After 45 years in the marketing business, I switched careers to helping people write books.
This combination of perspectives showed me most authors don’t know how to spread the word once their project is complete. Their approach is typically scattershot, including social media, websites, public speaking or telling friends.
But they consistently overlook the simple business card.
I find this surprising. Despite rumors to the contrary, business cards are still an active selling tool for millions of organizations.
Recognize here that book authors are also business owners. They’re selling something and must understand their audience. Actively marketing themselves can lead to being profitable.
But what about when conversations at Rotary or a sales call turn to your book, and you don’t have a copy nearby? Oftentimes, folks promising to visit your Amazon page can be counted on to instantly forget.
For such scenarios I encourage authors to carry a business card touting their most recent published success. It’s a minuscule investment that puts these details into the pocket of a prospective buyer:
- The book title and sub-title
- A testimonial
- A photo of the cover
- Its format (paperback, Kindle)
- Amazon link
- QR code
- A call to action
Designing this card on Vistaprint’s website takes under 15 minutes, and generously handing them out should help you sell a few extra books each month.
Of course, like many other authors I carry a supply of my books in my car trunk — especially when I’m speaking at an event. Because I know there will be back-of-the-room sales, and I recognize there’s more money to be made selling directly to the consumer than through a middleman like Amazon.
To encourage these on-site sales, I point out there’s no delay and no shipping fee, and I’ll autograph the book while they wait.
However, not everyone wants to buy at that moment, so I’ll happily hand out the books’ calling cards. It’s all part of my larger business philosophy of making it as easy as possible for someone to give me their money.
Should you at some point also write a book, you’ll do yourself a favor by carrying a business card to market it. Like all good messaging tools, it will simplify your communications and cost-effectively expand your sales to the right audiences.
With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.
Get my latest book at https://amzn.to/4hoslft.
