I had the opportunity recently to offer for sale several book titles from my publishing company, Monarch Tree Publishing, to members of a fiction writing class. I was glad to take the time to do so because I know from past experience that writers are readers. At every book signing for one of Monarch Tree Publishing’s authors that has been held at a bookstore, I have witnessed authors being drawn to peruse through the books on the shelves. They always buy at least one.
Although the class had only a few members, they all expressed interest in the books. Within a short time I had sold almost all the copies I had brought. I likely could have sold a couple more copies of one book if I had had them with me. As I drove away, I said out loud, “That’s the result of target marketing.”
My thoughts drifted back to hours spent at crafts shows and fairs that had a general population target. I also mentally reviewed the number of books I had sold at book signings at bookstores. The sales to the general population were disappointing. You may be surprised to hear this, but the sales at bookstores were not great, either. After much thought, I have concluded that every title at a bookstore has a great deal of competition from all the other titles in the store. Titles from established authors sell well in bookstores, but new or not-well-known authors’ books have difficulty.
The best way to sell these titles is personal interaction. Approaching someone who is a reader and has a reason to have an interest in the book’s contents targets the market. Two of Monarch Tree’s authors were members of the class. That piqued the interest of the remaining members. Both had written fiction, which was related to the topic of the class. I brought one of the titles specifically for a class member who I thought was Finnish because the book’s story was centered around the Finnish integration into American society. She informed me that only her husband was Finnish, but she purchased the book so that they both could read it.
Can you see how I easily sold several books in just a few minutes?
If we businesspeople targeted our markets better, we could save a great deal of time, effort, and frustration by not attempting to sell to just anyone. Rather than spending hours at a trade show that has a general population target, placing an ad in a media that does not specifically target our market, or talking to someone who we have not qualified as a prospect, we would sell more at better prices and take less time accomplishing the transaction if we specifically targeted our market. Using past experience, knowing of our market, and taking time to think before we implement marketing actions will make our efforts profitable.
How well do you target your market? Have you used what you know to make your targeting specific? Do you think through how to reach your target before acting?
This week's marketing trivia challenge is What is your best target market? How do you know? E-mail me your answer.
Although the class had only a few members, they all expressed interest in the books. Within a short time I had sold almost all the copies I had brought. I likely could have sold a couple more copies of one book if I had had them with me. As I drove away, I said out loud, “That’s the result of target marketing.”
My thoughts drifted back to hours spent at crafts shows and fairs that had a general population target. I also mentally reviewed the number of books I had sold at book signings at bookstores. The sales to the general population were disappointing. You may be surprised to hear this, but the sales at bookstores were not great, either. After much thought, I have concluded that every title at a bookstore has a great deal of competition from all the other titles in the store. Titles from established authors sell well in bookstores, but new or not-well-known authors’ books have difficulty.
The best way to sell these titles is personal interaction. Approaching someone who is a reader and has a reason to have an interest in the book’s contents targets the market. Two of Monarch Tree’s authors were members of the class. That piqued the interest of the remaining members. Both had written fiction, which was related to the topic of the class. I brought one of the titles specifically for a class member who I thought was Finnish because the book’s story was centered around the Finnish integration into American society. She informed me that only her husband was Finnish, but she purchased the book so that they both could read it.
Can you see how I easily sold several books in just a few minutes?
If we businesspeople targeted our markets better, we could save a great deal of time, effort, and frustration by not attempting to sell to just anyone. Rather than spending hours at a trade show that has a general population target, placing an ad in a media that does not specifically target our market, or talking to someone who we have not qualified as a prospect, we would sell more at better prices and take less time accomplishing the transaction if we specifically targeted our market. Using past experience, knowing of our market, and taking time to think before we implement marketing actions will make our efforts profitable.
How well do you target your market? Have you used what you know to make your targeting specific? Do you think through how to reach your target before acting?
This week's marketing trivia challenge is What is your best target market? How do you know? E-mail me your answer.
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