Note: This post was first published on 563media.com.
We’re having a good couple of work weeks here at 563. A 5-day test run of Google ads we wrote for one client sold 49 eBooks. (That’s 10 eBooks a day; very respectable.) After the test, we wrote a custom landing page to boost conversion on one of the ads. We’re curious to see how that ad performs now that it points to a page specially designed to answer Google users’ questions.
This week, another of our clients is outperforming The Perks of Being a Wallflower on Scribd.com. Perks is a paid placement with a major movie tie-in; our client’s book is a debut novel from a small publisher. Its success is due largely to good old-fashioned Twitter networking and persistence.
The takeaways from our current projects:
1) Google ads can work for a non-fiction book, if your book’s info answers the types of questions people ask on Google (namely, health questions).
2) Network like crazy. Talk to the right people. Ask for help. It pays off. It’s paying off for client #2, who’s taken to Twitter faster than anyone else we have coached. We’re helping him and his publisher get the word out, but most of the success is due to his making friends and putting in the time. This week, his total Reads on Scribd have surpassed Jim Lehrer and may soon catch up to Kathy Reichs.
3) If you’re an author or small publisher, save your ad money until you really need it. If you use social media strategically, you may not need to buy ad space until your launch week. (Client #2 is still 7 weeks away from launch.)
We’re also working on revamping a small business’s messaging to get it more leads. The company has a solid business model: the need is there, the price is competitive, there’s no competition locally, and the service being offered is a no-brainer–everyone should want it. The challenge is to make all of that obvious, then bring that message to the right customers.
We just handed in draft one of the website copy today. Phase I is to tell the company’s story in a clear and persuasive way. Phase II will be to build highways to the business through offline and online marketing techniques.
This is what’s keeping us busy lately, which is why our blog is so neglected. Please forgive us.