Nothing is easier than getting lost in the Internet. Legions of businesses' websites have virtually (sorry) disappeared because there was nothing to distinguish them from the literally millions of sites hawking their wares. This is especially common with publishing companies' sites; all the neat graphics in the world will not save you if your company has no focus, no clear direction to set you apart from the herd. Put simply, you can't just "sell books"; you have to carve out a niche for yourself as the best place to go for certain kinds of books. The Internet should be an ideal place for such specialization; in an environment where you can literally (sorry, again) be anyone you want, the possibilities for niche marketing seem endless.
So, why aren't more publishers using this marvelous technology to make a place for themselves on the Web and in the real world?
The theory espoused today by our guest -- that companies are biding their time to better understand this new marketing form so they can carve out such a niche -- rings hollow to me. To me, the more likely explanation boils down to a simple, harsh word: LAZINESS.
The Internet has been mainstream for 20 years, folks; the big guys in publishing have had plenty of time to adapt (and, in all fairness, a few have). But most put forth only the most token effort, as many of us have seen from earlier assignments. I understand that radical change is not easy, but if publishing firms want to survive in this brave new world, they will have to alter the model in order to create a special, identifiable presence on the Web.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Brand vs Product Marketing
Brand marketing is the art of persuading people to put their trust in the name, as they say. Companies such as General Mills and Hoover Cleaning Supplies market themselves as "names you can trust", reliable workhorses who have produced quality products for generations.
Product marketing, on the other hand, focuses on the supposedly superior qualitites of the products themselves, regardless of who makes them.
In a publishing context, brand advertising is found mostly with companies that specialize in a certain kind of book; if I want to buy a dictionary, I'll go with NTC, while I'll likely look to Penguin Classics for a copy of Moby Dick. I will be more influenced by product advertising if I am looking for a specific book; in this case, I am concerned only with the book itself and will buy it from whoever sells it at a price I am willing to pay.
Most firms use one approach or the other depending on the type of book they are selling; a textbook company will trade on its name and reputation for quality textbooks, leaving the actual quality of the book almost irrelevant, while a less niche-based publisher will tout the book itself in hopes that its quality will help cement a name and reputation they don't necessarily have yet. While both approaches are equally effective if done well, brand advertising is quicker and easier, as it sinks into the consumer's mind and, for the most part, stays there.
Product marketing, on the other hand, focuses on the supposedly superior qualitites of the products themselves, regardless of who makes them.
In a publishing context, brand advertising is found mostly with companies that specialize in a certain kind of book; if I want to buy a dictionary, I'll go with NTC, while I'll likely look to Penguin Classics for a copy of Moby Dick. I will be more influenced by product advertising if I am looking for a specific book; in this case, I am concerned only with the book itself and will buy it from whoever sells it at a price I am willing to pay.
Most firms use one approach or the other depending on the type of book they are selling; a textbook company will trade on its name and reputation for quality textbooks, leaving the actual quality of the book almost irrelevant, while a less niche-based publisher will tout the book itself in hopes that its quality will help cement a name and reputation they don't necessarily have yet. While both approaches are equally effective if done well, brand advertising is quicker and easier, as it sinks into the consumer's mind and, for the most part, stays there.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Why the Internet?
I just got home from my other marketing class, where we were treated to an informational lecture from a longtime book publicist on his role in the marketing and selling of books. A lot of it was very helpful, and he included enough colorful stories of life in the biz (ask him about the "Sophia Loren and the hotel pillow" story) that his presentation came tantalizingly close to not being boring. But one point in his speech left confused, and a bit cold: he said that, at this point, the Internet is not that effective a marketing tool for books.
After my initial fit of PC generation outrage, I started to wonder is it was true -- if, beyond Amazon.com, the Internet is in fact inferior to good 'ol fashioned personal selling. Well, I've thought about it, and come up with the theory that it is -- and isn't.
True, the book marketing business (and, writ large, all business) was founded on personal relationships and connections to the folks one does business with; email will never replace the after-hours drink with a client. But the "faceless" Internet is fast becoming as much a domain of personal connection as the in-store promotion junket or the live author reading, in that the more business identifies with the Internet, the more we can use it to facilitate the support network every book and book seller needs to survive.
Promote your book signing, tour, or reading on Facebook. Send up flares on Myspace. Tweet until your hands are sore. You will reach whole demographics -- younger, hipper, of opener mind -- with whom press releases, commercials and full-page ads have failed. Supplement that with TV and radio spots, and you have the potential to virtually create a new audience, relatively cheap.
