Writers On The Move

Small Business Marketing - Know What Consumers Buy

By Karen Cioffi

This is Part 2 of a 3 part series.

Key Marketing Principle One – Know Your Prospect’s Motives

You’ve finally done it. You created a great product to sell. But, could it be that the product you think is ‘great’ is not something many others are interested in?

For small business marketing to be effective, you need to know if there is a customer base for your product or service. This is why it’s important to determine what people are buying. And, it’s important to know this prior to creating your product, if possible. If you already have a product or service available, this information will help you tweak it to be more relevant and attractive to potential customers.

How to Find out What Consumers Buy

You might be wondering how you learn about your prospect and his buying habits. Fortunately, the Web has made this easy to do. One way to find this information is to do keyword searches. Knowing what people are searching for gives insight into what they want and what they’re buying.

As an example of small business marketing and keywords, let’s use ‘alternative health options’ as a search word.

If you do a search for that particular keyword through Yahoo, you’ll realize the target market is broad. In fact, there are over 50,000 in the search results.

You can also do a Google Adwords search. Using ‘alternative health options,’ Google will provide you with an assortment of keywords related to your query and let you know their weight – meaning how many searches there are for each. For the keyword ‘natural health,’ there are 246,000 global searches.

The purpose of these keyword search tools is to provide you with information, such as:

•    What consumers buy - the types of products and/or services people are searching for, which shows what they want
•    The specific keyword or phrases people are searching under
•    Less competitive long-tail keywords that will narrow your target market
•    Product and name ideas

But, to see which keywords are actually relating to your sales, you should use Amazon, which by the way is an excellent keyword search tool. Simply type in the beginning of your query. We’ll stick with ‘alternative health options’ from above. So, type “alternati,” in the query box and Amazon will automatically list its most popular keywords for that beginning query.

This is valuable information for the marketer. These are the keywords that people are using to buy books and other products. And, since Amazon makes money when products are sold, they provide the most effective keywords.

After doing the research, the effective keyword you come up with will be the foundation of your product’s name and/or your website’s name. This is what the people you’re targeting are looking for, this is what they want. And, this is what you’ll provide.

Other Marketing Strategies to Determine What Consumers Buy

Join groups that deal with the subject matter you are thinking of creating a product around. Follow relevant keywords on Twitter and take note of what’s going on in the tweets. And, follow through on links provided in the tweets. The same goes for Facebook, Linkedin, GooglePlus, active blogs and newsletters. Read, read, read.

The information garnered through these strategies will help you create an effective name for your product, or if you already have an existing product, as mentioned above, it can help you tweak your marketing strategies in regard to its name, its appearance, and its promotional content. The same goes for your website.

The information you learn will also help you craft articles and content to establish yourself as an authority on the subject matter and draw traffic to your site.

Knowing what consumers buy is an important element in your small business marketing strategy.

If you missed Part 1, please visit:
http://www.writersonthemove.com/2013/10/small-business-marketing-meet-your.html

Stay tuned for Part 3, scheduled for December 1st.

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MORE ON MARKETING

10 Useful and Free Writing and Online Marketing Tools
Authors Need Discoverability More Than Findability
6 Book Marketing Tips that are Sure to Increase Your Visibility

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P.S. To keep up with writing and marketing information, along with Free webinars, join us in The Writing World (top right top sidebar).

Karen Cioffi
Award-Winning Author, Freelancer/Ghostwriter, Author/Writer Online Platform Instructor
Build an Online Platform That Works

Karen Cioffi Professional Writing Services

Disarray Leads Writer Astray

When the itch to write wouldn't go away, I decided to do something about it. I bought how-to books to see what writing was all about. That's when I learned that writing is a process, and not to expect results overnight. To enjoy the process itself--to have fun--and the end result will take care of itself. At the time, I had no idea what the writing process would entail.

Over time, a writing process did develop into a tool I use every day. Recently, however, I've taken the leap from writing short stories and articles to writing my first book. Oh my, suddenly my calm, solid, reliable plan developed leaks! There was much I needed to know. And much in my life that needed to get organized if I was ever going to succeed. Below, I've laid out the step-by-step process I use and my most recent revelation in the hope that it will help you. Here goes:

My house needs cleaning, my office needs organizing, but so often I ignore all that and get right to work. I shove aside the books and papers that clutter my desk, or if I'm feeling particularly creative, I have been known to pop my WIP right on top and dig in, often for hours on end.

