Pull Marketing - How's It Work?

Pull Marketing is the most misunderstood aspect of making a sale. It is the background music during a movie. It is the presence an Author becomes as they grow into their Persona as a Story Teller.  It is what attracts a reader to your Persona and your books.

Pull Marketing is the color and fonts on the cover of a book while the primary images, names and blurbs are the Push Marketing on the same cover. Pull Marketing is the Posture, Smile and Manicure of an Author Persona at a book signing. Candy works too.

Pull Marketing is everything else the Author Persona does EXCEPT write books. Pull Marketing is the "I Have Written A Good Book You Will Enjoy" aspect of the Author Persona.

The mystery of Pull Marketing is why writers were encouraged to remain in their closets churning out books for the publisher. The publisher chose the books to print because the marketing department could package, brand, and promote those books for sales. Authors had no say in the cover, or title, fonts or colors. The author was expected to produce stories to fit that brand.

A lot of work, time, and money was invested by the publisher to create and promote a brand and authors were molded into that brand - for the life of their career. If an author wrote a different type of book a whole new brand was created, even changing the author name, to retain reader loyalty to the original brand.

Therese says: Between Morgan and I, we have over 30 years of professional marketing skills and we agree with all these marketing buzzwords and practices. However, what it all means to a publisher does not always apply to How An Author can make Pull Marketing work.We want to show how corporate marketing strategies apply to author marketing - hence the reason for this blog. Publishers have a different marketing strategy regarding fiction and nonfiction authors. A Novelist is only one small part of the publishers corporate marketing strategy.

Morgan says: A Novelist can ride the publisher brand but we want YOU to see that as the platform for your Author Persona. (For example: Sylvia Day has been published by Ellora's Cave.  Ellora's Cave has an established reputation for erotica.  Ms. Day is a New York Times bestselling author and her association with Ellora's Cave only enhances her 'Sylvia Day' persona.  FYI - Ms. Day has three pen names / personas: S.J. Day for non-romance and Livia Day for fantasy / futuristic books.  Readers drawn to Ellora's Cave authors may also enjoy Sylvia Day books and vice versa.)

The beauty of Pull Marketing is - when you become one with your Author Persona, and write books that connect with readers, the more natural and stronger your PULL becomes. Writing books will always be hard, but as your website and public interaction becomes more professional and simpler, you can have fun and do different marketing and promotions. We hope that one day you will wake up and realize - oh - I get it.  My Author Persona and public presence is a magnet for readers who trust I'll deliver a great experience with my books.

In Your Author Persona Marketing Plan - Pull Marketing Actions = Blog, discussion sites, reviews, newsletters, and anything else you do that you love to do (including hobbies and community activities) that PULLS other people to you. Push Marketing can be a roadside billboard. Pull Marketing is the song on the radio as you drive by that billboard.

Here's some examples of PULL Marketing from posts on this blog:

Dineen A. Miller's article and our comments on integrated marketing.

Workshop # 5: How Color Affects Purchases

Jessa Slade Workshop Week: Pull & POP

Mirror Your Business Cards and Website - You PULL every first glance to here!