If you’ve been keeping up with my articles, you know that I am a fan of marketing to highly targeted audiences because I believe that’s the smartest uses of limited marketing dollars. When monies are more abundant, however, I do believe that using marketing mediums that reach broad audiences—such as television and radio—can be beneficial. A word of caution though: To increase your chances of a decent ROI, you will need to be even more strategic and thoughtful than usual when it comes to choosing the Who, What and Where for your marketing message. Here’s what to keep in mind:
WHO
When using television or radio versus print advertising, who you want to speak to with your marketing should not change. Therefore, you should, as always, refer to your list of the characteristics and demographics that your ideal consumer possesses. The only exception: If you are launching a new product or service that’s designed for an audience other than your usual target market; in that case, you will need to create a list of the characteristics and demographics of your ideal customers for that product or service.
WHAT
The message that you create for your television and radio advertisements is critically important. Therefore, you must spend the time determining precisely what that message should be. As you craft your message, keep in mind that the message—unless you have a significant budget to produce and air multiple commercials over an extended period—should be one that can be used now, six months from now and a few years from now. That way, you will get the most “bang for your buck.”
Another factor to consider when crafting your marketing message for radio and television is that consumers beyond your intended, ideal target market will be exposed to your ad. Therefore, the message itself as well as how you communicate the message should invite your target consumers to purchase your product while effectively exposing fringe customers to your brand…hopefully converting them to customers as well.
Finally, the message must be highly engaging. Remember: We live in a society where there is always something vying for our attention. If you fail to make your advertisement memorable and your message clear, all of your work in creating the commercial will have been in vain. So, take the time to get it right!
WHERE
Since radio and television are such broad media, you must do your due diligence in determining where on the television or radio you will air your advertisement. Now, in this instance, “where” means two things: (1) which station / network and (2) what time / with what programming.
In order to decide which station or network you will advertise on, you need to find a station or network that targets an audience that’s similar to the audience you desire based on your target consumer list. For instance, if your goal is to reach teens and you want to advertise on television, you should seek out television networks that target teens. If you want to reach Christian churchgoers via radio, advertising on a Christian radio station is ideal. NOTE: In some cases, you will find entire television networks or radio stations that focus on a specific audience. In many cases though, you may need to drill down further and look at a station’s / network’s programming to determine which stations / networks have programs that are designed to attract the audiences you want to reach. For example, FOX television network as a whole is not targeted to teens but it does air shows that are specifically geared towards teens; not all markets have a religion-focused radio station but many radio stations do have special shows that play certain days or at specific times that may be religiously-based.
Once you have identified the radio stations or television networks on which you want to advertise, the next step is to determine what time / with what programming you want the advertisement to air. See, unlike print advertising, you will have the option of the time of day that your ad will air. This is an important consideration because it can directly affect the number of customers who have the greatest chance of being exposed to your marketing message. So, when making this decision, ask yourself: “Which programs on the network or station are designed to attract audiences similar to my ideal customer?” and “Which times would my ideal customers most likely be watching a program or listening to the radio and therefore hear / see my commercial?” Your responses to these questions should help you to narrow down the ideal times at which you want your advertising to air. Here is an example:
If your goal is to reach white-collar professionals through radio advertising, the ideal times may be when they would be driving to and from work. So, you know that 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. will be good time slots. Meanwhile, if you want to reach stay-at-home parents via television advertising, the ideal times to advertise may be 10 a.m. through 2 p.m.—because they are less likely to be chauffeuring the children to school and after school practices at that time.
If you take the time to think things through, you will find that advertising via a broad medium can be an effective means to promote your business. It’s just a bit more complex than marketing to a target market that you control. So, with that said, here is my final advice for you today: Don’t jump into TV or radio advertising. Instead, slide in, making sure that you are 100% (okay, at least 98%) sure about the Who, What and Where for your commercial. That way, you can tell the radio / TV salesperson exactly what you want and buy air time that meets your needs as closely as the available air time and your budget will allow.
