Marketing without social media – what it looks like for me

This week I thought I’d give you a peak into what marketing looks like for me without social media. 

When More Than a Healthy Baby came out last December there was no launch. No in person events, and I’ve yet to see a copy in an actual bookstore. We were primarily focussed on social media marketing, and I have to say – writing a book and hoping social media will do the work is not a strong marketing strategy.

Why?

It’s not really authors who get people to buy their books, it’s the readers, reviewers, podcast hosts and other gatekeepers.  

I work 10 hours a week. Throw in lock downs, school holidays and sick kids and it’s usually a lot less than this. This is what I managed in one hour of marketing this week:

Respond to two podcast requests. Organise a copy of my book to be sent to one of the hosts. 

Email daycare a flyer for the noticeboard (yes, I now have to look at my face every time I do drop off/pick up) but so does everyone else! Lol. 

Ask a local children’s bookstore if they’d stock the book. I’d previously put it off because I thought “well, it’s not a kid’s book” but this is where Mums with young kids hang out at weekly story time. 

Asking the editor of the local paper if they’d do a feature for birth trauma awareness week which is coming up. 

I’ve also been taking a short course on social media without marketing. It’s mostly reconfirming what I already know, but it’s keeping me on track AND in the right mindset that there are plenty of entrepreneurs and businesses who excel without social media. 

I know self-promotion can feel gross. I still struggle with it at times even though I teach these things! 

Remember it’s not about you – it’s about you passing along information that could help someone. Imagine even one person struggling with the very thing you could help them with. Imagine them going home, crying in the bathroom, overwhelmed. If only you could have gotten over your mild discomfort at marketing to help them with their discomfort – which is probably much, much greater than your visibility fears. 
 
Also, hot tip – I often wait until I’m ovulating to do marketing. My energy is better, I generally feel more social and it’s easier to do an hour of power then. I could do more, but I don’t.

Truthfully, I’m still burned from old bosses and mentors who set me specific reach out targets: “to get successful I want to see you sending 100 DMs a day”.

Eww. No. Not me. That’s not how I roll with my mentoring students. If you need help with getting over your visibility stuff or want to chat book publishing and promotion, you can  book yourself into my calendar HERE 
 
 Also, on the podcast this week – Shadow Comforts. What are they? Where does the term come from? How do we tell the difference between numbing and relaxation. It’s a short 10 minute chat.

Have a great week!