Tuesday, January 19, 2010

This is how it's done

I've been thinking about marketing and such lately. Never hurts to be prepared. There's a lot hoopla about on the benefit (or not) of blogs, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, GoodReads, etc., etc., etc. ad nauseum.

And sometimes this works. Tomorrow, I'm going to tell you about how I got turned on to an author 100% because of online marketing.

But--and here's the kicker--it's got to be unique. Everyone and their mom can get a blog (or twitter or facebook or whatever), and anyone with the ability to type can fill it with words. It is not enough to do something just because everyone else is and "they" say it's good marketing.

What's really good marketing? Standing out from the crowd.

Like this widget.

                                                     

This is how it's done, folks. Check it. Everything's all neatly there in an eye-catching (but not annoying) little box. Easy to load, easy to share. And it really does go above and beyond. Info on all the books (albeit with a focus on the one most recently released). And did you see that thing in the middle? EXTRAS. As in, only find them here, one of a kind EXTRAS.

How clever is that?

People will see it--click on it--and discover a whole new author. This one little widget has it all.

And it will sell more books than tweeting about what you had for breakfast.

21 comments:

Michelle D. Argyle said...

Is the widget supposed to be just a black box? I'm not sure it's loading right. :(

Natalie Aguirre said...

It loaded okay for me and I thought it was awesome. I'm going to bookmark this & put the book on my list to read. What a great idea. Thanks for shariing it.

storyqueen said...

I want a widget! I want a widget!

er...um...how do you make a widget?

Shelley

Unknown said...

That widget is awesome! My problem is I don't know how to make one and where do you put it...on your own blog? Just wondering as I'm lacking in the marketing genius department. Great idea!

TerryLynnJohnson said...

WOW! You are right! That is awesome and makes me want the book. Also makes me want a widget. Is your next post - how to make an awesome widget?

Tess said...

I agree with StoryQueen : gimmie, gimmie, gimmie!!!! :D

GreenBeanTeenQueen said...

This is a great example of a widget. I have noticed that more are becoming more than just a countdown, but offering sneak peeks at the book, movie casting, etc. I think it's a great way to market your book!

Anna Staniszewski said...

Wow, you're definitely right. I think Terry's got a point - your next post should be all about how to make an awesome widget. :-)

Unknown said...

That's a fantastic widget! You just got your post tagged in my google reader. :)

Anonymous said...

Oh wow, that widget is so awesome. If I weren't already a fan of Snyder because of POISON STUDY, I'd totally check out her books because of this.

Stina said...

Cool stuff! How did you do that?

C.R. Evers said...

interesting . . . I'll have to check it out!

Christina Farley said...

This is so cool! How is this made? I'm curious. I'm in the process of trying to figure out a book trailor.

Vanessa said...

Love the widget!

PJ Hoover said...

Very cool widget!
Widget making is not something I've tried yet, but something I should look into in the future!

Unknown said...

Thanks Beth - this is a cool little widget. I'm going to file this away in my marketing ideas folder for when I get to the marketing stage (fingers crossed that it will come soon).

lotusgirl said...

Cool. Definitely something to keep in mind.

Unknown said...

That is awesome! Thanks for sharing!

Elana Johnson said...

It's amazing!! I so need to learn how to create something like that. Are you gonna give us a lesson??

Crystal said...

Wow . . . that IS a wonderful idea, Beth! Definitely something to keep in mind when marketing a book! Thanks for sharing!:)

Clementine said...

This is a very interesting post. I've been hounded to death by some of my writing partners for closing my Facebook account. That thing drove me out of my mind with all the games, the quizzes, the cheezy comments about what folks buy at the grocery store. I couldn't keep up, nor did I WANT to keep up. But you're right. If it is done correctly, tastefully, professionally...then I'm for it. But how do you find the balance? I've got so much on my plate right now.