Something that is way too common in the writing world is new or emerging authors who focus all of their marketing efforts on promoting and growing an audience around one of their books. I see creative entrepreneurs do this a lot too–focusing their marketing efforts on growing a following around one signature offer or product.
This may work at first, but the problem comes in when you attempt to create or launch something else.
It’s like you have to keep starting over with every launch. Sure, you may have people who bought the book (or offer or product) you’ve been promoting who buy from you again, but if what you’re launching now isn’t like the previous thing; if it’s not a book in a series or about the same topic or similar in some way; the chances of them buying are slimmer.
Why? Because they don’t really know you. They may like your previous book/offer/product, but they’re not sure if they fully trust you yet.
You sold them on that one book/offer/product, but you didn’t totally sell them on YOU. And when you’re selling something, whether it’s a book or a course or a coaching program, people are always buying you and your energy, NOT your book/offer/product.
It’s time to STOP separating the product/offer from you. The goal is to build a fanbase of people who know, like and trust YOU, not just your book/product/offer.
When you sell people on you, they’ll buy whatever you’re selling, no matter what it is, because they’ve already bought you.
And what they really want is you and your energy–the book/offer/product is just a Bonus; a cherry on top of the sundae.
So how do you sell them on you and not just your book (or offer or product)?
You document your journey and share it with them. You use your words to create powerful content and channel empowering messages that your ideal audience needs to hear. You connect your words to an insanely awesome Call-to-Action to buy something from you (your book, your product, your offer, etc).
For example, let’s say you’re writing a novel. Instead of waiting until you’re ready to publish to start telling people about the book and promoting and marketing it, document and share the entire journey, from where you are right now all the way through publication.
Doing this causes a two-fold result: people get to know, like and trust you along the way, and when you’re ready to sell something, they’re ready to buy it.
It takes SO MUCH work and effort and energy to only market your books, products or offers. It’s SO MUCH easier to just document and share your life, your creative process, your work and/or your business on a day-to-day basis.
When I finally got this–when I finally accepted that I, as the writer, the author, the creator, am the source of the creative work and that I can’t keep trying to separate myself from it and stay “behind the scenes”–that’s when things started taking off in my business.
I started documenting and sharing my entire journey–not just the writing part of it. I started writing powerful messages on a daily basis and connected them to a call-to-action to join my workshops or sign up for a freebie I was offering (or whatever I had going on).
And I started selling more books. And I started selling more spots in my workshops. And I finally started making consistent money in my business.
Writers, authors and creative people underestimate the power of just being who they are and letting that be enough.
This likely happens because writers and creative people often grow up being bullied by kids who don’t understand them; being called “weird” because they’d rather write/paint/draw/create than watch TV or play sports; or feeling totally lost and alone because no one else is like they are. (That was my life story growing up.)
And somehow along the way, we start to buy into the beliefs that we’re not good enough and that being who we really are isn’t safe.
So you hide out–behind your computer, behind your creative work. You shy away from being visible and showing up in the world. You focus all of your marketing and promotion efforts just on the book, the product, the offer, and not on the person who created it.
But the truth is, if you want to be a successful author and/or creative entrepreneur, then you must show up. You must be visible. People must know you, like you and trust YOU, not just your book/product/offer.
This can happen fast. For some that connection can happen in an instant. And the way to make it happen is to show up every day and unleash your words, your stories, your message.
Your words have power and energy. And your ideal people can feel it. It pulls them in. It magnetizes them. They can’t look away. They crave you. They want more.
And when this happens, they’ll buy whatever you’re selling, just to be part of what you have going on.
Dream life or bust,
jen
