In my book, Sell Your Book Like Wildfire, I discuss seven principles for building a great brand. One of the principles states:
Your brand must appeal primarily to people who have the decision-making power and money to work with you.
If your brand appeals to leaders, then you’re on the right track. If not, then it will hinder your sales growth. Remember that your brand does NOT have to please everyone, including your friends, because your friends don’t hire you for major projects, bulk book purchases, speaking engagements, or business deals.
However, I see too many authors, non-profits, and business leaders miss this principle and make the following marketing mistakes:
1. An unhealthy desire to please everyone prevents the ability to be provocative, interesting, and stand out from the crowd. The more you try to please people, the more you blend into the crowd. Great marketers aren’t scared of what people think. They are scared of never being noticed and rendered irrelevant.
2. Testing new marketing ideas on friends and families, rather than leaders who represent their target audience. Sometimes, this mistake is related to fear of critical feedback or laziness in seeking out influencers to ask. Smart marketers solicit feedback that is actually useful by asking leaders who can tell them if the language is effective. When you test new marketing ideas, only listen to feedback from those in a position that matters.
If your business revenue or book sales isn’t meeting your expectations, you may be making the marketing mistake of trying to please everybody. Feel free to contact me for expert consulting help. But, remember that my goal won’t be to please you. My goal will be to make you successful.