I've come to the page convinced that I've covered all the stops. I:

· stack my notes so I can find whatever information I need

· include with my notes an outline, whatever ideas have occurred in the shower or at 3:00 a.m., pictures I'm using for characters and scenes; in short, anything that helps me visualize where I'm at in my story

· tune up by reading a few previous chapters or pages

· gather the latest problem-solving I've done, which I attack in two ways, either by stating the problem head-on and thinking up solutions, or putting the problem aside and doing something else, like sewing, or taking a walk, or shopping; and take a break, knowing that at some point in my mind's restful state, ideas often present themselves for further investigation

· sometimes have a seemingly insurmountable problem, so at night when I'm getting ready for bed, I write it out and read it several times, which I believe sends the problem to my subconscious, thus allowing my subconscious to work on it overnight

· keep in mind that the toughest problems often take more than one day or night to solve. I continue this process while searching for a suitable solution

· still don't like it, so I put it down and let it cool for a week or so

· edit, polish and prepare the passage for my writing group and readers to critique

· enlist the help of a professional editor when I think my draft is ready

The Missing Link

Before I opened the envelope from my editor, I thought all my draft would need would be tweaking. It needed much more than that, though. But I wasn't discouraged because I liked my editor's suggestions very much. But before beginning work, I made myself take an honest look at my work habits. I'd made writing such a priority that I got into the habit of not putting things away, telling myself I would finish a household job later, etc. I realized that even though I was sitting at my desk many hours each day, I was perhaps not as productive as I thought I was being. Meanwhile, the rest of my life had stacked up into a big, unorganized heap.

That's when I decided to get organized. I went to work right away. I cleared my desk, took care of unfinished business and sorted, cleaned, finished jobs and polished. Then I took a break. Once I returned to my work I realized that organizing everything else in my life had helped to organize my writing life, too, and after that, my WIP started to fall in place. To my Great List, I added: clean up and organize.

Being Organized = Being Productive

I look at my desk now as I write--it is not organized. Enter the beauty of chaos. I think I need some chaos to create. So, I go back and forth, creating with chaos, taking a break to organize, and then creating some more until the need to get organized presents itself again. Creating and organizing take turns; I do each one separately.

Help from an Old Friend

As I busy myself with my new set of suggestions from my editor, I turn to an old friend, Julia Cameron, for inspiration. I don't know Julia personally, but had become a tremendous fan of hers when I first ventured down the writing path. After reading books on writing and publishing a few articles in our local newspaper, I discovered The Artist's Way. Each day I wrote my Morning Pages. Each week I took myself out on an Artist's Date. Gradually, the ideas rolled out on the page, and I began to sell in earnest. According to http://juliacameronlive.com/about-julia-cameron/, Cameron is "credited with founding a new human potential movement that has enabled millions to realize their creative dreams." I'm one of those millions. In the same article, Cameron strikes at the heart of the matter: "Most of us have no idea of our real creative height. We are much more gifted than we know. My tools help to nurture those gifts."

I looked Julia up on Amazon.com and was pleased to see that she had written follow-up bestsellers, Finding Water, The Vein of Gold, Walking in this World and The Right to Write; in addition to three more devotional-type books that I keep on my desk and refer to for inspiration, Heart Steps: Prayers and Declarations for a Creative Life; Transitions: Prayers and Declarations for a Changing Life; and Blessings: Prayers and Declarations for a Heartfelt Life.

Above all though, Cameron's memoir, floor sample, helped me round out my Great List of Bullets. floor sample reminded me of the value of MP's and I began to write them again, in different places that made me feel warm and whole, either with a steeping cup of tea first thing in the morning, or my last cup of tea at night before bed. And . . . Cameron wrote that she has found that writing three pages of a novel per day (in addition to writing MP's) makes her a productive writer. It doesn't sound like much, but she wrote that the three pages add up to a novel in a shorter time than one would imagine.

My take after finishing and thoroughly enjoying floor sample is, in addition to writing the MP's, to write those three polished pages each day, and then feel free to pursue other interests. If I happen to be editing a completed manuscript, I don't count the pages but edit in the same amount of time it would take to finish the three pages, and be done with it. So now, I've not only found a way to stop work and get organized in order to promote productivity, but I've learned to be satisfied with finishing three pages or their equivalent each day. Also, I've added in a good measure of throw-it-all-to-the-wind chaos. The bonus is that feeling satisfied with the work accomplished each day has actually re-energized the other aspects of my life; which in turn, as we writers know, only adds the fuel that feeds our writings!