So, I would say to our speaker that he should take a closer look at these newer forms of marketing -- he might be pleasantly, and lucratively, surprised.
After my initial fit of PC generation outrage, I started to wonder is it was true -- if, beyond Amazon.com, the Internet is in fact inferior to good 'ol fashioned personal selling. Well, I've thought about it, and come up with the theory that it is -- and isn't.
True, the book marketing business (and, writ large, all business) was founded on personal relationships and connections to the folks one does business with; email will never replace the after-hours drink with a client. But the "faceless" Internet is fast becoming as much a domain of personal connection as the in-store promotion junket or the live author reading, in that the more business identifies with the Internet, the more we can use it to facilitate the support network every book and book seller needs to survive.
Promote your book signing, tour, or reading on Facebook. Send up flares on Myspace. Tweet until your hands are sore. You will reach whole demographics -- younger, hipper, of opener mind -- with whom press releases, commercials and full-page ads have failed. Supplement that with TV and radio spots, and you have the potential to virtually create a new audience, relatively cheap.
So, I would say to our speaker that he should take a closer look at these newer forms of marketing -- he might be pleasantly, and lucratively, surprised.
Two Publisher Sites I Surfed
Hello, all. It's me, your friendly local infohellion, with the skinny on the websites for two of my favorite publishing companies. The two sites I chose were Black Lizard and Penguin Classics.
My biggest concerns with a website are access and user control -- how much access a site grants to related materials on and outside its borders, and the ease with which you can navigate through the site to find what you want. In both of these departments, Black Lizard's site is well done but boring, while Penguin is a model of what a publisher's site should be.
Black Lizard publishes crime and mystery fiction, from old masters such as Raymond Chandler and Patricia Highsmith to such new kids on the block as P.D. James and Peter Straub. It's site is neat and tidy, with a well-organized navigation bar guiding you through the site and well-placed links to chapter excepts, reviews, and the like. And... that's it. Like the bland, workmanlike prose of most contemporary mystery writers, the site does what it sets out to do, but with little imagination or flavor. Writer's blogs and buying information might be nice, or maybe a user comments section (they could use the help, believe me). What you get instead is almost indistinguishable from any other publisher's site, save maybe for the cool, film noir-y background colors.
If you've ever had to read "The Scarlet Letter" for an English Lit class, odds are the copy you bought was by Penguin Classics; they deal in the cornerstone authors of Western literature (and dull, overrated crap like "The Scarlet Letter"). First off, it looks as classy as their catalogue, with elegant spacing and refined yet readable typeface. It provides access to all you need - company info, authors, etc - but then it goes the extra mile: it has an excellent variety of links to outside information such as literature guides and company speakers, links to locations worldwide, and even a run-down of their subsidiary rights. Black Lizard isn't the only company that could learn a thing or two from Penguin.
That's all for now, but I'll be back. Cheers!
My biggest concerns with a website are access and user control -- how much access a site grants to related materials on and outside its borders, and the ease with which you can navigate through the site to find what you want. In both of these departments, Black Lizard's site is well done but boring, while Penguin is a model of what a publisher's site should be.
Black Lizard publishes crime and mystery fiction, from old masters such as Raymond Chandler and Patricia Highsmith to such new kids on the block as P.D. James and Peter Straub. It's site is neat and tidy, with a well-organized navigation bar guiding you through the site and well-placed links to chapter excepts, reviews, and the like. And... that's it. Like the bland, workmanlike prose of most contemporary mystery writers, the site does what it sets out to do, but with little imagination or flavor. Writer's blogs and buying information might be nice, or maybe a user comments section (they could use the help, believe me). What you get instead is almost indistinguishable from any other publisher's site, save maybe for the cool, film noir-y background colors.
If you've ever had to read "The Scarlet Letter" for an English Lit class, odds are the copy you bought was by Penguin Classics; they deal in the cornerstone authors of Western literature (and dull, overrated crap like "The Scarlet Letter"). First off, it looks as classy as their catalogue, with elegant spacing and refined yet readable typeface. It provides access to all you need - company info, authors, etc - but then it goes the extra mile: it has an excellent variety of links to outside information such as literature guides and company speakers, links to locations worldwide, and even a run-down of their subsidiary rights. Black Lizard isn't the only company that could learn a thing or two from Penguin.
That's all for now, but I'll be back. Cheers!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)