5 Benefits of Personal Branding for Authors

 

When I was growing up, my grandfather used to say, “Get an education because once you have it, no one can take it away from you.” I feel the same way about authors and their personal brands. As authors, once you build and establish your personal brand, no one can take it away from you.

For some authors, the idea of a personal brand is uncomfortable. Some tell me that they don’t want to “be a brand.” Building a brand doesn’t have to be scary. Branding is simply sharing your stories and expertise while building trust — that’s all it is — and it’s so important in today’s market.

Fair warning though, branding is not something you do for a few weeks before your book comes out. Many people, including myself, did not see the benefits of investing time and energy into a branding strategy for 18 months to two years. So if you want to take more control of your writing career, then get serious about your personal branding strategy. Here are five benefits that make it worth your time:

1. Show Your Uniqueness. Investing time and effort in your personal brand is crucial to your success as an author. If you are asking, “What’s in it for me,” you should know the most important element of a personal brand is that it helps you be yourself, stand out from the crowd and carve out your niche. After all, there is no competition for you. Your brand is the essence of who you are. There’s a huge difference from an author who has worked to develop a strong personal brand versus an author who hasn’t invested any resources in developing an online presence. Consider your brand as your digital reputation, resume, platform and an extension of your business card. Your personal brand will make you more valuable to publishers and agents. Together your book and your brand are credibility builders and door openers.

2. Control the Perception. Branding is about how you are perceived in the market, and today you have control over that perception. Personal brand management is about cultivating the pieces that tell your story. You build your reputation with your willingness to share your knowledge and expertise. In today’s socially connected world, our reputations have become global, making our brand more important than ever. Social media has given us an opportunity like never before to communicate with others and shape personal brands with a myriad of online tools. You can proactively build, maintain and protect your good name in the public eye by authentically investing in your brand.

3. Build a Following. Each social media outlet offers you the opportunity to build a following by generously sharing your time. With focused effort, a plan and allotted time, you can become known as an expert in your industry. Before putting in your time though, make sure you take time to think of the goals.

4. Leverage your brand. When you invest time in building your personal brand, you can leverage it to get more online reviews, write and publish other books, secure speaking engagements and build your business. Your book and your brand can be the gateway for other entrepreneurial pursuits, books, services and revenue streams. Look at leveraging your brand as an opportunity builder.

5. Learn From Your Readers. Branding helps your readers and potential readers to understand who you are and what your value proposition is so they can make an informed buying decision. As you build a following, you will be creating your ideal audience — readers interested in what you have to say and interested in buying from you. You in turn can learn about them, about what they like and need. Online branding is building a relationship based on trust and common interests. Done correctly, you’ll get as much out of it as you put into it.

Your brand is the story of your career. It may take time and money and effort to cultivate but once you establish it no one can take it away from you. Here’s a blog on developing your digital marketing blueprint to get you started.

Culled from Huff Post

How to Find Your Distinct Niche As a Writer

 

In a world filled with a million and one people who can properly carve out their thoughts and turn them into words, it is important to make a difference.

When it comes to themes and topics, there are two types of writers: the generalists, who write on a variety of themes and topics; and the specialists, who write on related/similar themes and topics.

As a writer, you can choose to be any of these, depending on how vast your thoughts are. However, if you choose to be a specialist – that is, finding a distinct niche for yourself – this article will be of great help to you.

Many people believe that specialisation limits you. On the contrary, it frees you.

Focusing on a distinct theme when writing gives you the room to improve your knowledge about that theme/topic. In that process, you gain expertise. Expertise births quality content and allows you to explore every angle of your chosen field.

Focusing on a specific niche is proof that you have extensive knowledge about that topic. For instance, if Asa has a blog where she writes about everything and anything, ranging from food, clothes, finance, travels and more while Meyimi has a blog where she focuses on financial tips for everyone and anyone, who would you approach for financial advice? Meyimi, obviously! Why? Because you would feel that she has more knowledge on the topic of finance since that is what she focuses on.

If you decide to specialise, finding your distinct niche is the first step to take. Here are some essential tips that will guide you in finding your niche.

 

Essential Tips for Choosing the Right Niche

 

1. Find out what you enjoy writing or reading: What are the topics that you could write, talk or read about all day? What are those areas you have numerous opinions about? These would help you through the process of selecting your focus niche.
2. Find out what you are good at or are interested in getting better at: Your love for something does not equate to your ability to do it well. You might enjoy cooking but not make tasty meals. This also applies to writing. For instance, I enjoy writing about politics in Nigeria because I enjoy criticising politicians and stating my solutions to political and economic problems. However, I am not so great at it. To find your niche, it is important to consider a topic that not only interests you, but that you are very good at, or at least, you are interested in getting better at.
3. Be consistent: In situations where your interest is different from what you are good at, you can practise writing the things that interest you more often. This consistency will help you get better. As popularly said, “practice makes perfect".
4. Explore several niches: If you are a new writer and are finding it difficult to figure out what you enjoy writing, you might try exploring a variety of themes. That is, you could try to be a generalist for a while. Explore writing different topics, then create a pro and cons list for each field. This list would help you find that area that would then become your niche.
5. Focus on your audience: Many people are of the opinion that people’s opinions do not matter. This is the case if such opinions are in relation to your personal life. However, if your written pieces are for the public's consumption, their opinions matter as well.

Taking your audience’s thoughts about your pieces into consideration would help you easily find your “not cliché" niche. Which of your pieces do they enjoy reading the most? What topics do your readers engage with most? What themes do they think you write intelligently on? However, if their thoughts and opinions are not in line with what you enjoy writing about, you could tailor their opinions to what you enjoy. For instance, if you enjoy writing about food and your audience think you do better with your episodes on politics, you could use different food types to metaphorically describe politicians. Doing this could help in setting you apart from other writers.

It is important and professional to have a niche; it allows you knit your wide range of ideas into one and gives room for creativity. Every topic has different aspects and sides to it, and it is advisable as a writer to explore all these aspects.

 

The Dark Side Of Marketing: How Adverts Destroy Businesses

 

Companies focus on the pros of marketing. With the right amount of investment and the correct target audience, you can increase traffic one hundred percent. This will lead to better lead generation and a boost in sales and profits. Usually, this is how bosses think when they consider advertising, but the cons go under the radar.

Yes, being witty and creative and unique can raise brand awareness; however, there is a dark side to the industry which turns off customers. Slip into this category and the firm’s reputation may take a hit from which it can’t come back.

Here’s how adverts destroy businesses and the solutions.

Too Annoying

In the past, shoppers used to have to walk past billboards and fliers before they saw a company’s message. Even if they were everywhere, they were unobtrusive because the advertising was passive. You saw it, but you never had to engage. Today is different thanks to the internet. Now, one click can result in endless pop-up ads which relate to nothing whatsoever. The result is an annoyed and frustrated shopper that would rather leave than continue with the experience.

The solution is simple: think before you accept advertisements. If it’s vital for monetary reasons, then keep it to space on the pages. Avoid pop-ups at all costs.

