Three tips for Book Marketing Success
Have you ever heard the expression, " the quickest way to reach
your goals is to help others reach their goals?"
I remember this expression and use it as my Internet
book-marketing plan. It has paid off with 3 best selling books
for me in the past year.
How does it work in Internet Bookselling? Let me explain.
Websites generally have three characteristics that help them
consistently remain in the top search engine standings:
1. Websites must add and change their content often. (Once or
twice a day is perfect) 2. Websites must offer an e-zine or
newsletter. The top websites offer newsletters and e-zines that
are delivered via e-mail every day. 3. Websites will usually
have their own bookstore with an affiliation or association with
Amazon.com to allow visitors a method of purchasing books that
complement the information on the website.
Top websites spend a great deal of time and money to remain at
the top of the heap. Everyone wants to be there, but only a few
can hold down those top positions.
Understanding these three characteristics have enabled me to
achieve my goals by helping websites achieve their goals.
Step One: Search for the Big Guys on the Internet
I have two areas of expertise. I am a hypnotist who writes books
and e-books on how to achieve success through hypnosis. I am
also an E- book Marketing Consultant and write books on how to
write and sell e- books.
In order to find top websites that may be interested in
hypnosis, I search on broader topics like "health" and "mental
health." For my books on E-book marketing I search on topics
like "Internet marketing" and "E-commerce."
Even though there are hundreds of search engines and thousands
of directories, I begin with searching on Yahoo. Yahoo is a
directory that is difficult to get into and even more difficult
to maintain a high ranking.
>From my own experience once I made the top of the heap in
Yahoo, under "hypnotism" my web traffic more than doubled and
stayed that way over the past three years.
Therefore, I conclude that the websites that arise to the top of
Yahoo will be much more highly visited than through other search
engines and directories.
Step Two: Help the Webmaster Offer More Content
Once I search under the two major categories that fit my topic,
I send e-mail to the webmasters at those sites sending along my
article or sample chapter.
I tell the webmasters I would appreciate posting my article for
their readers in return for a short bi-line or description on
what I do and a link over to Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com or
my own website in return for the favor.
Most webmasters jump at the opportunity at receiving free
content that allows them to maintain the high rankings on their
websites.
Step Three: Help the Website Newsletter Editor
The top ranking websites also sponsor their own newsletter or
e-zine. After contacting the webmaster about content added
directly to the website, I then contact the newsletter editor in
regards to placing an article or sample chapter in the
newsletter.
Sometimes at the bottom of a sample newsletter there will be
specific instructions on how to submit articles. Many times
there is even a section on the website where you can post your
articles directly to the editor.
After following the directions in the newsletter, I submit my
article or sample chapter to the website newsletter editor.
I have just added more content to their website, again helping
the website increase traffic and at the same time direct
interested visitors to my book offerings located in the author's
bi-line.
Step Four: Help the Website Bookstore Make Money
Most of the time, you will find that the top websites also have
their own bookstore. Usually the Website bookstore will be an
"associate of Amazon.com."
For example: You search on the keyword "health" on Yahoo and are
taken to the top five health sites. Let's call the top website
"health.com."
After navigating around the website you find a Health.com
bookstore that offers many titles on a particular aspect of
health you are interested in. When you click on a book cover on
that website, you are immediately sent over to a book
description page on Amazon.com.
If you look at the complete link that shows up in your browser
you will see an URL (the Internet address) which looks something
like this:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1929695217/healthcom/104-
2910323-8772701
The two most important parts of the link are the ISBN number
which is the number called "ASIN/" which is Amazon.com's
identification number, and the words following the book's ISBN
number which is "/healthcom."
"Healthcom" is the website's Amazon.com Associate identification
number. This number allows the website to get paid for any sales
that result by someone clicking on the link and then purchasing
the featured book on Amazon.com.
The next thing you do is shave off the number off the end of the
URL.
Now the URL will look like this:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1929695217/healthcom
If your own book title listed on Amazon.com has an ISBN number
or ASIN number of 1585003557, what you do is insert that ISBN
number in place of the website's featured book.
Now the URL will look like this:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1585003557/healthcom
That new URL is going to mean instant book sales for you.
Take your revised URL with your book ISBN and send a short
message via e-mail again to the webmaster of the website.
Ask the webmaster to feature your book on the website. Mention
that you are including the URL with the website's Amazon.com
Associate identification number.
Within a few days you will begin to see a surge in your book
sales as a result of this technique.
Summary:
By helping the webmaster add content, the newsletter editor
offer new articles and the website bookstore earn more money
from Amazon.com by adding your books, you are helping the
website maintain a top ranking.
By helping the top websites achieve their goals you are driving
qualified traffic to your own website or to Amazon.com to
fulfill your goal of becoming a best selling author.