Non-traditional marketing is the process of writing quality content in response to an identified need, publishing it in the form desired by the reader and then selling it to people in defined groups of prospective customers. Doing this is not dramatically different from what you are probably doing now; it simply requires a change in focus.

1)    Focus on the content of your book, not the book itself. What your book does is more important to buyers than what it is. This means that the process of successful special marketing begins by writing content that will satisfy an unmet need in the marketplace, not in the author. Then you sell the information in your book, not the book itself. “Content is king” in special marketing. The old adage “find a need and fill it” was never more relevant.

2)    Focus on people rather than on markets.  It has been said the good doctors treat people, and mediocre doctors treat diseases. Adapting this to special-sales marketing, successful publishers market to people and average publishers market to niches. We talk about selling books to schools, or to the military or to corporations and sometimes forget it is the people in each of these to whom we are marketing. People buy books for their own reasons. People use books for their own purposes. Find out what those are and market to them.

3)    Focus on the marketing end of the business, not the production end of the business.  The concepts of frontlist and backlist are irrelevant in special markets. Publishing more titles to keep your frontlist current is not nearly as profitable as concentrating on selling those titles you already have.

4)    Focus on getting people to buy rather than selling to them. This may seem like a minor difference, and it may just be a matter of degree. But today’s business buyers are more astute than those of the past. They are not simply looking for ways to reduce costs, but how to crate value for their organizations. You will probably be more successful by first finding out what is important to them, and then describe how your content can help them achieve that. Discover what the customer needs, which will probably be a combination of products and services.

When talking with your prospective customers describe how you can help improve revenues, margins or brand image. Add value to their way of doing business. For example, you may be trying to sell a cookbook to buyers at Lowe’s or Home Depot. Understand that they do not want to sell cookbooks as much as they want to sell high-priced, more profitable barbeque grills. So you could sell your cookbook to them by demonstrating how it could be used as en enticement to get people to buy the grills. They could use your book – rather than sell it – by giving one away with each grill purchased. This is the concept of cross merchandising.

5)    Focus on the differences of your content, not on its sameness. Authors, particularly of fiction, will describe their book as being similar to a current trend leader by saying, “It’s the next Harry Potter,” or “It’s like The Da Vinci Code, but better.”  Buyers do not want more of what they already have. They want to hear how your information is different from the better-known titles, and why it is better.

6)    Focus on push vs. pull. Push marketing is directed at the channel members, helping them sell more books to the next higher level in the distribution network. On the other hand, pull marketing is directed at the ultimate consumer, making people aware of your title and getting them to buy it. While both strategies are important, push marketing is the preferred strategy in special-sales marketing and pull is the strategy of choice in bookstore marketing.

7)    Focus on what you can control. There are four primary activities you can control in marketing your book: 1) its content and form, 2) the price at which you sell it, 3) the ways in which you distribute it and 4) how you promote it. The responsibility for your success falls squarely upon your shoulders as you direct and control the journey of your titles from your printer to the various buyers.

•    Product control. Special-sales buyers are concerned with the relevancy of your content to the solution of their problems. The format in which it is delivered, while relevant, is not mandated as a book. It could be a booklet, 3-ring binder, DVD or other packaging.

•    Distribution Control. In non-bookstore marketing you can devise your own sales channels to various segments. You might sell your business books as textbooks or through airport stores; your book about dogs, in Petco or to the ASPCA; or your book about car safety to driver-training companies or automobile manufacturers. You might choose to sell your romance novel in supermarkets, negotiate with Godiva Chocolate Company to use it as a premium, or have cruise ships and limousine services purchase it as a gift for their passengers. This is not to suggest that you ignore traditional distribution. On the contrary, market your products along parallel channels in a way that will optimize your revenue.

•    Pricing control. In non-traditional marketing, competitive titles are usually not on a shelf next to yours; so immediate price comparisons are unlikely. The price ceiling is raised, if not eliminated. At the same time, distribution discounts may be eliminated and your print run could be higher. A strategy of pricing your titles based upon the value they offer the customer is more the rule. The result is more pricing flexibility and more leeway in offering price incentives such as discounts, two-for-ones or coupons. It’s entirely possible that you could lower your list price and still be more profitable.

•    Promotion control. You no longer have to cringe when a careless newspaper editor misinterprets your press release, or when a reviewer pans your book. Instead, you can create and communicate your story in your way. You have the freedom to directly contact people by telephone or personal visit to make your case and negotiate the terms of sale.

8)    Focus on market segments instead of the mass market. Some people looked at Goliath and thought he was too big to hit. David looked at him and thought he was too big to miss. You might look at special-sales marketing and think, “Is the non-traditional market big enough to approach, or is it too big?” The answer is yes. A market of $16 billion is too big to pass up, but it is too big a market in which to compete profitably — if you look at it as one goliath market.

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Brian Jud now offers several programs to sell more of your books in special markets through personal sales calls, customized mailings and telephone calls. There is a program for any budget. Reach Brian at P. O. Box 715, Avon, CT  06001; (800) 562-4357; brianjud@bookmarketing.com or go to www.bookmarketing.com

Last 5 posts by Brian Jud

• Sail the Seven Cs to Media Performances - March 24th, 2008
• Goals are Worthless… - February 11th, 2008
• Why Bad Things Happen to Good Titles - December 5th, 2007
• Practice Makes Permanent - October 22nd, 2007
• Take the “Junk” Out of Direct Mail - September 20th, 2007