Not Trustworthy

There are millions of adverts on the Worldwide Web, and all of them look the same. So, it’s difficult to tell which are real and which ones are fakes. As a result, online consumers avoid them like the plague because the risk isn’t worth the reward. Sure, they may get 10% off their next order, but they may give a hacker access to their bank account.

One way to attract attention while being trustworthy is through SEO. www.vistacomm.com shows that shoppers are more likely to click-through on a search engine rather than an ad. So, pleasing Google can lead to a better conversion rate.

They’re Plain Bad

Ads are annoying, but only if they’re bad. It turns out customers don’t have them equally; just the ones which waste their time. www.vieodesign.com puts this into perspective by saying 91% of people are bothered by intrusive ads, 87% by too many of them, and 79% by trackers. However, none of the samples were bothered if the quality was high because it added value.

The obvious thing to do is make sure the marketing effort correlates with the audience beforehand. To do this, set up a focus group and ask for feedback.

Misleading

Also known as click-bait, it’s when a title refers to a search term but redirects them to a different page. As soon as they land and read a few sentences, people tend to bounce. Okay, the traffic rate is high but the conversion rate is way down, and that’s what counts. 15% of all ads trick people into clicking so you can imagine a person’s frustration.

As tempting as it is, you have to avoid clickbait. Be real and genuine because that’s what counts.

Wouldn’t that get you to click on something if the shoe was on the other foot?

 

Do you and your business need help marketing the right way? Contact TRW Consult here.

 

Culled from Open Business Council

5 Things Every Author Needs to Know about Book Cover Designs

 

Even though people are always told not to judge a book by its cover, the truth is most people still do - which is why authors must pay extra attention to their book cover before the book gets published. So, below are 5 things every author must know about book cover design before publishing:

1. It needs to have the right thumbnail size: In this case, if your book is going to be published online, like on Amazon, Iwe, Smashwords or Kobo, you need to know the exact thumbnail size of the site, and tailor your book cover size to suit it; that way, the book title and other relevant details would be visible.
2. Don’t be too literal: It is advisable to either state the title or use an interesting concept as an image; or use an image that depicts the book, but with a different title. For instance, if the title of your book is “Umbrella”, don’t use an Umbrella as the book cover’s image; it will come across to your readers as being too boring.
3. Avoid being too sentimental: Of course, once you have a book, it becomes yours and it is easy to attach feelings to it; but using the face of someone you know, like a relative or best friend, when it has absolutely nothing to do with the book, is not advisable.
4. Have a lot of design concepts to choose from: Ask your graphics designer to design three or more book covers for you and choose the one you think is best.
5. Ask for feedback: After you have decided on one, ask for feedback - from your friends, colleagues or even strangers to know their opinions of how the book looks, and if they would be eager to buy one if they see such a book cover. Also, don’t take feedback too personally; rather, use it as a means to get a winning design.

Asides from the tips listed above, always remember that your book cover should evoke an emotion that is part of the story your book tells, and have fun while choosing the book cover that best suit your needs.

An Editor's Guide to Writing Ridiculously Good Emails

 

There’s an epidemic out there—an epidemic of bad emails.

I really realized it after about the fifth time my boss commented on an email I sent her to look over: “That’s a really good email!” I hadn’t thought it was anything special, until I started to pay closer attention to the emails I was receiving. There were horrible grammar errors, embarrassing spelling mistakes, incorrect names, emoticons, lack of proper greetings or pleasantries, and plain old bad writing. I could go on and on.

It’s not that we’re incompetent, people. We’re just not putting the care into our emails that many of them deserve. The care, say, an editor might give an article.

So, to help us all improve our workplace communication, here is the editor’s guide to writing emails that will earn you respect (and responses). Keep these ideas in mind next time you’re going through your inbox—and see what an impact a few small changes have.

Slow Down

I know we’re all on a race to get to inbox zero. And sure, in some cases, firing off a quick email makes sense: when you’re in the middle of a long thread of communication with a close colleague, when you’re just firing off a document to your boss, and the like.

But, for the most part, effective communication (and good writing) takes time. It takes time to formulate your thoughts, to figure out what you’re actually trying to say, and to write your message out in a clear way. And ultimately, that’s what email is—a form of communication. Not a task.

So, next time you have to write a more in-depth email to someone, give it the time it deserves. Block it out on your calendar if you have to. And I’m not talking five minutes per email—it’s not unusual for me to spend upwards of 15 minutes on a good email, especially if it’s my first communication with someone I want to impress. Let yourself have that time, and don’t feel like you’re being slow or unproductive. Feel like you’re doing it right.

Make Sure it Has a Beginning, Middle, and End

Just because we live in a 140-character world, doesn’t mean your emails should be that way. In fact, we’re going to have a little throwback to high school English here and the classic hamburger-style essay; that is, every essay needs an intro, a body, and a conclusion.

You should think about your emails having the same structure. Each section doesn’t have to be long, but especially in initial communication, it should be there. So, what should each section include?

Intro

Always start with a greeting—it may feel archaic, but it really makes a difference. Then, depending on the nature of your relationship, the opening paragraph is a great place for a friendly greeting (“I hope your job search is going well!”), a reminder of the context of your conversation (“It was so nice getting to chat with you last week.”), or a preface about why you’re reaching out (“I wanted to touch base about…”).

Body

This is where you get to the crux of your email. The most important thing to remember here is to give your recipients all the information they need to take whatever action you’re asking of them. This includes giving any contextual information, details, or data that’s necessary, and presenting it in a logical, cohesive way. If the email is being sent to convey information or a decision (rather than ask a favor), make sure to include reasoning or explanation.

Conclusion

The conclusion of emails is a bit different than the conclusion of essays. Instead of summarizing what you already talked about, you should be wrapping it up with action steps. If you’re asking to meet for coffee, propose a date and time. If you’re getting input for a project, remind your colleague exactly what you need and when. And, if you’re just giving information, remind your contact that he or she is welcome to come to you with any questions. Finally, at least in your initial email, always close with a greeting and full signature.

It may seem like a lot, but as I said, it doesn’t have to be long. For example, this is an email I might send to someone I want to grab coffee with:

Hey Dave!

It's so nice to meet you! It was so great getting to chat with Alex, and when she mentioned she knew you I jumped on it. 

I love what you guys are doing at your company, and it would be awesome to chat with you about how you think about online publishing, your recent re-design, and other things about the work that we both spend our lives doing.

Do you think you'd have a bit of time in the coming weeks to meet up? I'd be happy to swing by your offices or grab coffee—whatever is most convenient for you!

Best, and happy Monday.

Erin

So much better than, "Hey Dave, want to grab coffee sometime?" right?

Proofread and Fact Check

Once you’re done typing your email, you shouldn’t just send it off into the world. Always re-read your emails, at least once. Besides just checking for basic spelling and grammar mistakes, you’re also fact-checking things like name spellings, events you refer to, or dates you mention. Addressing an email “Hey Jon,” when it should be “Hey John,” might seem like a small thing, but your contact will notice—and first impressions make a huge difference.

