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Time to Clean Files, Start Fresh

 


 

 

January is a great time to start fresh on the year. I like to clean out my files on the computer that I no longer need, and I also move the file folders I don't need going forward in the new year. That gives me a new beginning for my writing and my business.

I also re-evaluate what I do for marketing for the year. You can decide where to focus your marketing and what you can do differently. It always is a good idea to try something different in the new year. This is true whether you are an author, small business owner or employee. Although employees are told what to do every day, they do have to market themselves to land the job in the first place and to keep their job. Here are my tips for your market plans this year.

1. Do Video Marketing -- Authors often don't like being in front of the camera, but they should do some videos about their books. Having someone interview you on their podcast or YouTube channel would be great. Creating your own YouTube channel also works. I started posting to my YouTube channel regularly last year and posted the first two this year. Search for The LAST Word on YouTube to find the tips I give on video. You also could search for LAST Research and Editing. 

2. Set Goals -- Use your calendar and write on it a specific goal that you want to reach by that date. Follow up this goal with an action plan on how to achieve that goal. When goals are written in something visual, such as a calendar, they are more likely to be achieved. I want to reach a certain income level by the end of January. I have an action plan to get there. It involves following up with potential clients more frequently and commitment.

3. Be Different -- For authors, it is important that your title be different from others. Think about how you could market your title differently from other marketing efforts. For example, for a cookbook, create a cooking show, but also, ask people to write to you with recipes that you might want to include in future cookbooks. That would engage your audience. Send postcards with a favorite recipe on it to colleagues or send postcards to sites that might want to buy a number of them to sell in their place of business. Create events. Right now, all public events are cut or not happening. They might be virtual events. Create your own.

4. Be a Lighthouse -- Episode 10 on The LAST Word talks about how you want to be like a lighthouse. When you are a lighthouse, you are confident (Be Shore of Yourself), are a beacon for others (Be a Shining Example), are strong (Weather Life's Storms), are aware of opportunities (Stay Alert), are optimistic (Always Look on Bright Side) and are fun (It's OK to Be a Little Flashy). These are important ideas for authors too.  You can use these traits as marketers too. You want to be the best in what you do and tell others that you are the best.

5. See Opportunities Not Tragedies -- Did you know that people who bought stocks in the Great Depression are billionaires today? Even if they bought stocks in the recessionary periods, they are doing well today. If you see events as opportunities instead of tragedies, you are more likely to get more money and more book sales. Sometimes, opportunities are not visible immediately. You have to be patient to ensure you don't miss them.
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