Crazy … like a fox

marketing-strategy-1Genius is just crazy with a great marketing campaign. Here’s what I mean. Have you ever seen the old person at the park who talks to himself? You know the one, gray Member’s Only jacket, stained brown paper bag of something you pray is not food on the bench next to him, may or may not be wearing shoes … sound familiar? Most people would look at him and say that the poor guy is nuts. That is, until they find out that he is filthy rich and just happens to enjoy sitting at the park, talking to the one person who really understands him. When they thought he was poor, they thought he was crazy. When they found out he was rich, he was suddenly no longer crazy, but eccentric. Same peculiar behavior, two completely subjective opinions. Poor is crazy, rich is eccentric. What does that mean? It means that it is all in the marketing.

In everything we have learned, D.W. and I realize that the marketing of our product is of every bit as great importance as is the product itself. Some would say more so. I am of the school that content is king, however, no one will ever be content with your content if they don’t know what you’ve got that is of any worth to them. It isn’t about what you are selling, it is about what you can offer the consumer that will make their life better. It starts with a sincere belief that what you have is a quality product worth having. If you make crap … sorry, I can’t help you. However, if you truly believe in what you have, then you have an obligation to yourself and everyone out there to showcase it in as imaginative and unique a way as possible. People need your product, your art, your whatever it is. It is your job to let them know they need it.

Learn from those who came before you. If you enter a field, follow the game plan laid out for you by those successful individuals that have paved the way. Why knock your head against a wall, hoping you can break through it, when someone else has already opened a door? D.W. and I are excited about our debut novel, but it is a daunting task to enter into the literary field as first time writers. Trust us, we have had our doubts. We’ve never doubted our product, we truly believe in the magic of our story. That said, how do we reach the masses? We are learning at a fever pitch, it is like cramming for finals over here. We have found that the best model for success is to study the success of others and emulate it. The point of this post is to let you know that you first have to believe in what you have to offer, then you have to put the right packaging on it. So many people are so intimidated that they are not “marketing people” that they just don’t put in the effort. I know of what I speak in that regard, as I was one of them.

What changed? 85,000 words, that is what changed. We have done the work, we have created the novel. Not only that, but it is a novel of which we are very proud. Now, we need to grasp the way to get it out into the universe.

As we continue on this path leading up to the release of the novel we will be sharing with you, both on this blog and throughout the rest of the website, some of the marketing ideas we have developed. If you can learn from our successes and mistakes, then you can go out and make all new mistakes of your own. Thus the teaching circle continues. Sounds a little crazy, I know … or is it genius?

How do you let people know you are there? What have you done to distinguish yourself in your field of expertise? How have you geared yourself for success?

This is your community, we want to hear from you.

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2 thoughts on “Crazy … like a fox

  1. christina says:

    You made me think of the eccentric students in my class. They are truly different with a side of genius. They fascinate me. Your posts intrigue me. Keep them coming. I look forward to introducing your book to my Junior High students.

    • Charles David Carpenter says:

      Thank you for your kind words. We have the utmost respect for teachers and all that you do. We are excited for you and your students to read our novel!

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