Your book faces stiff competition in the marketplace. It must compete with books that are backed by major corporations with deep pockets for marketing campaigns. How are you going to compete with them? The way to compete is by using an unconventional, creative marketing strategy. With a maximum of impact and minimum of expenditure, guerrilla marketing does, however, take time, energy and imagination. Only some authors have these three things in abundance. Ask yourself if you can commit to this kind of intensive marketing campaign before moving forward.
Have you decided to go forward? One common form of guerrilla marketing calls for you to reach out to your network in a creative way. If you can devise a way that causes those in your network to become personally involved with your book or website, you may be able to hook them. Try an interactive blog with quizzes, a place for reader stories or games and giveaways. What you need is 250 people who will rave about your book. You want them to tell all their friends to buy your book because it is great. If you can achieve this kind of following, you will ultimately reach over 60,000 people, who, in turn, should become an army of free promoters.
"In exchange for speaking, ask to use copies of the group’s newsletter that mentions your talk for clips in a portfolio."
Another popular way to reach readers is with “free talks.” You start small and local -- clubs, civic organizations, religious groups, libraries, etc. In exchange for speaking, ask to use copies of the group’s newsletter that mentions your talk for clips in a portfolio. A portfolio, in turn, should help you land more talks. You can also ask for a testimonial letter or the chance to sell books at an event. As you move forward, you might even begin to receive fees for you talks, and thereby generate a supplemental income.
Original ideas are important and will elicit participation. Perhaps you are intrigued by guerrilla marketing and want to look into it. For inspiration, look at Creative Guerrilla Marketing’s features for a variety of products. You might also consider reading author David Hancock’s book Guerrilla Marketing for Writers. It’s a solid resource for this type of marketing campaign. You might also want to check out Hancock’s free podcasts for more information. Remember, this marketing strategy is all about investing your time and energy and letting your imagination run wild. Only open your pocketbook if absolutely necessary.