#WriterlyWisdomWednesday : Social Networking isn't the secret to success? #MarketingTip by @AimeeLaine

Welcome to WWW where every week a guest will offer some insight into the world of writing and publishing. 

Today I'm thrilled to have my Scribo Pen Sister, Aimee Laine, published author, photographer, business owner, full time employee, mother, wife (and the list goes on and on and on) share about social networking.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marketing : Social Networking isn't the secret to success?

According to Wikipedia, Marketing is the process of performing market research, selling products and/or services to customers and promoting them via advertising to further enhance sales. We spend countless hours promoting, but are we promoting to the right people?

Marketing has a lot of psychology behind it. You know, how, when you tell someone they canʼt have something, thatʼs when they really, really, really, want it? The act of marketing is kinda like that. It teases the potential buyer enough that they just canʼt do without your product — in this case, your novel/novella/short story, yard sale, excess fruit ... whatever it is.

With psychology though, comes the need to understand a key piece of the marketing puzzle: your audience.

The fan bandwagon is the secret to success. If the ʻitʼ generation is using social networking, then you must, too. If your audience is blogging, then you must, too. If your audience reads only through book clubs, then you gotta find those club.

Who is my audience? 

Well, for novelists and writers, it’s readers, of course.

The problem isnʼt in knowing you want readers, though, but WHO those readers ARE and how to reach them. Here are a few steps to identifying them.

Identify attributes of your target audience like demographics and psychographics (personal characteristics).  

Write down all the attributes you think are applicable to your target audience.

Now, think about who this represents, in terms of the type of people youʼre familiar with. Think about groups of people who fit the profile for the attributes list you thought of (because I know you didn't actually write it down). Did you say youʼre book would be great for Momʼs with kids? Then list Momʼs with kids. Is your book great for people who like nature? Perhaps then, naturalists. List these people by group, not individual to help keep the scope wide by narrow at the same time.

Now that you're narrowing down, look at these groups in terms of social networking.

Where can you find people that would be apt to participate in the groups you listed above? What websites or physical groups cater to the interests youʼve mentioned?

What might come next?

Start spreading yourself into places where that audience is.

See, social networking isn't enough by itself. It works when it's done to the target audience. That's a key element of marketing and hopefully that little tidbit will help you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ms. Laine's newest release!!

Click on image to add on Goodreads

Silent Echoes

Games of Zeus

PNR / Thriller

by Aimee Laine

Release Date: March 11, 2013

Target Reader: Adult

For years, Ian Sands has enjoyed his life as a bachelor, taking advantage of singlehood and exploring his own definition of passion—whoever she may be. Blonde. Brunette. Tall. Short. Hot. Not. Five months ago, all that changed.

Ian’s been celibate, frustrated and desperately seeking answers to why one woman, who doesn’t play by girls’ rules, haunts his every waking moment.

As a renovations specialist, Taylor Marsh lives, works and breathes construction—a profession her southern belle of a mother would rather Taylor not touch. The same goes for Ian; Mama Marsh would never approve of him.

Like Ian, though, each time he and Taylor draw near, something compels her to get closer.

Something else tells her to run away.

Fast.

As much as their histories suggest they shouldn’t be together, neither Taylor nor Ian can deny the pull, and the two succumb, indulging in a relationship that brings pleasure to body, mind and soul.

Doing so, though, also ushers in a series of events both should have foreseen as well as one final outcome neither expected.

Purchase Links

Amazon.com  /  Barnes & Noble

My 4* review can be found HERE.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About Aimee Laine

Aimee is a romantic at heart and a southern transplant with a bit of the accent (but not a whole bunch). She's married to her high school sweetheart, and with him, she's produced three native North Carolinians, two of whom share the same DNA.

With an MBA and a degree in Applied Mathematics, there's absolutely no reason she should be writing romance novels. Then again, she shouldn't need a calculator to add two numbers, either ... but she does.

Links:

Website  /  Facebook  /  Twitter  /  Goodreads