Your take: I hope in some way your own creative process has been helped by this post. Please leave a comment with your thoughts. I would love to hear from you.

Next month: Keep a Personal Account of your Progress

Linda Wilson, a former elementary teacher and ICL graduate, has published over 40 articles for children and adults, six short stories for children, and is in the final editing stages of her first book, a mystery story for 7-9 year olds. Publishing credits include seven biosketches for the library journal, Biography Today, which include Troy Aikman, Stephen King, and William Shatner; Highlights for Children; Pockets; Hopscotch; and true stories told to her by police officers about children in distress receiving teddy bears, which she fictionalized for her column, "Teddy Bear Corner," for the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Crime Prevention Newsletter, Dayton, Ohio. Follow Linda on Facebook.

Labels: Julia Cameron's blog, An Interview with Julia Cameron

Writing is Healing

Did you know that writing is healing?

No matter what kind of writing you do, I am certain there is a healing component in there somewhere. You may not even be conscious of it.

Your story doesn't have to be limited to a journal or a memoir to tell it. If you've written a novel, perhaps your character development is a refection of your own life. Maybe you've hit your pain head on with a self-help book to assist others. I have particularly found writing in allegory style to help me process pain.

Whatever your writing style, whatever your genre, studies have shown that writing is therapeutic.

John Althouse Cohen / Foter / CC BY

Rochelle Melander, author of the article, "Heal By Writing About Your Trauma" (Psychology Today; November 21, 2012):

Many psychological and medical studies have shown that writing about difficulties and dreams helps people experience increased happiness, health, and productivity ... psychologist James Pennebaker wrote about the multiple research studies he has done on the transformative power of writing. He discovered that people who use writing to make sense of their traumatic life experiences felt happier and less anxious.

You may have suffered a traumatic event. Write.

You may be a worrier. Write.

You may be fearful. Write.

You may have unfulfilled dreams. Write.

You may be having a bad day. Write.