This is also a good point to think about the tone of your email. Does it sound too business-like when you’re just trying to be friendly? Are you too enthusiastic with the exclamation points and emoticons at the expense of professionalism? Try to step back and consider how someone reading the email for the first time will react to it—and adjust accordingly. For particularly important emails, I also ask someone else to look it over for me—an extra set of editorial eyes has never hurt anyone.

 

Think How You Would Feel if it Went Public

Finally, before hitting send, think about how you would feel if this email was read by anyone but the person you’re sending it to. What if, somehow, it landed in your boss’ inbox? What if it got published on the web? (Hey, it happens.) This is a great final gut-check to make sure your emails sound respectful and professional and ultimately represent how you want to be portraying yourself to the world.

I know, it sounds like a lot of work to put into one email. But with the number of bad emails we all get every day, people really will notice the difference when a good one lands in their inbox. And that could be the difference between getting ignored and getting what you want.

Culled from The Muse

The Thin Line Between Branding and Marketing

 

Branding and marketing are two crucial words that are easily mixed up by non-industry professionals. Some have stopped trying to understand the difference between the words, and have instead settled for using them interchangeably. But there is a gulf of difference between the words, more than the thin line that the title of this article suggests. To make the terms clearer, some definitions may come in handy.

What is Branding?

Branding in its simplest form can mean a process that captures a company’s reputation in a few words. It could be a single word that gives personality to the company or that rekindles the unique attributes of the company whenever it is mentioned. When you mention a brand like Apple, it evokes certain images in the mind. The images of elite, class, chic and hip come to mind. These are attributes that sometimes make consumers of their products stand in line to buy their latest products, even at midnights, whenever there is a new release.
What is Marketing?
Marketing refers to the processes that deliver the message of the brand to consumers. While a brand remains the same, marketing evolves to deliver a brand’s core values. Marketing encompasses many activities; it deals with the advertisement, and it also tries to understand the consumer’s tastes so that it can utilize it to the brand’s benefit.

Where Branding Meets Marketing

Branding and Marketing both aim to achieve the same goal, that of communicating a unique identity to a target audience. In the process of marketing, branding is sometimes incorporated in order to win customer loyalty. On the other hand, the information gathered from the marketing process can be used in representing a brand in a certain light that appeals more to consumer’s taste.

Where Branding and Marketing Part Ways

Your branding strategy forms the bedrock of your marketing communications. Therefore, branding is strategic in that it doesn’t evolve as marketing is wont to do. Rather, it seeks to win and maintain customer loyalty on a long-term, and also counts on this to continue to thrive after marketing campaigns are over.
On the other hand, marketing is said to be tactical because it doesn’t seek to influence the consumer’s feelings towards the product on a long-term. Rather, marketing is more concerned about building awareness for the brand and not sustaining a brand loyalty. It marshals its points to convince the consumer and the campaign ends there.

Which One Should You Put Your Money into?

Branding has its own purpose, and so does marketing, and in relation to that specific purpose, they are great investments that can bring in returns. It is the knowledge of that purpose that prevents wastages. In order to carry out a successful marketing campaign to give your brand a boost, you need only the best marketing communications firm to handle your campaign. Look no further than TRW Consult, the award-winning marketing communications agency that can guarantee your brand a long-term relationship with customers. Call us now.

Why Every Consultant Needs to Write a Book

 

If you are like most consultants, you’ve thought about writing a book. You know intuitively that it will be valuable to your brand and your consulting career. Here are reasons why as a consultant, you should definitely write a book:

1. Your book is a marketing tool. A book can generate new business, close a pending deal, and remind previous clients that you are still available. Consider all the ways you can use your book to market your consulting. You can give it to contacts who will spread the word about you, your book, and your skills. You can send it to potential clients. You can send a copy to people you would like to meet or with whom you’d like to network or partner. A book can be a powerful tool to help open doors that may not have been within your reach in the past or close a deal that’s been hanging open for a while.
2. Your book helps you establish your expertise. You are probably already an expert in what you consult about, but a published book adds legitimacy to your career. When people see that you have a published book on bookshelves, they naturally assume that you are a top-notch authority—more brilliant than before you wrote your book. And actually you will be. When you write a book, you are forced to think more clearly and more deeply about your area of expertise. The content that readers can hold between the two covers in their hands boosts your credibility.
3. Your book can help you build your reputation and your brand. If you write a book about your consulting practice, it sets you apart from the rest. If given a choice of someone you would hire to solve your most pressing problem, whom would you choose? A published author or an unknown entity? Yep! Most people would choose the author. By writing about your models or the principles upon which your consulting practice is based, you help your clients and potential clients understand what you represent, what you value, and how you will be valuable to them. A book demonstrates the philosophy, skills, and tools you incorporate into your work better than any discussion can.
4. Your book can increase your name recognition. You will be viewed as a thought leader, and people will recognize your name and the name of your book. It raises both your profile and respect for your company. This can help when submitting proposals to speak at conferences or to keynote for corporate or association events. Your book generates attention, raises your visibility, and gives you multiple excuses for media coverage. A book can position you as the expert in your field.
5. Your book can help you make money. Don’t be fooled into thinking you will get rich from book sales. Almost no one does. However, your published book gives you and your consulting practice the legitimacy to increase your rates and an entrée to attract more work with less marketing investment. A book can help potential clients find you. When people look for experts, they often search for “who wrote the book on…?” Having a book helps people find you with their search. That’s one of the reasons selecting a title is extremely important. Remember, you will make more money through the business it generates than the sales it produces.

Culled from Business Writers Exchange

6 Secrets To Writing A Great Cover Letter

 

At best, a cover letter can help a job-seeker stand out from the pack. At worst, it can make a promising candidate seem like an uncreative cut-and-paster. Sadly, the vast majority of cover letters read essentially the same: Retreads of resumes that ramble on while repeating the obvious. Would you read one of these to the end if it were put in front of you? Probably not, and nor would most hiring managers.

Of course, the Internet is full of tips and tutorials on writing a cover letter, but few of them give much useful information other than the obvious ("Use good grammar!"). So I got to thinking about what cover letter tips and techniques have served me over the years. I came up with these six golden rules for writing a cover letter somebody will actually want to read.

1) Don't repeat your resume

A lot of people write cover letters as if they were paragraph-form resumes. Fact is, your letter will be stapled (or attached to the same email) as your actual resume, so you can assume that they'll at least glance at it (and probably with a keener eye than your cover letter). Instead, use your cover letter to show personality, curiosity, and an interest in the field you are applying to work in. My favorite pro tip: Google GOOG +0% around for the history of your field or company, and sprinkle some cool historical facts into your cover letter (or even use one as a lead). If I was applying for a job in tech, I might talk about how thrilling it was to see Moore's law transform technology before my eyes, and how thrilled I am to be a part of this transformation. If I were applying for a job in fashion, I might talk about how much fashion has changed since the 80s (a lot!). Everything has a hidden history. Use it to show expertise and interest.

2) Keep it short

Less. Is. More. Three paragraphs, tops. Half a page, tops. Skip lengthy exposition and jump right into something juicy.

