Category: Marketing

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‘City of Dreams’

William Martin just released his latest novel – City of Dreams – featuring recurring characters Peter Fallon and Evangeline Carrington searching for a box of priceless Revolutionary War bonds. After reading the comments below about how he’s utilizing social media to promote the book, return to my e-newsletter and use “Send This To A Friend” to redirect Fast:Forward to someone who would enjoy reading it – or post a link on your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or favorite social site.

Shoot me a quick e-mail with “Done” in the Subject line afterward. (Honor system in place!) I’ll randomly draw one name from all responses – and that person will receive an autographed copy of City of Dreams.

> View a short trailer on City of Dreams to experience just how much the publishing world is changing.

William Martin’s Comments:

“The traditional platforms are being dismantled. There may be half a dozen newspapers left in the country that continue to review books on a daily basis. And other platforms are being closed to writers. Just the other day I was supposed to be on a local televison show to talk about “City of Dreams.” The host was ready to do the the show. Then the higher-ups saw an interview with another writer and said, “No more writers.” So no more Martin on that TV station. The old ways of doing things are changing. Out in media land, they’re all worried. They’re all scared. They’re all cutting.

So what do you do? You can’t quit. You have to find new ways to market yourself. Instead of being swamped by the cyberwave that is sweeping everything before it, you should try to catch its crest and dive into it.

I haven’t mastered Twitter and don’t think I want to. Don’t understand all the “following” business. And I haven’t pushed too hard on  Linked-In. I have friends who are urging me in that direction, but you can only do so much. I decided to use FaceBook. I’ve figured it out. It’s easy to post things there. I refuse to tell you what I had for breakfast or what kind of beer I like. But I’m able to tell readers about my characters when I’m writing and about my events when I’m promoting.

I don’t think FB will change my life. I only have about 500 friends and about 130 on my fan page but they say that you only need about a thousand real fans to help you get the ball rolling. I’ve sold a lot of books over the years, and I’ve counted on a lot more than a thousand fans. But FB reaches people who are genuinely interested, the kind of people who can help light the lttle brushfires of interest that can burst into a best selling conflagration. That’s how viral marketing –  I’d call it brushfire marketing – works. At my book launch on May 11, we had an SRO crowd, in part thanks to FB. So friend me or join the fan page and see the pictures from that night. Help me toward the thousand fans who I hope will light matches in the brush around the country and help me onto the best seller list again.”

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The Ads Have It

Good Super Bowl. Saints deserved to win. Brees outplayed Peyton. Mardi Gras will be long this year.

The Who put on a solid performance – although I kept thinking: 1) I hope Roger Daltrey doesn’t have a heart attack; and, 2) It’s time to leave behind the rock icons and start using current stars. (Guessing next year in Dallas, Jerry Jones will serve up an array of country acts – George Strait, Kenny Chesney and Carrie Underwood.)

Like the game, the commercials will go down as good, not great. The ad execs were as conservative as the Colts offense. No one showed the kind of risk-taking Sean Payton took with that onside kick to open the second half.

Here is my Top 10 for 2010:

10. Budweiser “Clydesdales” – I wanted to put the Super Bowl Shuffle remix here; however, any ad that includes a Bevo lookalike works for me.

9. Audi “Green Police” – Great concept that built toward a surprise ending as a car commercial.

8. Google “Paris” – This one probably didn’t make your list…but for simplicity and creativity, it was a winner (especially since my daughter spent last summer in France).

7. Kia “Sock Monkey” – Anyone willing to bring back that classic symbol of the stock market bubble deserves recognition. Really liked the robot doing the robot.

6. CBS “Letterman” – Great connection with recent NBC late night challenges. Oprah mediated as Leno took subtle swipe at his own network.

5. Denny’s “Grand Slam” – It was corny, but I liked the screaming chickens.

4. Budweiser “Bridge” – Nice take using a ‘B’ movie approach. I could hear some small town folks in west Texas saying, “Yep, we’d do that here.”

3. Tru.tv “Troy Polamalu” – Well-timed Groundhog Day premise with a shocking ending. Good follow-up to his shampoo commercials that appeared all season.

