How Your Gun Opinions Can Backfire

 

Issue #1201 Feb. 27, 2018
Publisher: Joan Stewart

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

In This Issue

1. How Your Gun Opinions Can Backfire
2. 9 Tips for Product Descriptions
3. Book Marketing That Doesn’t Work Anymore
4. Hound Video of the Week

This Week in the Hound House:

I’m oooooohing and aaaaaahing while studying the Swan Island Dahlias catalog. Dahlias are a pain to grow because you have to stake them, then dig out the tubers every fall, store them in vermiculite in the basement, and hope they survive. Mine didn’t because I didn’t store them early enough and they dried out. But the trouble is well worth it because the blooms make the most spectacular bouquets.

1. How Your Gun Opinions Can Backfire

Before you’re tempted to join a flame war over gun control vs. gun rights on Facebook or elsewhere online, ask yourself if it’s worth losing business.

If you think it is, then go ahead and start ranting.

Me? I don’t even like bringing up the topic among my siblings or closest friends because I don’t want to start a fight.

The problem with talking divisive topics or politics online is that it can blow up in your face. Dip your big toe in the water, even with a wishy-washy opinion in a tiny, closed Facebook group, and before you know it, people on the other side are sharing screenshots of it, along with their snotty comments, to their thousands of followers on Twitter.

Your posts are also searchable. You have no way of knowing how many potential clients and customers are reading them and quietly reminding themselves never to do business with you. That includes meeting planners who might think it’s too risky to hire you because you might start ranting from the stage.

To do: If you’re tempted to join the fray, get up, walk away, and give yourself time to cool off.

#GunControl #GunRights

2. 9 Tips for Product Descriptions

If you hit a publicity homerun and pull thousands or even hundreds of visitors to your website, but your product descriptions don’t entice them to buy, why bother?

The worst descriptions simply describe the product.

Tip #1: Focus on your ideal buyer. When you write a wishy-washy product description with everyone, you end up selling to no one.

Here’s how Think Geek starts to describe its LED Flashlight:

“You know what’s sucky about regular flashlights? They only come in two colors: white or that yellowish-white that reminds us of the teeth of an avid coffee drinker. What fun is that kind of flashlight? We’ll answer that: NO FUN AT ALL. You know what is fun? Using the Multi-Color LED Flashlight to cast a sickly green glow over your face while telling a zombie story around a campfire. No campfire? Make a fake one with the orange light!”

Now THAT’S a fun description.

To do: Read eight more tips from Henneke Duistermaat in her article “9 Simple Ways to Write Product Descriptions that Sell.” 

#Copywriting #SalesCopy

3. Book Marketing That Doesn’t Work Anymore

Book marketing expert John Kremer says these three book marketing tactics don’t work anymore:

1. Virtual book tours and blog tours. They take so much time to schedule and present for so few sales.
2. Amazon Bestseller Campaigns. Have you noticed that these days, everyone is a “best-selling author”?
3. Ebook giveaways without a follow-up strategy.

What DOES work?

“Good content entertains, inspires and enchants,” John says. It pulls traffic to your website and encourages social media shares.

John joined me and several other publishing experts on Saturday for “A Taste of the Author You Extravaganza,” free training where we each shared several tips we’ll be presenting at the Author You Extravaganza event Aug. 23-25 at the beautiful Beaver Run Resort & Conference Center in the Colorado Rockies. Register at the early-bird rate by tomorrow, Wednesday, Feb. 28, and receive a package of free author marketing tools and consulting worth $2,304.

To do: To hear more of John’s tips on the best ideas for marketing, my advice on how to write press releases for a book launch, and marketing tips from all the other speakers on Saturday’s call, go here. The audio starts immediately and the video kicks in about two minutes later.

#AuthorMarketing #BookMarketing

4. Hound Story of the Week

You’ll love Johnny Carson’s 1987 Singing Dog Contest featuring Mona, Reuben, Cona, Raisin, Aladdin and Columbo. Which one do you think was the audience’s favorite?

[Tweet “#PublicityTips — How Your Gun Opinions Can Backfire #GunControl #SalesCopy #AuthorMarketing”]