Why Hiring a Book Marketer Won’t Solve Your Audience Problems
In high school, I had a friend who didn’t know how to pump her own gas. We didn’t live in Oregon or New Jersey. She just had her dad or boyfriend do it, or she’d go to the only full-service gas station in town. It was something she had no interest in doing.
And while it seemed nice to have someone else pump your gas, it also seemed like it could be a major pain if you need it and no one is around. But she was insistent that she didn’t need to learn. What you say, lady.
But I think of her whenever a book coaching client says they want someone else to do their all of marketing for them. Or when they complain about how stressful it is to keep up with a schedule or new ideas. I even think of her when someone tells me they’re hiring someone to make a website or logo for them.
It’s a nice to have, but you should probably know how to do most of that yourself, in case you’re ever stuck in the middle of nowhere with no one to help. Plus, knowing your audience and the stories they want is your responsibility. But it doesn’t have to be something you dread.
Yes, there’ll be a time when you should hire a book marketer to help you with your launch and beyond. Marketing is part of the gig though. So, you should learn how to “pump your own gas”, so you can the most out of where you’re going.
Here’s why a book marketing agency won’t stop all your problems, and how to do it on your own (for now).
Misconceptions about hiring book marketing help
Even if you hire a book marketer, you still have to work. They’ll consult you, and help with strategy, but ultimately, you’ll be pounding that pavement. It’ll be your regular grind that’ll make the most of their efforts. A marketer can only work with what you have. And if you’re dragging your feet before even getting started, it’ll take so much longer to get where you want to go.
Think about it like this: Who would you rather work with—someone who’s been putting in the reps and wants help on reaching the next level, whatever that takes, or someone who shows up with no idea of what’s going on but expects out of this world results overnight?
There’s so much free and paid content about how to improve your copywriting, marketing strategy, and everything in between. So, pick up a book, download a podcast, and sign up for newsletters. (Need help getting started? Some of my favorite marketers include Marie Forleo, Seth Godin, and Laura Belgray.)
It’s empowering to step into a relationship with an expert already having done your research. Shouldn’t you know whether or not your people are on Pinterest, or if they listen to specific podcasts? And wouldn’t it be good to know what blog posts or newsletters have the most clicks, shares, and open rates, so you can double down on those efforts?
You owe it to yourself to learn everything you can about what makes your audience tick, how they see the world, and why your stories and work are what they desperately need. So, how do you get by for now? Well, you start right where you are.
Stop missing out on what’s in front of you
I don’t know how many times a client will talk about wanting to land national television segments or have an audience in the hundreds of thousands, but they can’t even commit to a weekly newsletter for their list of 500 subscribers. Or they’re not pitching to regional morning television consistently, so their clips are a short stack of pancakes instead of a full stack. Commit to the people and places you already have a relationship with. Don’t try to court a bunch of new people when you’re barely connecting with the audience and professional relationships you already have.
A lot of aspiring cookbook writers and food memoirists want to move fast, instead of going deep. Sure, you can have a lot of clips at a bunch of different outlets. But people leave publications or outlets all the time. So, wouldn’t you want to establish solid relationships that’ll take you with someone wherever they go? And wouldn’t you want to connect with your audience beyond surface-level content, so they become raving fans?
Start where you are, and the rest will fall into place. Here’s how.
Check-in with your audience
Before you do anything else, find out where your people are at. Some questions to ask:
How can you surprise and delight them?
What’s a fun thing you can do for your followers and subscribers?
Are you engaging with them in the comments or DMs?
How are you mixing up your engagement? Are you experimenting with live video, carousels, and different video formats?
Do you put up polls and questions looking for their feedback?
Can you have conversations with them in real life?
Do you comment and like their posts and stories?
If it sounds like a lot of work, you’re not wrong. But you’re never going to be ready for the next step if you can’t fully invest in the folks who are already showing up. Don’t overthink how you’re going to do. Just jump in and trust people will be excited about whatever it is that you show up with. Even if it’s not perfect, they’ll be able to feel your heart behind it. All of the above is so you can get to know them better and create solutions they didn’t even know they needed.
Follow up with previous connections
Real talk. We all could get better with the follow-up. Someone gives us their info and tells us to reach out, and we don’t. It becomes a thing on a to-do list that soon gets erased. Let’s change that.
Did you meet someone at a party six months ago who mentioned collaborating, but nothing ever happened? Email them and invite them to coffee.
Is there a friend who promised an introduction to someone you want to work with, and you’ve just been in the corner waiting? Check-in and ask if your friend needs an intro to someone too.
Or what about that publication that ran your article a year ago? Shoot that editor a message with a brand new pitch and mention how much you’d love to work with them again.
Clients often get nervous about following up with people because they think they’re bothering them. But if you do it with empathy and integrity, people will thank you. It’s one thing to send someone five emails in a week, and another to send a follow-up a week or two later.
They may decline or suggest an alternative, but the important part is you try. And you show up assuming positive intent from the people on the other side. People will forget to respond because they’re busy, which isn’t an excuse, it just is what it is. So, follow-up with kindness and respect for their inbox, and even if it’s a no right now, they’ll remember. And who knows, it could just get you a ‘yes’ for something even better later on.
Revisit old content
You’ve worked hard creating and sharing content. Why wouldn’t you revisit things you’ve already done and see how you repurpose them? Every quarter, look at what you’ve done the last three months and brainstorm ways you can add a new hook or perspective. Most content creators aren’t coming up with brand-new ideas all the time. They’re often saying the same things over and over with slightly different angles.
Need help? Pick up a book or download a podcast that’s related to your content and bridge your ideas. You can also keep a running list of ideas in the Notes app on your phone whenever inspiration strikes. Connections are everywhere, and the more you go looking for them, the easier they’ll be to find.
Preparing for your dream book marketing team now
Take a deep breath and say it with me: I’m a marketer, and I know how to reach my audience. Because friend, if you’re telling stories, sharing recipes and ideas with the hopes of writing a book, you’re already marketing, and you don’t even know it. And before you hire outside help, you now have a plan to get you moving in the right direction.
Want a little extra help? Sign up here for my free course, Writing Gold: 5 Days to Kickstart Your Cookbook Writing and Grow Your Audience of Raving Fans. You’ll find practical tips on how to use email marketing to fuel your book writing along with special bonuses including a content calendar and onboarding template. Grab your spot in Writing Gold and take one more thing off your to-do list.
