Are you tired to marketing with little results? Feel like you are banging your head against the wall to sell more books, get more exposure and grow your business.

I’ve got good news and bad news for you. The good news: You really can rapidly grow a loyal following. The bad news: You HAVE to rethink the way you market your book and/or business.

If you’re ready for change, keep reading……….

After much research, testing, countless marketing campaigns and working with hundreds of clients, I have learned that much of what we’ve all learned about marketing have changed. But people are so stuck in old ways of marketing it’s hard to get them to see new ways.  However in this day and age, you HAVE to change!

Where’s Your Focus?
Change is everywhere! Yet despite the changes in print books to ebooks, increase in self published over traditional publishing and the ever changing world of marketing – one thing remains constant – people. I’m talking about you, your readers, your customers, your prospects and your partners.

I see and hear it every day with my clients. “I start marketing when my book is printed.” “I’ll create a website when my book is finished.” “I’ll worry about Facebook when I have too.” “Do I need a blog?” “You want me to give something away for FREE?” “How come I don’t have more Facebook Fans?” But they never post, blog, update or tweet!

The old adage “if you build it they will come” is DEAD! If you build it, they may walk buy and go oh cool – BUT if you have an exciting game, hot dogs, fans, crowds cheering, then they’ll COME and STAY!

These authors and business owners wait and wait and wait until the “perfect” moment come right out of the gate ready to sell a million copies of their book or launch the next million dollar brand and a week later are frustrated that they’ve only sold one book or product. Is that YOU?

WHY? Where’s their focus? Where’s your focus? Are you focused on yourself, your book, your products and your company? Or are you looking outward?

Why Marketing Fails
In the land of the social media and the Internet, there are plenty get rich quick, squeeze pages, buy now offers, long format sales pages and act now offers. It’s no wonder that customers don’t trust businesses! According to the 2010 Edelman Trust Barometer, trusting companies trumps good products and services. But let me be blunt: People don’t trust your business.

Add to this that marketing messages are EVERYWHERE. You can’t escape the noise of marketing. Your customers are overwhelmed and tuned out.

So you are now thinking: If people don’t trust you and they aren’t paying attention, what can you do to sell your book or business?

There is good news. But it requires you to actively be engaged with your audience!

It’s Time to Build a Raving Fan Base
If you want to connect with customers and attract raving fans, the solution is very simple: Focus on people. Many of my clients hear me over and over say: It’s about Fans and Followers!

If you can meet the needs of people by helping them solve their problems at no cost, you have them hooked. People’s core desires don’t change, they want access to great insight and great people.

When you help people with their smaller problems, many will look to you for their bigger issues. If you can multiply free assistance by hundreds, thousands or millions of people, you can rapidly grow your business.

HOW- you are asking?

Content enables this!

When you provide engaging “how-to” information and assistance in the form of valuable information it triggers the “How much more?” question. “How much more value will I gain if I buy this book, if I hire this company or buy this product?” is the response many will have when they see the great value you provide for free.

When you combine great content that’s focused on the needs of your audience and lacks any obvious and obnxious marketing, you’ll sell more books, you’ll gain more customers and have raving fans who will help spread your message.

When you offer great content—such as detailed advice, excerpts from your book, insight, how-to articles, expert interviews, case studies and videos—that focuses on helping other people solve their problems, you’ll experience growth. Why? Because this type of content meets the needs of people. It doesn’t focus on you, your book, your products or your company. It is a true gift to your audience.

When you shift your message from “What can I sell you?” to “How can I help you?” You shift from pitching products to boosting people. Instead of investing in ads, you invest in creating content, experiences, gathering places and communities where people who need information can find it.

You have the chance to own the place people go to for help! And when that happens, you will go places you never imagined possible.

The result: You no longer need to sell! Instead, you demonstrate your expertise by the content you produce, the ideas you showcase, the stories you share and the people you attract. By creating a platform for others, you can also build strategic alliances, quickly grow a large following and dominate your industry.

With the old forms of marketing, you pitch and sell. People ignore you and your book or business is fails. With the new method, you give gifts, people trust you and you become indispensable.

How will you start sharing content?

Check out some of these authors & businesses that have embraced content/community. They blog often, interact with their fans often and are in demand because of the content they willing share!

Ann Webb
Shawn Bucher
Rosie Brown
Foreclosure Boys
Vicki Talmage
Becky Higgins
TomKat Studio

Author’s Side Note: I’ll admit, Karen and I have been so busy serving our clients, we have forgotten to service our business. We teach these principles every day to our clients and we haven’t made time to “give” to our clients as well. That changes today! I believe in practicing what we preach! We are excited to be rolling out some exciting new things over the next few weeks. Look for more content, more workshops and over all MORE! Our gift to you, as our valuable authors and clients. Your success is our success!