How to Draft a Marketing Plan

Posted on September 19, 2007

Let’s start at the very beginning. Before you begin haphazardly trying to sell your book a million different ways, it’s wise to invest some time and thought into cultivating a plan.

There’s a good chance that all the strategies you’ll need for marketing your book are—in one way or another—contained within this e-book. So what do you need to do first? Research. Here are a few of the distinctions you need to make:

  1. Clearly identify your target market and your secondary market. Who is most likely to buy your book?
  2. Determine where to find them. What publications do they subscribe to? What networking events do they attend? What websites do they frequent?
  3. Identify the competition. It’s helpful to know what else is out there, and there’s a good chance, especially if your book is published, that you’ve already scoped out the competition. But dig a little deeper and do a little more research and reconnaissance: What are the best-selling books in your genre? Who are the top experts? What are their websites? (Find the related websites; read their copy and bookmark them.)
  4. Craft your positioning statement. Your positioning statement is usually a single sentence that clearly states what you do, who you serve, and how you’re different. [If you’re interested in reading more about positioning, you can start with Al Ries and Jack Trout’s classic, Positioning (McGraw-Hill, 2000).]
  5. Develop your strategy. From the above, compile a detailed list of all appropriate mediums to target, including magazines, newspapers, websites, experts, conferences, events, etc.

This process should lead you to important distinctions on how to most effectively position your book with your target audience:

  • What needs do they have?
  • Why will they buy your book and other services?
  • What makes you and your book different or unique?
  • What solutions are you proposing?
  • What’s the best way to package your pitch?
  • What’s the best “voice” to communicate with?

It’s not necessary for you to view other experts in your field as enemies or even competitors. Instead, consider them as colleagues and potential allies. The purpose of uncovering your positioning statement is merely to highlight your book’s uniqueness in a crowded marketplace.

Next, what’s your budget? There’s no need to get too precise here, but you need a general idea of what things are going to cost so you can prioritize what needs to be done and when. Here are some of the expenses involved in building your platform:

Finally, determine your “launch” strategy. (What are the top five strategies you’re going to focus on over the next ninety days?) Then go at it with voracity!

This post is an excerpt from the FREE Become a Best-Selling Author eBook, 60 Effective Strategies for Selling More Books. Download it here.

Posted in Marketing

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