Lesson 27

Writing Class 101 by Rick Kurtis
 Advertising. Lesson 27
 Another week has come and gone. This is my twenty-seventh post, and if you have missed any, they are all laid out in order for your viewing pleasure on my website. I hope your week was productive in everything you did.
Today I want to touch upon advertising. Everything costs, but you can do a lot for free to keep your book into their minds and pass it along through all of social media.

They say seventy percent of anything is more effective to people when it is placed in motion. Meaning, if you just post a pic, people will scroll right by. But if it is in a video, seven times out of ten, they will stop to watch. They might even read what it says. Some will even turn up the volume and listen, or watch it the first time, then a second time with the volume on. I guess it’s true, because I do it all the time. Some people are even more likely to share if it is a video.
So, be creative. Make it fun, make it surprising, then post it on every site you have. If you really have a talent, make a commercial with the help of your friends. And if you are really talented, Call Me. I haven’t ventured this far yet, because I have a dumb phone and wouldn’t know how to use a smart phone. I have enough trouble pushing the keys on my computer.
Here’s another idea I have yet to try. I know this may cost, but then again it will get your book out there. I have four books going on fifty. Not 50 years old, but fifty more books. Buy copies of your own book and place an ad sticker inside the front cover. (I have changed this to placing it in your book before you send it off to print, but my four are already on the market.) If you have a website, include it. If you have other books, include them also. Let people know where they can find your books. You can also include the titles of future books that you are going to do. These could also be placed on the back pages of your book along with an author profile and your social media connections. I wish I thought of this sooner.
Now that you have your stickers in place in twenty books or so, take them with you on vacation, one or two of each book, and leave them in the air B&B, or a book library box. You know, those little houses that look like a funny mailbox where people put in a used book in exchange for a different one. If you have a friend in a different state and they have these boxes around their city, you could send them the book, and when they get the book have them post a pic of themselves with the book. Then when they have finished reading it, ask them to pass it along in a book box, and also ask them to take a pic of themselves again putting it into the book box and posting it on their social media page. They have friends that you don’t. FREE ADS.
On your small little sticker you can also ask for their opinion and to comment on your website. That way you get their email, so you can sell them your next book. Also nicely ask for a review to be posted on Amazon, and take the time to thank them in advance for choosing your book. Say please and ask them to post a pic as they place the book back in the book box. Who knows, they might post themselves burning your book, which may cause hundreds of people to go out and buy it. Your book is out there and getting exposure, and hopefully views on other social media sites, and friends if they share a post.
Business cards are said to be a great way to advertise. I used Vista print, which is very reasonably priced, and fast. Their system is simple and you lay out exactly what you want. Another author said he leaves the back of the card blank so they may write on it. This way they may hold on to the card longer.
Being that I work in the airport, I bought business cards and handed them out to people that were either holding a book, reading a book or reading on their Kindle. If they have a book, I say here, you need a bookmark. I would ask people if they love to read books, and then hand them a card telling them about my site. I thought this way I would gain worldwide exposure. Some people would not even listen. They would say get away, no, I don’t want one. Oh well, their loss.
The problem with using a business card is that it goes into a wallet or a purse if they don’t toss it as soon as you walk away, and it is never seen again. Business cards are cheap and they make you feel wonderful, knowing that you are an author. I have posted my cards on community boards, left them in air B&B’s, airplane magazines and handed them out to hundreds of people. I even gave them to a friend who promised to hand them out on a cruise ship on her vacation, and she did. I really haven’t seen any success. You could also drop them in a business fishbowl or ask a business if you could put up a small card stand on their counter.
I became disillusioned in the airport and laid them out on my cart in front of our store along with pictures of my book covers. I wrote a small note that said please take a card. I would get two, maybe three people who would pick up a card each day, and this is in an airport in Las Vegas, where we get millions of visitors every year. I have checked up with people, employees in the airport that I gave my card to, to see if they went on to my site to at least look at my books, or to share with their friends. Many of them lost the business card or never even looked at it.
I have also tried hanging a two foot by three foot poster board on the side of my cart, making an ad with the cover of my books in bright colors, and I watched people walk right past and not even notice. My friends in the airport can’t even remember my website. It’s very simple, Rickkurtisbooks.com. It’s my name!
I have also tried pens. These are a little more expensive, like a dollar each unless you buy thousands, but Vista print did a wonderful job. Another site has many pens to choose from, and their prices vary, but you can get them as low as nineteen cents each, depending on how many you buy. My thought is that a card gets thrown away or lost, but a pen they keep until it runs out of ink. If they drop it or lose it, or they leave it somewhere, someone else will pick it up and use it. Put your website on the pen with the cover of your book. Hopefully this will pique their interest. You can use them as free giveaways, or as a thank you. I handed them out to pilots thinking they might buy a book for their loved ones. They make wonderful gifts for only few bucks. I have left them in doctor’s offices, so people will see them. But these too have proved to bring no sales. But a pen may hang around for years.
Another thing you could try is bumper stickers. Vista print again is a good place. I only bought ten to hand out to family and friends. You could buy a whole bunch more and just go around randomly sticking them on cars in the parking lot, hopefully with out-of-state license plates. They might not even notice and it will be on there for years, or they will be very angry and it off. I do advise against this, though, being that you might get beat up or sued to replace their bumper. Remember McDonald’s and hot coffee?
They say it takes money to make money. I sure wish I had some. If you have any ideas, please give a share.
Next week we’ll talk about??? You tell me. Until then, I hope I have given you plenty to think about, and you enjoy your week.
 
Happy Writing from rickkurtisbooks.com