Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Can You Harness The Power Of Perception When Marketing Books?


Perception Is Not Reality | Psychology Today Canada

Is life how we actually live it--or how we perceive it?

Okay, I didn’t mean to get too philosophical here, but this is a relevant question, is it not/ When it comes to book publicity and marketing, it’s all about perception. Perception is reality.

It’s important that you embrace this adage: What’s real is what people think, not what is. It’s what they feel, not what is. It’s what they fear or desire, not what is. 

With book publicity, you market to perceptions, not realities.

Many people react based on emotions, not just the facts. They make choices based on perceptions and guesses, not always on science-tested principles or hard accounting numbers.

You must promote your book, ideas, and brand in a way that plays to people’s perceptions. There’s no use trying to convince someone they’ll need an umbrella on a sunny day nor is there any reason to market a burden over a benefit. For instance, you don’t tell someone how hard it will be to lose 30 pounds. Instead, you just talk about the end result, of how great they will feel and look once it’s lost. But if you tell them what they have to do to get to that point you will have turned them off. 

Do you highlight a problem--or its solution--or how things will be once it’s solved? See the difference between the three components? People want to hear good news, not bad. They want to know things can get better, not worse. They want to envision their aspirational world and feel they don’t have to do a lot to get there. 

How you market will determine your success, not so much the quality of your book. That’s the reality we live in. Sizzle sells the steak. Remember to sell yourself in a way that’s powerful, positive, and with a pay-off for others. 

When you try to sell your book to potential readers, present it as a cure. Your book has to be seen as filling a need, fulfilling a desire. Or helping to stave off a future problem. They want to hear benefits, features, and rewards. No reason to give them details they don’t need or to present your book in a way other than how they want to hear about it.

When you pitch yourself to the media, present yourself as an expert, resource, or personality who has something that will serve the needs or desires of their readers/listeners/viewers. You are there to help the media and to be seen as helpful--not as someone who has an agenda or only cares about herself. 

How people perceive you--and how you present yourself--trumps reality. Perception is nine-tenths of book marketing.


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Brian Feinblum’s insightful views, provocative opinions, and interesting ideas expressed in this terrific blog are his alone and not that of his employer or anyone else. You can – and should -- follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels much more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2020. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s Independent.  This was named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America.


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