NMT 2016 NovDec Special Report

nmtspecial report
How to market
your book
successfully
Chantal Cooke, author of The Authority Guide to
Marketing your Business Book, passes on tips to
readers for ensuring your book sells like hot cakes
Writing a book is a great way
to promote your nursery,
engage parents, and
perhaps even raise additional funds
- but only if you put some effort into
marketing it. So where do you start?
Clarity is all
First you need to be clear about why
you wrote the book and who it is
aimed at.
For example, are you targeting the
parents of the children already at
your nursery? Or parents of
children who may not need your
services yet, but soon will? Or are
you speaking to fellow nursery
managers? Whoever it is – be clear
before you start.
In theory, you should have
decided this before you even put
pen to paper, but if for some reason
you missed that step, then get
clarity now. Everything you do to
promote the book needs to speak to
your target audience. So, make sure
you know who they are.
The other area you need clarity
on is the ‘why’. If the book is
intended solely to raise money,
then free promotions and giveaways
may not be the best tactic.
On the other hand, if you’re
aiming to attract new clients –
then giving the book away may
be exactly the right approach. If
the book is about attracting
new business, then focus on
that. Don’t get bogged down
with trying to make money from
the individual sales – focus on the
bigger vision.
Once you have clarity, you’re
ready to plan your marketing
campaign. Here are eight easy ways
to get your book marketing on track
– pick and choose the ones that are
right for you:
1Start today. Whether you are
still in the planning stages or the
book is already published – start
promoting it today. It is never too
early! Use social media, your
‘Always ask for a review. Don’t be shy!
When someone buys a copy of your book, ask
them to post an honest review on Amazon.
You really can’t have too many reviews’
newsletters, face-to-face
conversations, your website -
perhaps even put a notice up in the
entrance hall. You don’t need to
overdo it, but you do need to let
people know. You need to whet their
appetite.
2Go offline. Online is great – but
talking to people face-to-face is
even better. So tell people that you
meet about your book, and get out
to networking events to promote it.
As with social media, don’t make
everything you tell them a subtle (or
not so subtle) sales pitch – but rather
paint a picture of what the book
could do for them.
Take a copy (or two) with you to
show them and have change in your
pocket in case someone wants to
buy a copy there and then. You’d be
40 NURSERY MANAGEMENT TODAY November / December 2016 www.nmt-magazine.co.uk

nmtspecial report
surprised how many people will
buy a book from you when you are
standing in front of them.
3Take the book with you, if you
are running events or giving
talks, workshops or seminars.
Mention it during your talk and
hold up a copy so they can see it is
real and will recognise the cover if
they decide to look for it online
later. Tell people they can buy the
book from you after the talk, and
tell them where you will be sitting.
People often have good intentions
– but if it’s not easy, they fail to act.
So, make it as easy as possible.
Don’t make them have to search
you out – help them find you and
help them buy.
4Create images. Imagery really
helps your message stick in
people’s minds, whether it’s on
social media, your blog or when
you are giving a talk. Take
photographs of your book in
different interesting or relevant
places; take pictures of you and
other people (with their permission)
with your book, and create imagery
to illustrate certain points within
your book.
Try taking short quotes from the
book and creating an image with
the quote – we’ve all seen that sort
of post shared a million times on
Facebook. So, give people posts
they like to share – that way they
will promote you to their friends
and followers.
5Take an extract from your
book and create a ‘white
paper’. This is particularly good if
you are targeting the trade or you
want to showcase your expertise to
new parents. The ‘white paper’ can
be a set of useful ‘top tips’ or
perhaps your views on how
childcare is changing or how it
might develop in the future.
Whatever you choose, be sure that
it is useful to your target readership.
And keep it short. Then give it a
cover, add your branding and your
contact details and offer this as a
pdf download on your website. Use
it to collect the email addresses of
potential clients and start building
your list. If they are willing to give
you their email address in return for
the ‘white paper’ then they are a
Get them while they’re keen!
partially qualified lead. So, gather
the email addresses and put them to
good use.
6Enrol an e-book version of it
in Amazon’s KDP Select and
make the most of the opportunity to
offer the book for free for five days
in every 90. Reviews are the lifeblood
of sales on Amazon, and
giving a few e-books away for free
can really help to boost the number
of reviews. Also, the more people
you can encourage to read your
book, even for free, the more you
build your authority and visibility
among your target audience. If
giving the book away for free leads
to more families placing their
children with you - the book has
probably already made you a profit.
7Always ask for a review. Don’t
be shy! When someone buys a
copy of your book, ask them to post
an honest review on Amazon. You
really can’t have too many reviews.
It is absolutely the case that the
more reviews you have (as long as
the majority of them are positive)
the more your book will sell – so,
don’t be afraid to ask. Ask in person;
ask at events; ask on social media.
Whenever it’s appropriate – ask for
a review.
8Hold a launch party. For a start,
you deserve it! But it’s also a
good excuse to tell people about
your book, to reconnect with old
contacts and make new ones. Most
people who attend a launch will buy
the book – so it will add to your
sales too.
Be sure to hire a photographer
and get lots of images of you and
your guests with the book. Use
these on your website, on your
social media, in your marketing
material and share them with your
guests; they will often post pictures
of themselves with your book on
their own social media – helping
you reach even more people.
A book can give your nursery a
boost – but only if you leverage it.
Make sure you develop a strong,
clear book marketing plan. And
stick to it. Start as early as you can –
and keep going. Don’t stop just
because the launch is over. Keep
promoting the book and it will keep
working for you. ■
● Chantal Cooke is an award-winning journalist and author as well as the founder of
boutique PR Agency Panpathic Communications. The Authority Guide to Marketing
your Business Book is available on Amazon
W: http://panpathic.com W: http://marketingyourbusinessbook.com
Connect with Chantal on LinkedIn
www.nmt-magazine.co.uk November / December 2016 NURSERY MANAGEMENT TODAY 41