nature of social media and how that wreaks havoc on your online promotions- AND I got a huge confirmation of this over the past week, as I did a soft launch/preorder process for my new book, “Internet Marketing for the Rest of Us: Your In-Depth Guide to Profitable Popularity.” Preorders close in just a few hours and I’m thisclose to reaching my target.
It’s felt like all I’ve talked about in social media is this book preorder process. If you see my personal Facebook profile, I have many mentions of the book, as well as many shares of my book promotion. My Twitter feed from the past week includes multiple references to the book, as does my LinkedIn status update feed.
I feel like all I’ve been doing is talking about this book, and yet, today, I am getting feedback that people didn’t even know I was launching.
So this has led me to the following understandings:
1) You need to promote even more than you think you do. It takes a lot- I mean A LOT- to get attention in the distracted and time-shifted landscape of social media. Just because you (like me) think you’re sounding like a broken record, there will still be people who have no idea that you’re doing anything important.
2) You have to pull out all the stops. Repeat yourself many times and many ways. You run the risk of not being seen or heard more than you run the risk of annoying people. In fact, you, like me, might get sick of yourself and your promotions before other people do. Try out different media, use different phrases and terms. Repeat yourself multiple times on each social network. Use all your other marketing avenues too.
3) You have to activate and cultivate social proof. One of the biggest reasons I got so many shares of my promotion, I think, is because everyone saw everyone else doing it. It began early, when I first posted about the preorder page, and people began buying the book right away and then posting in my update “Got mine.” “Got mine too. Loved the bonus. “Got mine, can’t wait.” – and so on. I could basically time more sales to come in each time someone posted that they had ordered their copy. Including your audience is the best way to cultivate this kind of activity.
4) It’s not all about the numbers. Certainly, I’m very happy with the books I’ve sold- and my target number was made up anyway. I’m just really, really super close to reaching it and I want to see if I can. But, if I don’t, I know that I gave it my best and that’s important.
5) There’s always more to learn. I’ve learned a lot this week in watching how people interacted around my promotion and what they were willing to share. This is the fifth book I’ve written, and it has been, by far, the most successful first week of sales I’ve ever had. So I am gratified that I’ve learned something since the last time I did this, and I realize there is always more to learn.
If you’re contemplating a preorder style book launch in the near future, my recommendations are these:
- Start seeding now. Get people intrigued a little bit before you begin sharing more information.
- Gather endorsements/testimonials early on- leverage these to create initial social proof and interest.
- Be proactive and appreciative in thanking people for sharing and purchasing- reinforce the behavior you want to activate more of.
- Ask and ask and ask some more. Lean deep into your professional connections and tap into all the good will you’ve accrued.
- Have a firm and clear completion date. All good launches must come to an end.
And, at this moment, there’s still possibility to order your own copy if you like. You can get that here