As always, if you have a marketing question that you would like me to answer, send me an email at AskTanisha@TheLoftyEntrepreneur.com.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Monday, September 6, 2010
Self-Publishing: Financial Reality Check
I recently had an email from an ambitious woman who is looking to self-publish a series of books. She had done some research and was finding that the self-publishing “packages” that she was interested in were going to cost her approximately $2,000+ per book. Her question for me: Should it really cost $2,000+ to self-publish a book?
In my response to the woman, I told her that self-publishing, when done properly, can be expensive on the outset because the author / self-publisher is absorbing all of the costs. Therefore, $2,000.00 is not an unexpected amount to expect to pay to self-publish a book. The interesting thing about the woman’s email was that it did not include specifics on what the $2,000+ was going to be spent on. While I understand that the cost of producing the book should certainly be of concern, I was more concerned with what the money was to be spent on. In my opinion, you should be too. So, if you’re considering a book project here are a few things that are “must dos” to produce a professional grade book:
Editing – Once you’ve completed your manuscript, it’s a good idea to have an editor to review the document. The editor will be able to provide insight about how well the overall book flows as well as help to improve (or make suggestions for improving) the writing. NOTE: The extent to which an editor will do these depends on the type of editing you request.
Book Formatting & Layout – There are standards for how books are formatted. With just a glance, a trained eye can easily spot a professionally formatted book from a book put together by a non-professional. It’s critical to format the interior of your book properly if you want to attract outside distributors.
Book Cover Design – The book cover is the first-line marketer of your book. It’s there to say, “Hey! Look at me. I’d be a great read.” when you’re not there to do it. Therefore, make sure that your cover is appealing, your title is catchy and that the back cover copy is compelling.
Proofreading – The book should be proofread twice. The first time should be before the manuscript sent to be formatted. After all, what good is it to lay out a book that’s grammatically incorrect? The second time the book should be proofread is after the text has been placed in the book layout. This second time is primarily a double check to make sure no mistakes were made when copying text from the manuscript document into the book layout or missed earlier in the process.
Initial Promotional Book Verbiage – At minimum, you will need compelling copy for your back cover and a general book description. You will likely need additional standard evergreen copy but what you will need beyond the back cover copy and book description depends on your book marketing strategy. Speaking of that…
Book Marketing Plan – Many authors make the mistake of focusing only on writing the book and publishing it. They neglect to think about what they will do with the book once they have it. Don’t make that mistake! If you do, you will likely find yourself shelling out money left and right trying all sorts of things to promote and sell your book. Admittedly, that may work for a while but it’s a potentially costly method. A more sound business idea is to invest in a book marketing plan. That way you have specific strategies and tactics that you can use to promote and sell your book.
The cost of each of the above will vary, depending on your manuscript type and length as well as the professional that you hire to assist you. However, $2,000 would likely cover a majority of the items on the list above. In fact, you may even come in under that budget for a short book. But, if you note, that list did not include promotional items (bookmarks, postcards, etc. IF you choose to use them), the book ISBN, copyright registration, printing costs or having copies of your book on hand. The takeaway for you: If you don’t have the money to invest in producing and marketing a book, plan your project in stages and don’t move on to the next phase until you do have the money to move forward. You will have much better results and greater success in the long run. Remember: The benefits of being a published author come post-publishing, once you've sold enough books to break even and begin pocketing pure profit—which isn't typically an overnight kind of occurrence.
As always, if you have a marketing question that you would like me to answer, send me an email at AskTanisha@TheLoftyEntrepreneur.com.