3) Address Nobody

Sometimes, you don't know exactly who you should be addressing your letter to. Nix the generic and bland "Dear Hiring Manager" or "To Whom It May Concern". If you absolutely don't know who you should be addressing, then don't address anybody. Instead, just jump right into the body of the letter.

4) Send it as a PDF

Not every office computer can read .docx or .pages files, but virtually everybody can open a PDF file without any conversion. File conversions are bad for two huge reasons. First, they are just as likely to not bother and move on to the next applicant. And, second, conversions can introduce formatting errors. Both are bad. (Note: This story originally suggested .doc files. Definitely better than .docx, but, as the comments pointed out, PDF is surely better. It can't be easily tampered with, and you have more control over how it appears on somebody's screen.)

5) Never ever, ever use the following phrase

"My name is ___, and I am applying for the position as ____".They already know this, and you'll sound inexperienced.

6) Close strong

Finish off by quickly (and I mean quickly) explaining how your experience or worldview will help you at the job. That's key. That's the closer. And it can be done in one to two seconds. If it goes any longer, you're just rambling.

Culled from Forbes

7 Marketing Lessons We Can Learn From Politicians

If you happen to live in a state with hotly-contested races during elections, then it’s likely that no matter how hard you tried, you weren’t able to avoid being bombarded with non-stop nonsense from various contestants in the high-stakes game of running for political office.

On the positive side, here are seven marketing lessons we can learn from politicians.

1. If you use television advertising in your business, you may want to ramp it down or even suspend it altogether during the height of any political campaign, because stations routinely raise their rates during these times, to capitalize on the desperate spending of billions of dollars by various politicians and their supporters.
   
   
2. People are more motivated to take action (in this case, to vote) by fear of loss than by a possibility of gain. You don’t need me to point out all the overwhelming negativity in political advertising, as compared to the relatively small amount of positivity.
   
   
3. Political campaigns are all about one thing and one thing only: results. There’s no room in a political campaign for any nonsense like “awareness” or “getting your name out there.” Everything is geared to one purpose, and one purpose only: getting prospects to take the desired ACTION (vote). Business owners must think the same way, and focus on directing prospects to take a specific action whenever they do any marketing or advertising.
   
   
4. Because they are results-oriented, candidates always take a multi-media approach to marketing, using everything from radio and television to direct mail, email, social media, telemarketing and of course, extensive grassroots efforts. Small business owners often do the opposite — making the mistake of focusing on the cost of marketing instead of the results, and therefore often falling far short of their goals.
5. EVERYTHING is constantly tracked when it comes to political campaigns, so adjustments to strategy and tactics can be made. As a small business owner, you must track all of your marketing in detail, and constantly monitor your metrics so you can make changes and improvements based on what works and what doesn’t.
   
   
6. Politicians are fantastic at knowing everything they can about their “WHO” — their target audience — and putting together messaging precisely for them. The naysayers like to call it “pandering,” but in the super-high-stakes, results-oriented game of electoral politics, it’s very smart marketing to craft different messages to different audiences, looking for what is known as the right “message to market match.”
   
   
7. Politicians are excellent communicators. Many have Ivy League degrees, yet skillfully avoid being labeled “elitist” by speaking at a 6th- or 7th-grade reading level, which top copywriters know is the ideal reading level to shoot for to achieve maximum effectiveness in communication.

 

The last three U.S. Presidents are all masters of this skill. Who can forget Phi Beta Kappa/Rhodes Scholar/Yale Law School graduate Bill Clinton speaking in a southern drawl while professing a love of McDonald’s french fries, donuts and assorted other junk food, or George W. Bush being generally perceived as not bright despite earning a Yale degree and being the only President to earn an MBA (from Harvard Business School), or President Barack Obama routinely breaking into slang and “the language of the common man” despite his Columbia University and Harvard Law School degrees?

Of course these three presidents — and many, many other politicians — are all quite capable of speaking with big words and sounding like college professors, but they know better and almost naturally communicate at the coveted 6th- or 7th-grade reading level for maximum effectiveness.

Small business owners, entrepreneurs and sales professionals, of course, should aim to do the same.

We can all learn a lot more about marketing from politicians, of course, in addition to being thoroughly entertained by their no-holds-barred fights to the finish.

 

 

Culled from Huff Post

By The Book: Six Ways to Break into Publishing

 

Be personal when applying for work experience

If you’re looking to get experience in the industry, start by applying to publishers directly. “I recommend approaching smaller independent publishers too. They tend to receive fewer requests and the work experience process tends to be less informal,” says Harriet Birkinshaw, senior commissioning editor at Nobrow.

Literary agencies are also a great place to learn about the publishing business, adds Claire Palmer, an editor for HarperCollins. “Whatever you do, make sure that you’ve done your homework on the places you’re applying to – for example, if you know that non-fiction is your overriding passion, don’t apply to work somewhere that only deals in fiction.”

Richard Arcus, commissioning editor at Quercus Books, agrees that personalisation will help your request stand out. “There will be a number of equally passionate and intelligent people writing to those publishers at the same time, trying to get experience. So the less generic, and more tailored your approach, the more attractive this will be to publishers. For example, if you’re contacting the editor of a book that inspired you or really captured your imagination, then really sing about that in your message and show them that you’re contacting them for a specific reason.”

Is an English literature degree necessary?

The short answer is no, but a degree in any subject will help your applications. “Degrees are often useful – though Penguin Random House have dropped this as a requirement for their entry-level jobs – however degrees in English are not more sought after than any other,” says Edward Milford, development director of the Independent Publishers Guild.

Zara Markland, chair of the Society of Young Publishers, agrees that while a degree can make you a more appealing candidate to publishers, it needn’t be in literature. “Study the subject you want to learn more about, not the one you think you might need. I personally have never found any advantage to having an English degree. Instead, some dedication to publishing and your confidence and determination towards that would definitely put you in good stead.”

Many copywriting and proofreading roles are now freelance

“Publishers use both freelance and in-house copy-editors a lot, so if you’re interested in this work it’s worth checking the job-boards and also being on LinkedIn – publishers often look there,” says Spencer Williams, senior product manager at Pearson.

If you’re starting out as a freelance proofreader, consider joining the Society of Freelance Editors and Proofreaders and look into proofreading training courses that both they and the Publishing Training Centre run, adds Milford.

Be open-minded to other areas of publishing

Editorial is the most sought after area of publishing to work in, but working in other departments can be equally fulfilling. “Always be open-minded to the other areas of publishing,” says Birkinshaw.

Don’t forget that rights, sales, design, marketing, and audio all play huge roles in the publication of books, says Martha Ashby, commercial fiction editor at HarperCollins. “Find an author you love and research their team – who designs their books, who does their PR, who is their agent. And, without sounding creepy, do some online stalking and then politely send some enquiries out to different areas of publishing.”

Be passionate and persistent

Publishing can be a competitive industry to break into, and “with publishing, persistence often wins”, says Birkinshaw. “If you’ve still not heard anything within a few months, I would recommend reapplying for work experience as often it’s a question of timing. As you are still at university, I recommend becoming involved in anything that might relate to publishing such as the student newspaper. This will always look good on your CV.”

