The BookSmarts Podcast, with Joshua Tallent
Arts:Books
In this episode, Joshua talks with Erik Nelson, a friend and marketing consultant, about how publishers can approach rethinking their own branding, and develop a more powerful approach to marketing based on their passion and mission.
Publishers, like other businesses, will fit broadly into three categories: 1) Those who are starting from scratch, have no major direct-to-consumer approach or marketing to speak of; 2) those who have a customer-facing brand, but know some things are broken and they don't know where to start on the repairs; and 3) those who already have some momentum on branding and direct-to-consumer, but want to throw some rocket fuel on that area. This podcast will be helpful for publishers in all three of those situations.
Before you jump headlong into marketing and advertising, though, you have to start with the "Why". Where does the passion behind your company infuse your work? What's the deeper, more aspirational thing that got you in this business? What gets you jazzed and excited? You want to bottle that up and show it to your customers.
After you know the Why, think about how you want to express it. That is where branding comes into the picture. Branding is like a mental shortcut for consumers. You want them to think of your brand when they think about the topic of passion behind it. Branding comes out in two areas: in the aesthetics or design, and in the messaging.
Only after you have defined the Why, and developed the branding around that Why, can you start approaching the question of how to implement the sales and marketing aspects of your direct-to-consumer strategy. And that strategy will need to take on different forms in the pre-purchase, purchase, and post-purchase stages.
Joshua and Erik get into all of this, and more, with direct connections to the publishing business and suggestions for helping you get more out of your branding.
Erik has agreed to offer a free 30-minute call with anyone who wants to talk to him more about these topics, and about ways that he might be able to help you. Please visit his website at https://nelsonconsulting.co/.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/booksmarts/messageEpisode 42: Marika Flatt on Book Publicity
Episode 41: Jane Friedman on Spotify Audiobooks and Author Earnings
Episode 40: Tom Richardson on ONIX Best Practices & Standards
Episode 39: Kathi Inman Berens, Ph.D. & Rachel Noorda, Ph.D. on Gen Z and Millennial Survey
Episode 38: Miriam Warren on International Mergers & Acquisitions
Episode 37: Victoria Sutherland on Reviews and Opportunities for Independent Publishers
Episode 36: Klaus Krogh on Sustainable Typesetting and Bible Design
Episode 35: Mary Carlomagno on Book Visibility
Episode 34: Laura Brady on Accessibility
Episode 33: Michele Cobb on Publishing Associations and Awards Programs
Episode 32: Thad McIlroy on Publishing Startups
Episode 31: David Marlin on Royalty Management and Company Security
Episode 30: Emma Watson on Subscription Ebook Sales Models
Episode 29: Angela Bole on Independent Publishing
Episode 28: Charles Watkinson on Open Access
Episode 27: Kevin Franco on Book Marketing Strategies
Episode 26: Pete Larson on the Current Supply Chain Situation
Episode 25: BISG - Future Proofing Your Workflow
Episode 24: Cory Verner on the Growth of Audiobooks
Episode 23: Mark Herschberg How Books Might Escape the Page
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Lit Society: Books and Drama
Ex Libris
Write The Book: Conversations on Craft
Anne of Avonlea
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Fresh Air
Myths and Legends