Summary: <br> <a href="https://www.authormedia.com/11/">This episode</a> originally aired in December 2013. <br> <br> <br> <br> One of the most well-known imitated fictional characters in the world has a gift, especially for authors this year. <br> <br> <br> <br> It turns out jolly old Saint Nicholas does a really good job<br> at marketing, and he’s given us some principles from his centuries on the job. <br> <br> <br> <br> As a marketer, what does Santa do that you can you copy and<br> apply to your marketing? <br> <br> <br> <br> Here are seven pro-tips, to authors, from Santa.<br> <br> <br> <br> 1. Santa persists. <br> <br> <br> <br> Giving presents to the whole world is a tough job. It’s a<br> lot of work, and the weather isn’t always agreeable. <br> <br> <br> <br> As an author, one of the hardest things you’ll have to do is<br> get up and write when you don’t feel like it. It’s very easy to fall prey to<br> making excuses. And that’s one thing Santa doesn’t do. If he’s got a snowy day,<br> he and Rudolph still get those presents delivered. <br> <br> <br> <br> Seinfeld had a great story about persistence in writing. He<br> writes a lot of his comic material that he uses on stage. One cold and rainy<br> day when he didn’t feel like writing, he looked out the window and saw<br> construction workers walking to their job site. It occurred to him that those<br> guys probably didn’t want to do their job either, but they went to work and got<br> the job done anyway. Seinfeld thought, “Why should I be any different?” And<br> then he got to work.<br> <br> <br> <br> One of the reasons Seinfeld is such an effective comic is<br> because he writes a lot of material. When he’s trying to choose material for<br> his next show, he has the liberty of choosing a few of the very best pieces<br> from all he’s written.<br> <br> <br> <br> When we started thinking of writing as our job we learn to<br> persist.<br> <br> <br> <br> 2. Santa is easy to contact.<br> <br> <br> <br> There are only two lines to Santa’s address, and everyone<br> knows them.<br> <br> <br> <br> Santa Claus North Pole<br> <br> <br> <br> Your email and web address should be just as easy to<br> remember and use. Obscure email and web addresses such as<br> slingingoutthewords.com does not tell a reader who you are. Even though it<br> might be a clever address, it’s hard to remember. <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> In the prime real estate of your website, usually in the upper right-hand<br> corner, provide a clear way for people to contact you. Make a list of all the platforms<br> you use to communicate with your readers. Consider adding linked icons for the<br> following: <br> <br> <br> <br> * Facebook* Instagram* LinkedIn* Twitter* Goodreads* Email<br> <br> <br> <br> Some readers will come to your site looking for the word, “contact.” You’ll want to provide a “contact” page where people can easily send you a message.<br> <br> <br> <br> And on every page of your website, provide a clear way for visitors to enter their email address to receive your newsletter or your featured reader magnet. Make yourself available to readers in as many places as possible. <br> <br> <br> <br> Many authors are hesitant to give out their contact information on the internet because they are afraid “the boogeyman” will get their information. But before you withhold contact information from your readers out of fear of the boogeyman, remember this: if somebody wants to find you, it’s not very hard. <br> <br> <br> <br> If you have a magazine subscription or a credit card, your information is publicly available for about two or three dollars to anyone who will buy it. That’s one of the ways magazines and credit card companies make money.