Alice Bartosinski, editor at Egmont Publishing, agrees that persistence is key to getting ahead in publishing. “If you are really passionate about a certain area of the publishing industry, you will get there in the end. If you have the right attitude and a natural aptitude for the area you’re trying to get into, just keep going. Try lots of different routes. So you need persistence, passion and dedication.”

Can publishers also be authors?

“One of the questions I get most when I talk about my job outside publishing circles is: ‘You must be a writer too, then?’ I am definitely not, but it is true that a lot of people do both in the industry,” says Ashby. “It’s hard to weigh up the benefits – you will certainly make some excellent contacts in publishing, but if you’re only getting into publishing to get a book deal you will find it incredibly hard work. This is not a nine-to-five job so you might want to think about how you would balance your writing with work.”

Milford adds that planning to write your own book may not be looked on favourably by potential employers. “Many people think of publishing as being about writing – I prefer to think of it as being about reading. An employer will want to know that you can see things from the readers’ point of view and may see a wish to write as something of a distraction.”

Culled from The Guardian

10 Grammar Mistakes that Can Keep Your Content from Spreading

 

Ever read a blog post and think, “This writer seems to have some good ideas, but the grammatical errors are driving me crazy”?

(Pro tip: If you don’t ever think this, some of your readers probably do.)

Grammatical glitches make your writing harder to read, and they turn readers off.

Content may be king, but you’ll gain a lot more respect and credibility if your writing is just as brilliant as the ideas you convey.

And by brilliant, I mean clean.

When your writing is clean, readers understand where you’re coming from. And the more your readers understand and respect where you’re coming from, the more likely they are to share your content.

 

10 Mistakes to Avoid in Your Content Writing

 

As editor of Brazen Careerist’s blog, Brazen Life, I often see the same errors in submissions for our site. If our smart contributors make these mistakes, chances are you make them sometimes, too.

So next time you write a blog post, whether it’s a guest post or for your own site, check it over for these errors:

1. Using that when you should use who

Whenever you write about people, refer to them using who, not that.

John is the guy who always forgets his shoes, not the guy that always forgets his shoes.

It’s easy to make this mistake because that has become acceptable in everyday conversations. But it’s more noticeable when it’s written down — or maybe it only jumps out to us grammar geeks?

2. Including the word currently in your bio

The word currently is virtually always redundant. (Can you tell this is one of my pet peeves?) But let’s focus on your bio, because that’s where most writers fail on this one.

Don’t write: “Tom Jones is currently a communications director.” If Tom Jones is anything, he’s that at that moment; you don’t need “currently” to clarify.

Just get rid of it.

3. Starting a sentence with There is or There are

This isn’t an actual error, but it’s often a symptom of lazy writing.

There are lots of better, more interesting ways to start sentences.

Ooops. See how easy it is to make this mistake?

Instead of starting a sentence with There is, try turning the phrase around to include a verb or start with you. For example, replace the sentence above with Start your sentences in a more interesting way.

If your copy includes a lot of phrases that begin with there is or there are, put some time into rewriting most of them.

4. Writing bullets that don’t match up

Bullet points are a popular and effective way to organize complex ideas. Just make sure your bullets correspond to one another.

For example, since this piece calls for 10 mistakes, each item needs to be something you don’t want to do. Too often, writers mix and match mistakes with what you should do or make transition to shoulds halfway through the post — which only confuses the reader.

If your piece is called 3 Career Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make, here’s a bullet point that works:

• Forgetting to tailor your resume each time you apply for a job

Here’s one that doesn’t work (because it’s not actually a mistake — the writer inadvertedly switched to what you should do):

• Make sure you tailor your resume

Likewise, if you’re offering “tips for writing while balancing on your head,” make sure the bullets are actually tips, ideas that start with an action verb, not “sitting on your head helps you think better.” That’s a reason to write while balancing on your head, not a tip for how to do it.

Often you can turn any idea into a tip by adding a verb. For example: “Remember that sitting on your head helps you write better.”

Make your bullet points consistent and your writing will read more smoothly.

5. Not using contractions

Which sounds more personable: I am heading to the market that is close to my house, or I’m heading to the market that’s close to my house?

Contractions make your writing sound friendlier, like you’re (not you are) a real person. And that makes it easier to connect with readers.

Contractions can also make your post easier to read and comprehend. So go out of your way to include them in your posts! Your editor will thank you.

6. Falling into the ing trap

“We were starting to …” or “She was skiing toward …” Whenever you see an ing in your copy, think twice about whether you need it — because you probably don’t.

Instead, get rid of were or was, then eliminate that ing and replace it with past tense: “We started to …” or “She skied toward …”

Pruning excessive “ings” makes your writing clearer and easier to read.

7. Adding a comma after that

When used as a descriptor, the word which takes a comma. But the word that doesn’t.

For example: “We went to the house that collapsed yesterday” or “We went to the house, which collapsed yesterday.”

Confused about when to use that vs. which? Grammar Girl offers a great explanation.

8. Using over rather than more than

Over 200 people did not like your Facebook page — More than 200 people did.

Of course, everyone will know what you mean if you use over. But using more than is one of those little details that will help your writing shine.

9. Forgetting to hyphenate modifiers

Whenever you modify a noun with more than one word, you need a hyphen. Lots of people don’t follow this rule, so it’s a great way to show you actually walk the walk.

That means you need a hyphen if you’re writing about full-time work. But you don’t need one if you’re working full time. Got it?

The exception: No need to hyphenate modifiers that end in “ly.” Those are OK on their own. So your newly hired employee doesn’t need that hyphen.

10. Writing could care less when you actually mean you couldn’t care less

Which is exactly how some people probably feel about this post.

But you? You’re a writer who writes clean copy. And following these suggestions, as picky as they may be, will help you create content that’s clearer and easier to read … and that makes it that much easier to share.

Culled from Copyblogger

Five Social Media Mistakes that Could Kill your Business

 

Social media is vital for big business, but an online blunder can make or break your company. Here are five mistakes to avoid.

Social media is a necessity for businesses. Whether it be for marketing, customer service, or public relations, social media is often how companies stay relevant in their customers’ lives and aware of any issues that arise. However, a wrong step on one of these platforms can work against companies, digitally tarnishing their reputations.

In 2017, the world watched the social media failures of big names like Dove, Pepsi, and Adidas. Whether it be misspellings, misconstrued images, ill-timed humor, and offensive remarks, social media mistakes are easy commit. While many social media problems start out small or happen quickly, the mark is still made, and the company still gets hurt.

“Social media is now the avenue for escalating and for overall turning the event into a much louder discussion,” said Nick Hayes, a senior analyst at Forrester. “A lot of what you have to do is start to think about how an organization has typically thought of and managed crises in the past, and start to apply that lens of social media.”

A social media faux pas doesn’t only cause problems externally, but even more so internally. Hayes highlighted the interpersonal and financial impact companies can face after such an incident. If your reputation is bruised, partners may not be as eager to work with you. The costs in and out of the business are significant as well.

