Since early October I've been doing publicity for Creating a Freelance Career. What this means is that I've hired a publicist (for the second time in my life; I hired the same publicist back in 2006-2007 for Sometimes Art Can't Save You), and I've been making the rounds of radio shows, podcasts and guest writing on applicable websites. In past instances, I've done a whole mess of television interviews and bookstore and university talks and signings. This is all done to spread word about the book, to get your name out there as an expert and to find people who can be helped through the work we do. Routledge, my publisher, and their in-house publicity/salespeople are targeting colleges and universities, professors and students. 

Sometimes publicity can be fun. I like traveling; talking to people I've never met; being on television. podcasts and radio. For example, one show I did that aired on November 20, School for Start Ups had an engaging host who was a joy to work with. The same can be said about Stephen Warley and Life Skills That Matter that we recorded in late spring and aired in May.

Other times, being on a show can be like walking into the middle of a dysfunctional family, like on the NYC radio show I did a decade ago, where the host hadn't read my bio, the Q&A provided by my publicist or anything else so he knew nothing about me or why I was on his show. All he talked about on-air for more than 30 minutes was what he thought of my looks and how it was too bad the radio audience couldn't see me. His producer repeatedly cut to commercial to silence him, and every time he did, they got into a big cussing match about the host's behavior.

That same year, i also ended up with a stalker who saw me on television. came to meet me later that day at a bookstore and tried to follow me everywhere i went for the duration of my tour in his city. These two things are some of the downsides of publicity that few people talk about. The other downside is that for all of the "out and about" time you put in, the effects may be minimal in terms of in-person turn outs at reading and signings and book sales. One international group of women and non-binary writers t which I belong discusses this regularly. Some book signings and readings may fetch two to three people in the audience while others bring in hundreds--all for the same speaker and book. In a way it's like voter turn-out: it can be affected by weather, interest, other obligations or even if it is a city or town where going to events is something people do or not. 

To create a successful publicity strategy, one needs a consistent message and multiple ways to deliver it over a sustained length of time. This means that message needs to be conveyed on all media channels (including social) regularly. But of course, one-of lists, such as those for holiday gift buying never hurt, if you're included on those. :) 
 

Marketing has been defined as the "process of teaching consumers why they should choose your product over competitors." But marketing is the study and management of relationships, in its purest form. It involves not only the creation of the product or service concept, identifying who would purchase it, the promotion of it, and then the moving of it through the selling channels, or what is referred to in marketing textbooks as the 4Ps: product, price, promotion and place. 

The purpose of marketing, whether it is on social media, on your website, in paid advertising, on promotional giveaway items like pens and coffee mugs, or anywhere, is to capture the attention of the target market and encourage those people's purchasing decision while providing them with an easy, low-risk way of taking action. 

To master the basics of digital marketing, you need brand identification and consistency (across all channels, including website, mobile apps, social networks, and e-mail), social media outreach that creates and encourages a conversation between you and your customers/clients, connect optimization (meaning you have to have original, value-adding content on your website and blog), sales leads and conversions (meaning your website needs to be geared towards capturing customer information) and you must be found and optimized for search engines. That's the high level summary. :) 

Marketing is not something to be switched on and off or done sporadically. To be successful with your business, you need to devote consistent time and energy to it and make it an integral part of what you do. Some business owners I know set aside 30 minutes or an hour per day to promote their business on social media, write their blog posts, interact with their customers. Others do something on a weekly basis. The frequency should be up to you and the kind of business you have. (We all know of businesses that we tire of quickly when they "market" way too often to us.) 

Marketing genus Seth Godin says, " Our job is to connect to people, to interact with them in a way that leaves them better than we found them, more able to get where they'd like to go." Think about that as you plan the message for your business. What do you want others to take away from what you have to offer? How can you help people be better and get them where they'd like to go? 
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Creating a Freelance Career has been ranked the number one business book on the Fupping.com list of "The 22 Books Every Business Student Should Read." We are excited for this honor, and I thank everyone who voted us from the number 4 spot when the list was published to the number 1 spot. 

Also, I've been doing live radio interviews this week promoting the book. On Monday, I talked with Larry and Robin on AM Ocala and today I was on "Open Line" on KIKO-AM in Claypool, Arizona. On November 20, the taped segment I did for .School for Start-Ups will air. (I'll post the link when it is ready.) And my publicist has me booked on many more shows in the coming weeks. 

Stay tuned for more information. And again, thank you for making Creating a Freelance Career​ the number one book for business students. #gratitude #entrepreneurship #freelance