5 tips on word-of-mouth marketing!

Finally, after deleting the post yesterday, I am retyping the blog on word-of-mouth marketing. Here are some tips for getting your name and the name of your book out there.

Tip #1: Make sure you have a signature on your emails. This should include your name, author of _____ and some links to your website, blog, book . . . Well, here is mine:

Kayla Curry
Author of Obsidian: Mystic Stones Series #1
Website - Blog -Twitter
Facebook Page - Martin Sisters Publishing

Why should you do this? Because, in order for word-of-mouth marketing to work, people need to know your name and the name of your book.

Tip #2: Always say thank you when someone goes out of their way to mention you in a post, on facebook, or twitter or any other media. Showing appreciation lets people know that you care and they feel rewarded for helping you out even if it's just a thank you. Thank you's can go a long way.

Tip #3: Give people something to talk about! If you want people to talk about you and/or your book, you need to give them something interesting to say. Just make sure it's something positive. Post announcements on your achievements, your goals and your projects. If you are participating in a community event, or donating to a charity, those are more things you should announce so that your supporters have something to talk about.

Tip #4: Asking people to refer your book to a friend. There are a few right and wrong ways to go about this. I haven't tried many of them out yet, but here are some ideas to do it the right way:

• Make it a contest! Have the followers of your page send their friends to your page and have them tell their friends who sent them. The follower to bring in the most new followers wins something. This can be done easily on facebook.
• Every once in a while (not everyday) send out a tweet or facebook status that says something to the effect of, "If you liked my book, feel free to recommend it to your friends!"

Tip #5: Return the favor, or be the first one to pay the favor. Refer the books that your friends have written to others. Whether you are returning the favor, or paying the favor first (even without being asked), your author friends are likely to remember you next time they are in a position to recommend a book. It's easy to say, "She's my competition. I'm not going to help her out." That's what we are taught--that people in the same line of business are our competition. It's true, but it's also not a bad idea to work with your competition. In the book world, competition is just a chance for cross promotion. Cross promotion is a great way to gain a larger reach. In the book world, readers are always looking for new books. Once they have read your friends' book, they are going to want something else comparable. That is why cross promoting is so important. Your fans become their fans, and their fans become yours. The great thing is, when you come out with another book, your fans will still be there.

Well, that's all I have for today. I might have more on this subject in the future. Tomorrow I'll be posting a list of books that gave me some great marketing advice with links to them on Amazon! Don't miss it! Most will be free or very cheap. That's what I'm all about--marketing on a very tight budget.