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Jim Cox Report: April 2014

Dear Publisher Folk, Friends & Family:

One of my long time cyberspace pen pals is a Marsha Friedman, an experienced and exceptionally competent book publicist who has work in this field almost as long as I have. She also puts out an informed, informative, and free newsletter for the publishing industry called "The PR Insider". Anyone with an email address can visit

http://marshafriedman.com

to sign up for issues.

From time to time she lets me include her marketing tips and advice in my own newsletter and in the Midwest Book Review archive "Advice for Writers & Publishers". One of her latest (and best) is the following:


Make Sure Your Website Has the Right Stuff

Most people realize, whether they're running a business, a professional practice, selling their product or book, or building their brand, they need to have a website.

Having a spot on some other person's or business's site, whether it's a profile on LinkedIn or a book on Amazon, isn't the same - and it isn't enough. I tell you this because I talk to a number of people who confuse being on a website with having their own. A good website does so much more than announce your presence:

It can collect the contact information of people who are interested in you, so you can interact with them directly.
It can show, and tell, people what makes you different from your competitors.
It can increase sales by making it convenient for people to buy when they're ready.
If you're going to spend money, this is a good place to invest. Your website is that important!

I recommend hiring a professional web developer/designer to do the work for you. Proceed with caution: To avoid a potentially expensive mistake, you must do the kind of research you'd do before making any big purchase. You should also understand the components of a good website so you can evaluate the work of designers you might hire, and so you can talk with your designer about what you want.

Here are some of the components we at EMSI look for:

Your bio. Visitors should be able to quickly spot an "About (your name)" tab, which they can click on to learn who you are. If you're the head of a company, the bio should be about you, not the company. It should include your credentials, what your purpose is (relevant to your business, profession, product, book, etc.), and what makes you an expert. This should be as concise as possible while also answering all of the questions prospective buyers or clients are likely to ask. Possible details might include college degree or special training, professional or business experience, and military experience. If the relevance isn't immediately apparent, for instance, you're a marriage counselor with a degree in math, explain how and why you got where you are. If you're associated with any immediately recognizable names, whether they're famous people, major corporations, prestigious schools or other well-known institutions, use them! It will give your visitors something with which they can identify.

A blog, or other valuable content, that is renewed regularly. When people use a search engine such as Google to find information on a particular topic, the search engine will look for the newest, most recently posted material. By regularly publishing new content on your site, you'll improve the chances that, when someone searches for information on your topic, your site will appear in their search results. Posting new content on a variety of subjects related to your topic also increases the chances your site will show up in different types of searches. Fresh material gives visitors a reason to return to your site!

A mechanism for capturing visitors' contact information. Attracting visitors to your website is one thing, learning who they are and staying in touch with them in meaningful ways adds tremendous marketing value! Offering a free download of valuable, useful information is one way to do this. Post your offer "above the fold" (i.e. somewhere in the very first screen view of your site) and ask people to sign up for the download by sharing their email address. You might offer email alerts about events, weekly tips, or an automatic sign-up to your blog or newsletter. Contests and other giveaways are other great ways to get visitors to share more about themselves.

If you're selling something, make sure you have a place for purchase clearly displayed above the fold where visitors will have no trouble finding it. And make buying easy!

One last note, remember that any publicity you get works overtime when you post it on your website. An interview or article in a big media outlet, or an excerpt from an exceptional review, can be proudly displayed on your home page. Share other media placements you've gotten on a special "In the News" page that's easily accessible from your home page.

Of course there is more to building a strong website, but this should get you started.

Your website is your storefront; this is where people will make buying decisions. You go to a great deal of effort to drive them there through publicity and advertising, so it's no place to cut corners. If the website is done well with a good design and great copy that communicates your message, there's a stronger likelihood your visitors will become buyers.

Happy building!

Marsha Friedman
http://marshafriedman.com



The only thing I want to add to Marsha's invaluable commentary when it comes to constructing an author and/or publisher web site is to please make sure and certain that your web site has all of your contact information -- including both a snail-mail (use a PO Box if you need to keep a home address private) and an email address. I do not recommend relying exclusively upon website-only "contact forms", which can be clunky and annoying for visitors to use.

Here is "The Midwest Book Review Postage Stamp Hall Of Fame & Appreciation" roster of well-wishers and supporters. These are the generous folk who decided to say 'thank you' and 'support the cause' that is the Midwest Book Review by donating postage stamps this past month:

Kia Heavey
Allen Stone
Howard Binkow
Gabrelle Cuimer
Michael Hickmon
Claude Limberger
Victoria Hewitt -- "Depleting Ore"
Tracy A. Coleman -- "Murder Capital"
Brenda Ortega -- "The Twelfth of Never"
Maria Dismondy -- "Spoonful of Sweetness"
Kim Ressler -- Wigu Publishing
Susan Daniel -- Perseverance Press
Lynda Medlyn -- Window Box Press
Jeanne Styczinski -- JeanneKay Publishing
Bruce H. Franklin -- Westholme Publishing
Amanda Mulholland -- Royal Fireworks Press
Megan DeWaele -- Emerald Group Publishing
John R. Guevin -- Biographical Publishing Company
Beth Blenz-Clucas -- Sugar Mountain PR
Elizabeth Waldman Frazier -- Waldmania!
Barbara Wall -- The Barret Company Communications

In lieu of (or in addition to!) postage stamp donations, we also accept PayPal gifts of support to our postage stamp fund for what we try to accomplish in behalf of the small press community. Simply log onto your PayPal account and direct your kindness (in any amount and at your discretion) to the Midwest Book Review at:

SupportMBR [at] aol.com

(The @ is replaced by "[at]" in the above email address, in an attempt to avoid email-harvesting spambots.)

If you have postage stamps to donate, or if you have a book you'd like considered for review, then send those postage stamps (always appreciated, never required), or a published copy of that book (no galleys, uncorrected proofs, or Advance Reading Copies), accompanied by a cover letter and some form of publicity release to my attention at the address below.

All of the previous issues of the "Jim Cox Report" are archived on the Midwest Book Review website. If you'd like to receive the "Jim Cox Report" directly (and for free), just send me an email asking to be signed up for it.

So until next time -- goodbye, good luck, and good reading!

Jim Cox
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive, Oregon, WI, 53575
http://www.midwestbookreview.com


James A. Cox
Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
e-mail: mwbookrevw@aol.com
http://www.midwestbookreview.com


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