Let the ashes be turned into beauty. Not only will you be helping the reader to enjoy what you write, but you will very likely be helping yourself!

~~~

Kathy Moulton is a published freelance writer. You can find her passion to bring encouragement and hope to people of all ages at When It Hurts -http://kathleenmoulton.com

Writing - To Beat or Not to Beat

What is a beat? And what is its purpose?

A beat is a little bit of action that can involve physical gestures. They are used to remind you of who your characters are and what they are doing. An example of a beat is:

            “Where are you going?” Charlie grabbed her arm, his fingers digging into her flesh.

They can increase the tension where needed or they can give the reader a bit of relief where the tension is really great.

            A reasonable balance is necessary or you can interfere with the flow of the scene. You have a scene where the dialogue is building the tension (example: an argument that is increasing in tension and building toward a critical moment such as a murder). Too many beats can interfere or disrupt the tension and make the murder scene less exciting. This can damage the flow of your scene and keep your scene from building. In other words, it can slow you pacing. The result can be the loss of your reader’s interest. So your goal should be a proper balance between dialogue and beats.

            Interestingly beats can be used to vary the rhythm of your dialogue. Remember, good dialogue has an ebb and flow to it. The areas where the tension is high you need to cut the beats to a bare minimum. If you have two high-tension scenes in a row, you should allow your readers to relax in the next scene with some quiet conversation containing more beats.

            If you are not sure just where to put a beat, read your scene out loud. Where you find yourself pausing between two consecutive lines, insert a beat.

            Beats can be used to define your character. A good example of this is body language. It can allow breathing room in an emotionally tense scene. To reinforce the point I’m trying to make, beats can accomplish three things: 1) They can increase tension; 2) They can allow breathing space for the reader; 3) They can define your character.

            In looking over your scene(s) there are some questions you should ask yourself:
            1. How many beats do I have? Try highlighting them.

            2. How often am I interrupting the dialogue?

            3. What are the beats describing?

            4. How often am I repeating a beat?

            5. Do the beats help illuminate the character?

            6. Do the beats fit the rhythm of the dialogue? Read it out loud.

Faye M. Tollison

Author of: To Tell the Truth

Upcoming books:
The Bible Murders
Sarah’s Secret

www.fayemtollison.com
www.fayetollison.blogspot.com

MORE ON WRITING

Perseverance Pays Off

What To Do When A Book Fails

Read as a Writer

Writing for Success

Writing is now big business. It has the world-wide
stage, a global market. Spin-off businesses like
tutors, publicists and agents spring up and prosper.

The writer and writing have always been commodities
to be marketed. The difference now is that more
books are published per day than used to be
published annually.

It is the best of times but also the worst of times for
writers--and especially for those of us who choose
to write fiction.

Difficulties of marketing fiction

Books for sale, photo by Peter Griffin, www.publicdomainpictures.net

In the main, fiction writers write to entertain, tell stories that encapsulate human experience. They have something to say--a message to share. This idea of theme pervades all successful writing.

But if you are writing to make money, you'll be very
lucky to become one of the big hitters on Kindle, no
matter what the marketers and publicists tell you.

You are competing against millions of books, both new and from successful authors' backlists as well as those which are sourced from the public domain, or are written to order.

So how can you make money to fund your writing?

Think about it--money is being made in copy writing,
ghost writing and to some extent blogging or content
writing for websites.

Profit can be made from spin-offs--webinars,
teaching writing courses, even writing lots for others.

But often the best money can be made at home
through networking. Talk to librarians, local schools, clubs, businesses. Discuss courses/ visits and talks on your area of expertise.

Offer to run a reading and writing hour in school or as
an after-school activity, suggest a talk on self-
publishing to attract more people to the library,
promote your services as a business writer,
enhancing staff communication skills or providing new website content on a regular basis.

As a bonus, whatever the result, you'll be gaining new experiences,meeting new people and finding even more ideas and customers for that new novel.

Anne Duguid is a freelance content editor with MuseItUp Publishing and she tries to pass on helpful writing,editing and publishing tips at Slow and Steady Writers The photograph is by Peter Griffin and can be found at www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=4176&picture=books-for-sale

November Writing Challenges

Next month, I will be participating in Picture Book Idea Month (PiBoIdMo) http://taralazar.com/piboidmo/ and National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) http://nanowrimo.org/.

Registration for PiBoIdMo starts October 24. You can sign up now for NaNoWriMo. Both events are online and start November 1 and end November 30. Winners are eligible for prizes. See each website for details.

PiBoIdMo began in 2008 by children’s author, Tara Lazar. Her book, The Monstore, was released in June of this year by Aladdin, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.

Chris Baty started NaNoWriMo in 1999. His book, No Plot? No Problem! A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days, is a recommended read for NaNoWriMo participants.

This will by my first year for PiBoIdMo. This is my second year for NaNoWriMo. It will be a challenge trying to do both!

Will you join me?

Debbie A. Byrne has a B.S. in Mass Communication with a minor in History. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and is working on her first children’s book.

Create Your Own Personal Writing Retreat

A quiet cabin hidden in the Poconos

Luscious meals prepared by a five star chef

No cell phones

Great writing coaches

An eclectic group of talented and generous writers

These are the ingredients I remember from Room to Create, a writers retreat in 2011 put on by the Highlights Foundation. This fall a reunion retreat was planned for this group. Sandy Asher and Linda Oatman High were once again the facilitators. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend this year.

Disappointed that I couldn't attend and realizing that my writing life needed a jump-start, I decided I would give myself a personal retreat. I took a day off work, and committed it to writing. I did not leave the house or clean the house. My house definitely needed cleaning and there were tons of errands I needed to run, but I was giving myself the gift of a writing day.

After breakfast, I sipped my coffee and sat down in front of my computer. What should I work on? I opened one of my picture book manuscripts. I closed it. I opened one of my non-fiction projects. I closed it too. I decided to spend the day organizing my writing life. I reviewed each manuscript to determine its status. Some of my manuscripts are at publishing houses waiting for feedback; some need massive revisions, while others are in their final stages. Then there are the projects that are little more than research notes and beginning ideas.

I am someone who always has many writing projects in the hopper. I know some writers start a writing project, dig in their teeth, and keep at the one project until it’s done. That’s just not me. I dig in, chew and gnaw at my manuscript, but then I need to put it down, let it ferment while I work on another project. In order to keep track of my many projects, I use a mind mapping program called freeplane. So, on this personal retreat day, after I reviewed each manuscript, I updated it on my mindmap. Here’s the outline of my map for my children’s writing without the specific projects.

I didn't get a ton of writing done during my personal retreat, but I did reset my focus and determine where to put my writing energy. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, by what I need to get done, I felt empowered by what I had accomplished.

If you’re feeling like your writing life needs a reboot, consider a personal retreat.

Mary Jo Guglielmo is writer and intuitive life strategist. For more information check out:

http://theadvantagepoint.wordpress.com

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http://facebook.com/DoNorth.biz