Take the example of United Airlines, which faced strong criticism on social media after a video of a man being forcibly dragged off a plane by security went viral. The company tweeted a statement from its CEO, which many criticized as too cold and corporate.

This social media disaster hit United’s stock prices hard, and led to many internal issues regarding customer experience, Hayes said. With a newfound negative public perception, United found its popularity decreasing.

Protecting your company is easy, however, you just need to be aware of common social media mistakes. Here are five habits to stay away from.

1. Forgetting your brand

When constructing a social media persona, you have to know your brand. With every post, social media managers must keep in mind the company’s core values. It’s important to ask yourself before posting, “Does this post align with my company’s beliefs?”

Social media mistakes are often made when companies are trying to stand out. In an effort to gain publicity, companies may try to post something funny or eye-catching, but these types of posts also leave the most room for error. With the subjectivity of humor, companies need to be very careful that they aren’t crossing the line. If a company is considering entering a social media discussion about politics or making a joke online, they need to ask if that post would really support their company’s overall brand.

“It’s always important to, whether you’re a social media director or somebody responsible for the social voice of a brand, make sure that [a post] is aligned with the core values or mission statement of the brand, and that the tone of voice comes across in every online interaction,” said Gartner research director Jay Wilson.

2. Disregarding your audience

Going hand-in-hand with knowing your brand, you must know your audience. Businesses need to remember the personality of their customers and what social media would play well. We currently live in a very polarized country, politically and socially, Wilson said. This polarization is accompanied by an increase in vocal public opinion, which is amplified through social media platforms.

After asking yourself if a prospective post aligns with your brand, then ask if it aligns with your consumer. Both questions act as quick filters when deciding to post something out of the ordinary.

“Strategize, and really talk about and brainstorm what are the potential issues that could arise,” Wilson said. “Whether you’re taking a stand on a specific issue or you’re simply putting a campaign out there, what are the potential reactions that you might expect from this increasingly polarized audience?”

3. Plagiarism

Probably the easiest online slip-up is not giving credit where it’s due. With the amount of data and ideas floating around the internet, originality can be difficult to achieve. If a company posts a statistic or fact without attributing the information, then they can not only find themselves in a lawsuit, but also branded as a plagiarizer.

“Brands need to create playbooks and have internal processes so that their teams understand what’s fair use, what constitutes express consent, what constitutes implied consent,” said Wilson. “If you are leveraging third party content, which is something that we often recommend that brands do—finding relevant news stories or content created by partners or thought leaders on social—that’s a great source of content for brands, but you need to make sure that you’re using it in a way that’s not overly promotional, and that you have consent to use that content.”

4. Failing to prepare

Sometimes the biggest social media problem isn’t an incident itself, but the aftermath. These platforms spread information at such a fast pace that companies are given less time to respond in the event of a crisis. Hayes emphasizes creating a template for response, rather than just waiting for something bad to happen, when you won’t have time to do so thoughtfully.

“I think brands don’t drill enough,” said Wilson. “They need to be doing drills and running simulations and scenarios to make sure that their human processes, their technology, is able to quickly identify and respond to social crises.”

5. Inauthenticity

Always say sorry, and when you do, mean it. If a company is accused of a major wrongdoing, they need to apologize, and they need to do so genuinely. Referencing back to United, Hayes noted their half-hearted apologetic nature to their blunder, circumnavigating the actual consumer concerns around the event. Companies should keep an authentic voice in every message they send, but especially when it comes to apologies.

Wilson suggested creating employee advocacy programs to carry out messages to consumers. “People tend to trust front-line employees more than they do C-level executives,” Wilson said.”They want the apology from the C-level executive, but they want to listen to front-line employees and their experiences with a brand, so if you have an employee advocacy program in place, that’s a great go-to resource if you find yourself in a crisis.”

Culled from Tech Republic

How to Identify a Target Audience For Your Book Marketing

 

While marketing a book, targeting too broad an audience is a common mistake many authors and book marketers make. In an age where many readers have access to virtually any book at any time, it’s incredibly difficult to make a single book stand out. Historically, bookstores have done targeted consumer marketing by shelving books in appropriate sections and stocking their stores with content that their particular customers have enjoyed in the past. Now that more and more readers are discovering new content on their own, it’s the author or publisher’s responsibility to make sure the right books get into the hands of the right readers.

Rather than trying to market every book to every potential reader out there, it’s in your best interest to focus your marketing efforts on a smaller group of “qualified leads,” or readers who have demonstrated interest in the type of book you’re trying to sell. This will ensure your marketing dollars are better spent and the readers you reach are more likely to purchase your books.

Simply assigning your book a sub-category on retailer sites is a start, but it isn’t enough. You need to know enough about your audience to know what kinds of books they’re searching for, and to cater your marketing copy — retailer descriptions, synopsis on your website, blog posts and interviews, tweets, etc. — to these search queries to be sure they find your book and choose it as their next read.

According to Mike Shatzkin, to ensure your book is discovered by users actively searching for books online:

The key knowledge required is not so much what’s in the book as what search terms the most likely customers will use to ask the question or express the desire for which the book is the right answer or fit. And in the world of digital information, Google is the primary intermediary, not the reviewer or bookstore buyer.

So how can you define the right audience for your book to enable smarter, more targeted marketing? How can you better understand what readers are actively searching for?

1. Information you should gather about your audience

Before you start marketing your book, you should have a clear understanding of the audience you’re trying to reach. Knowing your audience will help you create content and messaging that appeals to your readers specifically, and determine the channels on which you should spend your marketing budget and time. Here are some examples of questions you should be able to answer about your potential fans:

Demographics:

• What is their age, gender, and income level?
• What do they do for a living? Are they retired? Stay-at-home moms?
• What level of education did they complete?
• Are they married? Do they have children? If so, do they still live at home?
• Where do they live? (Region, urban vs. rural, etc.)

Psychographics:

• What are their favorite books (besides yours)?
• Who are their favorite authors (besides you)?
• What genres do they read most often? Are they loyal genre readers?
• How many books do they read per month?
• Do they read mainly for work or for pleasure?
• What kinds of movies and TV shows do they watch?
• How do they spend their free time, aside from reading? What are their hobbies?
• What kind of vacation do they like best? Or do they prefer to stay home?
• What are their buying habits? Do they make impulse purchases or hunt for great deals?
• How do they choose what book to buy next? Do they rely on recommendations from friends, are they loyal to particular authors, or do they grab the best deal they find?

Online behavior:

• What publications and blogs do they enjoy reading most?
• What social media sites do they spend most of their time on?
• Where do they shop most (online and offline) for books?
• Do they visit any forums? Google groups? Reddit?

2. Collect answers from your existing audience

Instead of guessing at the answers, consider posing these questions to your existing audience, or readers of books similar to yours. While this research takes time, the information you discover will be an invaluable resource for all your future book marketing efforts. There are a few ways you can get these answers from your existing audience:

1. Surveys. Create a survey using a tool like SurveyMonkey, SurveyPlanet, or KwikSurveys. As often as you can, especially for questions on demographics or genres read most, create multiple choice questions (dropdowns, radio buttons, or checkboxes) so you can easily compile the results. If all of your questions are free-response text fields, it will take you longer to read everyone’s responses individually. Then publish a blog post with a link to the survey and send the survey to your email list, encouraging them to participate and explaining why it’s worth their time to answer these questions. You can also join forces with any author friends in your genre who publish similar books to get as many responses as possible.

