AI & Seasonal Marketing

I have decided to do another combination of previous blogs I have written with some updated content for the November Newsletter.

What’s On Your List and Using AI Integration

As the leaves continue to fall, the weather grows more crisp, new products are launching, items are going on sale and that means it’s time to make sure you are ready for the hustle and bustle. As I am sure you already know, you can ask Alexa, Google Smart Home devices, Apple HomePods, or any Smart Phone/Tablet to add an item to your shopping list and it will across multiple devices that are connected to the same accounts. Which means I can add items as they pop in my head and suddenly, I have a working list. Wouldn’t it be great to have the same functionality for those precious books you have written or read and want to share? Well, they can do that as well … AI is taking shopping to the next level. Busy buyers to access your products, so maybe it’s time to look at how you have listed them.

Search Engine Changes & Shopping

Google Assistant is one of those AI’s that can help you find products just by asking it and until recently we were all phrasing items as questions. However, Google Search has changed again, and those phrases (questions) are going to generate new results. Now of course if you have been using true SEO methods and Marketing, then you are doing good. Just do a quick search (without being logged in or use Private Browsing) and see what populates about you and specifically one of your products.

 

Now with books, that might come across a bit disappointing, especially if you have only been posting your books with the meta content the title alone. However, if you are an avid blog follower then you know it’s you and not your ‘books’ that people should be looking for. 

Book Marketing is this… People need to remember your name… Not the title of your newest book, well at least not just the title alone.

 

Amazon has a perfect example of this … ‘Follow’ the author. No matter if you are shopping online or at a local bookstore you are looking for the author first and then seeing what’s available. Granted I go looking for a specific book, especially the new releases, and I am looking at the title, but I am also checking to make sure it’s written by the author I want. There are millions of books out there and some have the same name, right down to the exact spelling and punctuation. However, the defining factor is the author’s name and the cover representing it. So, if you want your book to standout then make sure it has a selling cover and that your name is easily visible.  

 

Planning For The Changes?

So, with all the hustle and bustle, what are you doing to keep you and your products in front of the shopper’s eye? Have you been planning and taking steps for your own marketing? Did you set up specials during those ‘peak’ sales times? Do you perhaps already have those specials ready and have begun to send them out? If so, great! You are already halfway through next week. Now what to send, when to send it, what platforms to use, and is your focus group going to be around to see it? Are the questions you should be considering with your marketing efforts.

 

Marketing during the holidays means that you must do more than just send out on your ‘peak’ times. You must adjust to also send out when your target audience will be there to see it.  Maybe your group works 9-5 and they read your post/emails during their lunch break. However, with the long holiday weekend coming up, they may be using that time to crunch through other things instead. If your target audience is like my household, then our children get out of school Tuesday and not Wednesday, plus they are home until Cyber Monday. Wow, Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday and the whole weekend of shopping now comes with kids!

 

What to do?

Well, plan next week’s post today! Schedule everything that you can out now, do not wait until the day before or the morning of, because not only will you be on those networks, so is everyone else who waited. Talk about congestion! Slow networks aren’t always due to your Internet speed or data caps… The networks themselves get crowded. Not only are you sharing server capabilities with everyone posting those super cute pictures and videos, but you are also sharing it with everyone else who procrastinated.

 

Check Back in December for Our Cyber Monday Week Only Discount!