2. Snickers “Betty White” – The moment it came on, I said, “That looks like Betty White.” Turns out it was. Liked the Abe Vigoda ending. Surprised to learn he’s still alive.

1. Doritos “My Momma” – Ads with children and pets always work, especially when the kid gets in the face of mom’s date.

Finally, I hope all the pundits and folks who criticized Tim Tebow learned a lesson. Before you make negative comments, watch the ad. This turned out to be one of the better ones – and a great way to handle a difficult subject. Focus on the Family got a lot of value from its investment.

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Does Competition Lower Prices?

Apple and its iconic leader Steve Jobs rank near the top of any list of great innovators. Dating back to the introduction of the Macintosh on Super Bowl Sunday 1984 – and the Orwellian ad directed by Ridley Scott – continuing through the iPod, iMac and now iPad… Apple keeps churning out the hits and changing industries.

After Amazon shook the publishing world with its Kindle electronic reader, most pundits felt it was a matter of time before Apple would introduce a better device. It took two years before last week’s announcement of a “truly magical product” that comes in full color, allows Internet access, works with all 140,000 Apps – and this is just version 1.0.

Of course, there’s a ‘dark side’ of any great story… and this one impacts consumers. Kindle pricing on new releases is $10 – a tremendous savings compared to buying the hardback; however, within days of the iPads’ introduction, Macmillan said it will increase e-book prices to $13-$15.

Amazon reacted by pulling Macmillan titles: “We have expressed our strong disagreement and the seriousness of our disagreement by temporarily ceasing the sale of all Macmillan titles. Ultimately, however, we will have to capitulate and accept Macmillan’s terms.”

So going forward, Macmillan will set prices and pay Amazon a 30 percent commission. Not surprisingly, that’s the agreement Apple made with major publishers. (And you thought all of the mystery and drama only happens inside the pages!)

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Bigger Isn’t Always Better

Many smaller communities – even those in the suburbs of a big city like Houston – have weekly newspapers that cover the local scene…from new business openings, to city council updates, to high school sports. As major dailies across the country struggle for survival, local weeklies continue to arrive in mailboxes with pictures of the latest Rotary luncheon speakers or features on the latest resident to turn 100.

One reason the local angle resonates with readers is there’s something special about seeing a story on a restaurant you frequent or recognizing the photo of your fifth grader’s friend who finished as runner-up in the spelling bee. That’s much more personable than traveling on business and picking up the Omaha World-Herald or Memphis Commercial Appeal – or even reading about the politics of your nearest metropolitan area.

Residents of a community share a bond – a oneness – that’s somewhat like supporting a high school football team. All week long kids separate into smaller social groups and pursue individual interests, but starting with the Friday afternoon pep rally, they join together in a unified front aimed squarely at defeating their archrivals on the other side of the field.

There is an opportunity in your business to capitalize on that same camaraderie. Becoming the local expert positions you in a unique way to stand out from competitors. Identifying the bullet points of your unique knowledge base and communicating it in written pieces and speaking platforms positions you for success. When people think, “Wow, she really knows her stuff,” you’re building a relationship of trust that exceeds even a glowing front page article. (If your company is global, you would do well to think of situations where you can act local!)

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Just Say Thanks

Some say how you act as an adult is determined when you are a child. If that’s the case, I’m amazed many leaders have forgotten one of the best lessons they learned at a young age. It’s something one of my business mentors convinced me to adopt as a habit long ago: send a hand-written thank you note whenever you have the opportunity.

Of course, in this instantaneous world, it’s easier to type an e-mail, leave a voice mail or key in a text. Do you even remember the last time someone sent you a hand-written thank you note? Do you have any idea the last time you sent one to an acquaintance? I receive them so rarely that I keep them in a shoebox.

Rick Baker is the president of the AT&T Cotton Bowl. Following every meeting with him during my previous career more than a decade ago – whether for a casual lunch or a formal business session – I received a personalized thank you note in the mail. One time I asked about the process. He carries the notes in his car, he told me, and as soon as the meeting ends he writes them. When he returns to the office, his assistant hands him the address, which he writes on the envelope. She adds a stamp and sticks them in the outgoing mail. Three minutes of his time made great impressions on me…and likely everyone else he meets.

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