2. Reader interviews. Conduct a few interviews with readers over the phone or in person. Many people love talking about themselves, so you’ll have an easier time finding participants than you’d think. Prepare a list of questions ahead of time, but anticipate going off script too. Try to dig into the reader’s rationale when you want to understand more about how they find books to read or make purchasing decisions. This will help you get a more colorful picture of your readers than analyzing survey responses in excel.

3. Focus groups. A focus group is typically a collection of 5–10 people who are guided through a discussion by a moderator. As an author or book marketer, it’s easy to discover focus groups… find someone who’s part of a book club and ask to tag along to the next meeting! First, be a fly on the wall — listen to how people discuss and respond to a book similar to yours. Then have questions prepared for the group, just like you would during a reader interview.

4. Your social profiles. If you have a Facebook page or a Twitter profile with a substantial number of fans, you can review the insights tools on each platform to understand more about the demographics of the people paying attention to you online. On your Facebook page, navigate to Insights > People to see demographic breakdowns by gender, age, geography, and language.

On Twitter, navigate to your analytics page by clicking here and click Followers in the top navigation. Here you’ll find all sorts of interesting data about your followers, ranging from demographic data to lifestyle information and consumer behavior.

3. Create a reader persona as inspiration for marketing messaging

Now that you understand more about your audience, create a reader persona that describes your core customer. It doesn’t have to be anything complicated — just a short paragraph you can refer back to whenever you’re creating an ad, designing your cover, writing a tweet, or want a refresh on what might motivate your audience to pay attention.

Here’s an example reader persona (which is 100% fake):

Debbie is a 45–54 year old married woman living in the suburbs whose children still live at home, or recently moved out. She’s college educated and works full time, and she loves traveling and laying on the beach with a good book. She’s a loyal contemporary romance reader, and reads at least one book a week. Her favorite authors are Nora Roberts and Jude Deveraux, and her favorite movies are Titanic and The Notebook. When she’s not reading romance, she peruses People and US Weekly, and is subscribed to the blog Smart Bitches Trashy Books. She spends most of her time online on Facebook and dabbles with Pinterest. She also does most of her book shopping online, and while she’ll grab a good deal when she sees it, if she loves an author’s work or series or is tempted by what’s trending, she’ll buy a book at full price.

Once you understand your audience and what motivates them at this level, you’ll be able to better target your marketing and focus your efforts where your readers live, browse, and shop each day.

Also keep in mind that your book may have multiple target audiences. For example, there are many Young Adult thrillers with crossover potential to the Thrillers & Suspense market. You can create multiple personas and different marketing strategies for each persona to reach a wider audience.

4. Know what your audience is searching for

The next step is to compile a list of search queries that your target audience is using to search for books. There are a few ways you can find these terms:

Research which keywords are trending. Google Trends can help inform you of interest levels of particular terms. You can enter a generic keyword in your niche, such as “romance novel,” for example, and see the interest over time and also what related queries are most frequently used. From there you’ll get more ideas for trending terms, giving you more keywords to look up to see how they’re trending.

Do keyword research. Similarly, you can use Google’s Adwords tool to research keywords people are searching for. Once you enter a broad keyword, Google will give you keyword grouping suggestions and show you the search volume each keyword is receiving and competitiveness — how many other websites are targeting the same search term — of the words in that group.

Once you click into any of these groups, find keywords that are relevant to your book, have a good amount of average monthly searches, and have medium or low competition. These will be your sweet spots for keywords to focus on in your marketing copy.

Blog comments. Once you know which blogs and publications your audience frequents online, head over to those blogs and search for articles about books like yours. Scroll down to the comments to see how people are talking about these books, and if they’re expressing interest in other books they’d like to read that are similar to this book. This could also give you ideas for more terms to research using Google Trends or the Adwords Keywords tool.

Culled from Book Hub

3 Ways Writers can Cripple Self-Doubt

 

Self-doubt is both positive and negative, depending on your response. It could be motivating or deleterious to one’s ability. But most times, the tendency to it being negative is high. Therefore, anyone aspiring to success or relevance in a discipline or profession must be deliberate in the effort to cripple the coated demon. Similarly, the first thing you need to master, as a writer, is self-doubt.

Jason Rose gives a reasonable analysis of what writing is. He says, “Writing is 10% skill, 40% hard work, and 50% crippling self-doubt.” In other words, if you could cripple self-doubt, you have attained an average in writing.

However, writers are feeble and self-conscious. While quality fuel the thirst to know more, to feel more, to have more, to be more, it could become a boisterous storm that can drown one’s ability. Hence, managing the emotions and feelings attached to the feebleness is primary to improving one’s writing skills.

At one point or another, the feeling gets under our skin. Like a witness to the soul, its voice scribbles on the tablets of our hearts: “You are not good enough.” “Your writing is bad.” “That sucks.” “You’re such a jerk.” The words are like seeds thrown into the field, longing for the rain and the rough and tumble of the farmer. And when it is not revved up from the farmer’s activity, it dies.

Similarly, when you doubt your power because of the lies that are crawling in your head, you give power to your doubt. The lies came, in the first place, so you could question your abilities and drop your pen.

Nevertheless, it’s a choice one must make with anything in life: to either believe in yourself or allow yourself to be sucked into self-pity and feelings of self-doubt. Here are some things that can help you trust yourself again when feeling defeated:

Ground yourself

It is the nature of winds to blow, but it is at the helm of each object not to get blown away. A tree that is not firmly rooted will bow to the storm. When you are grounded in the belief of your ability and skill, you are shielded against the gremlin of self-doubt.

You should note that doubt, in itself, is not bad, it’s your response to it that matters. Self-doubt is there to test your agility and perseverance. Most times, self-doubt springs from feedback and criticisms. These are the rewards of every writer’s piece. However, our charge is not to fight but to check our egos, absorb everything, learn from everyone, expand our way of thinking, and improve.

Take a break

If you are feeling overwhelmed by what you perceive as not going so well, take some time away from that project and focus on something totally different. Sometimes, shifting our focus away from what we are stuck on helps us take a new perspective when we come back to it.

Paul Tremblay, an American author and editor of contemporary horror, dark fantasy, and science fiction, says, “For the times when I’m still filled with anxiety that isn’t going away, I get up and walk away from the computer and go do something else; exercise or chores; something physical. It’s important to give yourself permission to bail on writing and not beat yourself up too much about it. More times than not, when I’m not actively thinking about the book, an idea or a solution to a problem in the story bubbles up.”

Damien Angelica Walters, the author of Paper Tigers and Sing Me Your Scars, also adds, “Read a lot, watch a movie, go out, do anything but write. When I do that, the negative feelings start to melt away and I remember why I write: because I love it. It isn’t about accolades or anthology invitations or even sales; it’s about telling the stories that I have inside me to tell.”