*****
About Tanisha Coffey:
Tanisha Coffey is a professional writer and marketing consultant based in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. She provides her services through the strategic marketing consulting, professional copywriting and independent author services firm Scribe, Etc. (www.Scribe-Etc.com and www.Scribe-Etc-Publishing.com). When she’s not working on client projects, Coffey spends her time developing educational courses for entrepreneurs, blogging and working on creative pieces of her own. The fiction and non-fiction works range from short film scripts, childrens’ books and poetry to self-help, business education and editorial guides.
In my response to the woman, I told her that self-publishing, when done properly, can be expensive on the outset because the author / self-publisher is absorbing all of the costs. Therefore, $2,000.00 is not an unexpected amount to expect to pay to self-publish a book. The interesting thing about the woman’s email was that it did not include specifics on what the $2,000+ was going to be spent on. While I understand that the cost of producing the book should certainly be of concern, I was more concerned with what the money was to be spent on. In my opinion, you should be too. So, if you’re considering a book project here are a few things that are “must dos” to produce a professional grade book:
Editing – Once you’ve completed your manuscript, it’s a good idea to have an editor to review the document. The editor will be able to provide insight about how well the overall book flows as well as help to improve (or make suggestions for improving) the writing. NOTE: The extent to which an editor will do these depends on the type of editing you request.
Book Formatting & Layout – There are standards for how books are formatted. With just a glance, a trained eye can easily spot a professionally formatted book from a book put together by a non-professional. It’s critical to format the interior of your book properly if you want to attract outside distributors.
Book Cover Design – The book cover is the first-line marketer of your book. It’s there to say, “Hey! Look at me. I’d be a great read.” when you’re not there to do it. Therefore, make sure that your cover is appealing, your title is catchy and that the back cover copy is compelling.
Proofreading – The book should be proofread twice. The first time should be before the manuscript sent to be formatted. After all, what good is it to lay out a book that’s grammatically incorrect? The second time the book should be proofread is after the text has been placed in the book layout. This second time is primarily a double check to make sure no mistakes were made when copying text from the manuscript document into the book layout or missed earlier in the process.
Initial Promotional Book Verbiage – At minimum, you will need compelling copy for your back cover and a general book description. You will likely need additional standard evergreen copy but what you will need beyond the back cover copy and book description depends on your book marketing strategy. Speaking of that…
Book Marketing Plan – Many authors make the mistake of focusing only on writing the book and publishing it. They neglect to think about what they will do with the book once they have it. Don’t make that mistake! If you do, you will likely find yourself shelling out money left and right trying all sorts of things to promote and sell your book. Admittedly, that may work for a while but it’s a potentially costly method. A more sound business idea is to invest in a book marketing plan. That way you have specific strategies and tactics that you can use to promote and sell your book.
The cost of each of the above will vary, depending on your manuscript type and length as well as the professional that you hire to assist you. However, $2,000 would likely cover a majority of the items on the list above. In fact, you may even come in under that budget for a short book. But, if you note, that list did not include promotional items (bookmarks, postcards, etc. IF you choose to use them), the book ISBN, copyright registration, printing costs or having copies of your book on hand. The takeaway for you: If you don’t have the money to invest in producing and marketing a book, plan your project in stages and don’t move on to the next phase until you do have the money to move forward. You will have much better results and greater success in the long run. Remember: The benefits of being a published author come post-publishing, once you've sold enough books to break even and begin pocketing pure profit—which isn't typically an overnight kind of occurrence.
As always, if you have a marketing question that you would like me to answer, send me an email at AskTanisha@TheLoftyEntrepreneur.com.
*****
About Tanisha Coffey:
Tanisha Coffey is a professional writer and marketing consultant based in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. She provides her services through the strategic marketing consulting, professional copywriting and independent author services firm Scribe, Etc. (www.Scribe-Etc.com and www.Scribe-Etc-Publishing.com). When she’s not working on client projects, Coffey spends her time developing educational courses for entrepreneurs, blogging and working on creative pieces of her own. The fiction and non-fiction works range from short film scripts, childrens’ books and poetry to self-help, business education and editorial guides.
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