When I was in the music business, writing songs, I would write one, demo it and send it out then start another one. But a song is only 3 or 4 minutes, so it wasn’t a very big commitment. And if I wrote one I didn’t love, no big deal, I was on to the next one.
But, Internet Marketing is different. The brands that thrive are consistent and ubiquitous, and require a long-term commitment to whatever you do.
So, how do you do that?
You have to create a schedule, and you have to do it in stages.
Now I did not want to stick to a schedule because I didn’t want to be tied down-I thought by not having a schedule, I’d have more freedom. But the truth is when you have a schedule that you stick to, you actually have more freedom. When you don’t, it can get pretty chaotic.
And I was tired of the chaos. So, I decided it was time to create a schedule that would give me more consistent marketing results.
I also worried that if I couldn’t stick to that schedule that I set up and do it perfectly, it would be catastrophic, which, of course, is not true. (That was my perfectionism rearing it’s ugly head.) But, that was one of the big issues that stopped me from doing it for a long time.
But, once I knew I was ready to do it, I knew I had to figure out what were the core marketing pieces I wanted to use, so that I didn’t get overwhelmed. So at the beginning of this year, I spent a lot of time thinking about it before deciding on my plan.
I eventually decided my regular marketing pieces would be:
-my newsletter (which has been pretty consistent over the years)
-my podcast (which I started last year, but then stopped because I didn’t have a system worked out on how to deliver it consistently and then restarted)
-social media, including posting once a week in a group of a colleague of mine.
That’s it for me on a weekly basis.
I should also have a schedule a book promotion in Amazon for at least one book every ninety days, but I admit, I haven’t been focusing on that as much as I should; I will be adding that in too now that I finally have a schedule.
I was only doing it mostly when I had a new book, but the truth is that you can, and should, promote each book in every 90 day period to get the most out of the strategy and to make the most money from it. And if you don’t have time to do that, at least promote one as it will, most likely, sell all of your other books for you!
This strategy, using my newsletter and podcasts, gives me content to use in social media on a regular basis, so I’m leveraging my time and content. Podcasting also helps me connect with influencers who may become strategic partners who send me referral clients and gives me opportunities to make affiliate commissions from some of the free offers that they make on the show.
But. the idea is to keep it manageable.
So, we use a template for the newsletter, and we have systems, some of which are set and some that we are still developing for the podcast. I also have an audio guy who puts the music on my podcasts, and a web guy who uploads the podcasts to the podcast page at: www.BooksBusinessAbundance.com/podcast
Next, we’ll be adding automated marketing with Click Funnels, which I am working on. I’ve already created one new course that I know you are going to love and another one is in the works for my first funnel, which I can’t wait to share!
So, I want to encourage you, if you don’t have any marketing on a regular schedule. Decide what you enjoy doing the most, and create a schedule.
I’d love to hear how it works for you. To share your comments, be sure to join our Facebook group at: www.facebook.com/groups/selfpublishingcommunity
