| Hey, Sorry about the unexpected absence over the last several weeks but the good news is that I have finally recovered from my medical misadventures. (And thank you for all the messages of support while I was unwell – as well as all your feedback on my Facebook Ads series. Truly appreciated and exceedingly useful.) Now that I am no longer bedridden, I have been venturing outside and exploring Southern France which is as fine and dandy as advertised. The city I'm currently occupying – like a greedy Roman army – is known for being a university town and the local medical school is famous for kicking out Nostradamus back in the day; I guess he didn't see that coming. And as I wander around, it's hard not to be inspired by all these beautiful and imposing medieval palaces of learning, something which has lent itself to some digging into the history of marketing. We generally assume that marketing was born along with the 20th century. But, really, that's the moment in history when marketing emerged as a distinct discipline to be studied. The practice of marketing is far older – indicated by the Latin roots of the name (mercatus meaning market). And we have clear evidence of very modern-sounding practices like branding happening all the way back in Antiquity. Those pesky Roman armies invading Gaul required feeding and such and while local French produce is famously tasty, immigrants such as myself often hanker for the tastes of home. In Fos-sur-Mer, just northwest of Marseille, a garum container was discovered – that's a popular Roman fermented fish sauce made from mackerel in case you're not into classic edibles. And it was made by a certain Aulus Umbricis Scaurus – a renowned producer from Pompeii – some time around 35 BC. And the reason we know it was made by Scaurus is because he carved his name on the front, just like a painter signing a canvas or an author putting their name on a book cover. The name of Scaurus also adorns some remarkably well-preserved floor mosaics depicting jugs of his aforementioned popular garum, which can probably be considered one of the earliest surviving advertisements too. And it seems all this branding and advertising worked out quite well for Scaurus - his name is found on a third of all extant garum jars in Pompeii. Although his market share appears to have collapsed dramatically in 79 BC with the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. That lava did famously preserve much of the city, however, so we also know that Scaurus was one of its wealthier merchants of the city and that he ran his own chain of retail shops to sell the garum that he produced, to presumably exacting standards, given its popularity. While no one would use these terms for another 2,000 years, marketing, advertising, and distribution were the pillars of Scaurus' business – but none of it would have worked without a quality product underpinning it all. There's little point going to such lengths to make sure everyone knows that this is fish sauce made by Scaurus if it tastes like, well, I was going to say rotten fish but that's not really going to work here... you get the idea. Fast forward to the 1700s and we have English pottery makers like Josiah Wedgewood engaging in practices which we now refer to as product differentiation, market segmentation, loss leaders, national advertising campaigns, and even influencer marketing (anyone who disputes the latter will get a royal beating). In the same way that each generation likes to think that it invented sex, each century seems to think it invented marketing. The corollary being that the past was somehow more pure and that it's only in these Fallen Times that we must engage in such grubby practices – as if products were somehow serendipitously discovered in the past rather than hawked with considerable vim. So it goes with book marketing. Authors pine for some mythical time in the past when books were somehow magically discovered… perhaps not realizing that the window display they gazed on as a dream-filled child was real estate which was bought and sold. Or that the chat show raving about a book was straight-up paid-for product placement. Or the gushing quote from that big-name writer was a little bit of favor-trading and they may not have even *gasp* read said book. The fundamentals of business haven't really changed since Roman times: production, marketing, distribution. And the key aspects of marketing aren't that different either. Know your audience, brand your product, and then advertise it. The great gift that the internet has given us is that authors finally now control distribution. We always controlled the product, for better or worse, and that's especially true in the age of self-publishing when we don't have to sign our rights away to access the distribution network anymore. But we complain about controlling the marketing when it's the key to everything. Perhaps because we overcomplicate it when it can really be quite simple. Understand the market. Read widely in your genre. Look at how books are presented to readers of that genre – especially the successful ones as those are pretty clear indicators of what readers are already responding to! Make sure your books look something like that (although not exactly like that – product differentiation, yo). Put your name on the front of the book – I think you got that part down – and develop your own consistent look for your series that hits the same notes that readers are responding to in your niche. This is how you begin to get a handle on branding. Price your books appropriately for your genre – don't overcharge but also don't undersell yourself; leave room to run discounts at strategic moments. And speaking of strategic moments, these are great times to advertise. I think the biggest problem authors have with advertising is that they try to run before they can walk. They want an always-on advertising campaign that turns an immediate profit and can basically run itself. (And a pony too, presumably.) I suggest starting smaller. Focus your ad dollars on those strategic moments – launches, sales, promotions, and so on. Instead of trying to create a Facebook campaign that will run forever and make you a millionaire while you're asleep, perhaps set aside an affordable budget for your next launch or backlist sale, and aim to make a splash over 5 or 7 days. The freshness of your new release will help the performance of your ads, especially when existing fans jump into the comment section. And/or the discount on the older title will help attract impulse purchases, or those who were on the fence previously. It's a much easier way to crack Facebook Ads than trying to move a full price book from a cold start. Yes, we all want to sell full price books, but discounts can be your lever. Those freebie hunters and bargain seekers will turn into reviews and sign-ups, and more launch buzz the next time around too. And more full price sales – without further advertising – as they work their way through the series. Think beyond that first, initial sale and look at what it could lead to. Scaurus didn't put his name on those jugs of garum because it made his fish sauce taste any better. It's so everyone knows which brand to buy next time. Dave P.S. Music this week is Lou Reed & John Cale with Nobody But You. | 
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.