Never compare yourself with another

Self-doubt puts you in a hole where you begin to compare yourself with others as you question your identity. Success is not in comparison, but in the assurance of your identity. Never give in to comparison.

Instead, it is important to get the support you need from others. Whether this is from friends, family, or a professional therapist or coach, getting reassurance or help from others can make a big difference.

Sometimes, just the reassurance that you are not the only one who gets stuck or has moments of self-doubt can help you shift away from a “why me” attitude.

7 Bold Marketing Lessons You Can Learn From Apple

 

Not too long ago, for those of us who were born in the last century, Apple was an afterthought.

Post-2000 the company rebranded itself in a revolutionary way. Despite the fact that they’re roughly on par with other computers and devices, they enjoy a reputation for being the best and command a premium price because of it. It’s not all due to the aesthetic design, either.

Even if you’re not a fan of their products, we all know someone who is almost slavishly loyal to the brand. They proclaim them the best at every turn, and word of mouth is a powerful force.

This leaves us asking ourselves: what exactly did they do to revamp their entire image in only a few short years?

The answer is simple: downright brilliant marketing.

I wholly endorse learning from the best, and when it comes to branding and advertisements they’re definitely up there. Learning this way means one thing: we have to ask ourselves questions about the success of the company involved.

After all, if you don’t know what’s been done it’s pretty hard to replicate.

So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the seven best lessons I think you can take from Apple’s marketing and talk about how to adapt them to your own business.

1. Think Carefully About the Need for Advertising

Apple actually runs pretty minimal advertising despite their increasing market share.

Think about it, apart from an ad once in a while most of the stuff you hear about their products comes from those who are fans of their products. Whether it’s reviews or the friend who can’t stop raving about his new iMac, they allow their products to speak for themselves.

There is also a lot of product placement done by the company, particularly in high-budget films and TV shows.

You can take the same approach with your business, provided that you’re supplying a high-quality product.

Now, it’s unlikely that you have the budget to have Tony Stark wielding your product in the next Avengers movie. Instead, you’ll want to scale this down to the basics.

What you can do is supply a high-quality product or service that speaks for itself. Try to get major influencers within your niche to utilize it.

If you’re providing a service, then a free trial is a great way to do it if your business model can allow it. Otherwise, you might want to collect and publish testimonials from those who are using your business to succeed. Publish them high and low. See if you can convince a few to do it of their own accord.

Case studies are also a bold move in the right direction. If you increased traffic by 200% with your SEO services, or your copywriting increased conversions by 75% or whatever else you may do, you can easily format a study to show why you should be picked over your competitors.

It’s easier said than done, but the less you have to spend on traditional advertising campaigns, the higher ROI you’re going to experience.

2. Don’t Engage in Price Wars

Apple avoids price wars. They cost more than any comparable product and still manage to sell tons of products.

Price wars are always a losing proposition. Ask a freelancer some time. Anyone who’s actually succeeding will have a bottom price and won’t take anything under it, no matter how you try to haggle with them.

When you engage in price wars, you always lose.

Instead you should do what Apple does: focus on telling your customers why you cost more than the competition… then prove it. Justify the cost and it’ll get paid.

While you still need to be wary of the competition, if they start dropping their prices make your own product or service better and don’t give in to the temptation to stoop to their level.

You can also offer different levels of service or different types of products in order to make sure that those buying from you have a wide variety of options. Keep your high ticket sales, but also offer some lower priced options.

But never, ever drop your prices en masse simply because your competitors are doing so.

3. KISS: Keep it Simple Stupid

If there’s one place that Apple really shines it’s in how easy their products are to use. There’s a reason that tech nerds prefer PC and Android products: they’re more customizable and versatile for the most part.

They’re also more prone to failure due to user error.

Even their advertising is relatively straightforward and simple. When was the last time you saw any of their copy directly advertising the technical specifications behind their product?

This reduces the potential customer’s apprehension about the product. The fact of the matter is that most tech users don’t actually care about the specifications behind a device as long as it does what they want to and has a user-friendly interface.

From the aesthetic on down, Apple really is a simple company.

Try taking the same approach with your own business and you’re sure to see some pretty impressive results. Overwhelming consumers with information is exactly what you don’t want to do.

Instead, wow them with the ability to make even the hardest-to-understand principles easy. Then show them what they need and gently guide them to making the right decision: your products.

If you take any of these lessons to heart, make it this one. It’s easy to apply no matter what industry you’re working in.

4. Emotional Marketing

Building on the last lesson, the way to really reach a consumer is through their heart.

When you see an Apple ad you don’t see a bunch of technical specs, you see people sitting around and enjoying their device. After all, who cares what the resolution is? Look at all those happy people enjoying their new iPad.

Forging an emotional connection with your customers is one of the best ways to get through to them. Most people aren’t exactly rational when it comes to choosing the things they buy. Instead they buy them based largely off of their emotions.

Forging ahead and making your potential customers laugh, smile, and perhaps feel just a touch of awe when they see your marketing is one of the most important ways you can connect with them.

And if you connect properly, they’re going to be a lot more likely to buy from you instead of a competitor.

5. Take Aim at Your Audience

Apple targets a specific part of the market and they do it extremely well.

What’s more, they know how to talk to them.

As I’ve pointed out, the average Apple user isn’t likely to be the type who’s wowed with the hardware. Instead they already want an Apple product and just need to figure out which one.

Their pages are covered in large pictures of the products and simple, easy-to-understand copy about the benefits. The specifications are there, of course, but to get to them you’ll first see what amounts to beautiful ads in an old glossy magazine.

They speak directly to their customers, in language they understand.

Being able to do this is one of the keystones of any type of marketing. This isn’t unique to Apple, but they do it better than almost anyone else.

It boils down to this: know your target audience and speak in their language.

6. Nurture a Sense of Community

Apple users tend to flock together. They talk about their products, they rave about them to those who aren’t part of the “cult”, and, above all, they’re loyal to the brand.

This also means that a large part of their content marketing is done by the end consumer instead of having to be produced by the company. There are countless “unboxing” videos online, arguments emerge on social media with users of other devices, and all of this serves to keep them constantly at the top of many people’s minds.

In short, they’re a community.

While it’s not possible with all products and services, if you see the potential to develop this kind of thing with your business you absolutely should. The more people are talking about what you’re selling, the higher your profile will be.

A higher profile means more things being sold.

Engage with your customers. Subtly encourage them to share your products with their friends, and also to share their experiences. If you can tap into it properly, you can form a loyal base of customers which will drive sales beyond your wildest expectations.

7. Become “the Brand”

Apple is the brand when it comes to computers. You’ll rarely hear of people rapidly loyal to Dell or HP or ASUS for their laptops after all. The latter three are pretty much interchangeable and bought on their technical specifications alone.

But Apple users… buy Apple products. Because they’re made by Apple.

Now, not every business is going to be able to take advantage of this powerful level of branding. If you’re running a start-up, however, and you have a truly novel idea you have the potential to do exactly that.