Susan Friedmann [00:00:00]:
Welcome to Book Marketing Mentors, the weekly podcast where you learn proven strategies, tools, ideas and tips from the masters. Every week I introduce you to a marketing master who will share their expertise to help you market and sell more books. Today, my special guest is Amber Gaige. Amber is a third generation entrepreneur, a certified story brand guide, international best selling authority, and an outside of the box marketing strategist. Amber isn't just a marketer. She's a powerhouse of strategic brilliance and proven success in navigating the challenging landscapes of competitive industries like manufacturing, home services and technology. Amber, it's an absolute pleasure to welcome you to the show and thank you for being this week's guest expert and mentor.
Amber Gaige [00:00:55]:
Oh, Susan, I am such a raving fan of you and your company. You were instrumental in getting me to this point professionally. It is my humble privilege to be on your show. Thank you for having me.
Susan Friedmann [00:01:09]:
Well, my pleasure and such a joy to work with you. And what I'd love to do here is to tap into some of your strategic marketing brilliance because so many of our authors, you and I talked a little bit before we went on the air is that they have a book, but they don't necessarily know how to use it and to use it to help build their brand and their business. Let's start off with the fact that you have a bestselling book. But how's that book managed to open doors and let's say, create new opportunities for your business?
Amber Gaige [00:01:52]:
It's been instrumental. Susan, having an international bestselling book gives you an authority and a basis for people to trust you. It also provides an on ramp for new customers to understand what makes you as an author and many times as a nonfictional author, as a business owner or a business coach or what have you. It helps them to understand what makes you unique so that they develop trust and alignment with what you bring to the table. For me, having an international best selling book led to opening doors for speaking opportunities. It led to new client acquisitions. It led to the opportunity to build trust with those who have been burned by marketing that was ineffective previously. If you want to establish yourself as an authority in your field, having a book is really, I think, a foundational principle.
Susan Friedmann [00:02:57]:
And how has that positioned you? Let's say within the industry. You've got three industries you work with. Manufacturing, the home services and the technology. How has it actually positioned you within any one of those industries?
Amber Gaige [00:03:14]:
It's positioned me as an industry leader and a guide for people who are trying to make money and simplify and improve their marketing results. I think when you have industries that are inundated with offers for marketing, specifically, like home services, for example, when you have a book that makes life better for your clients by demystifying the principles that they hear about every, every day, then they are able to place their trust in my company because they know that I have a proven system that has been adopted internationally and used again and again to produce the results that I am promising my clients to produce.
Susan Friedmann [00:04:05]:
I love the fact that you talk about it from an international perspective because, yes, your marketing strategies can be used anywhere in the world, specifically, let's say, in the industries that you niche yourself in. I love that because I don't know that many authors often think about the international component versus just thinking, maybe within.
Amber Gaige [00:04:34]:
The continental US There is so much opportunity. Even if you don't desire to implement your services on an international level, why not be available to consult on an international level, Right? I think so. Often in our desire to be niched down, we often overlook opportunities that are really within our grasp.
Susan Friedmann [00:04:57]:
Let's rewind the clock a little and look at you launched your book, what is it, about a year ago now that we did that?
Amber Gaige [00:05:05]:
I think so, yeah.
Susan Friedmann [00:05:06]:
I can't even remember. Time goes so quickly. Let's say it was a year ago. How did you use that marketing expertise to, let's say, launch and promote the book? What was it that you feel you did that really sort of pushed you over the edge, that tipping point?
Amber Gaige [00:05:27]:
I believe that my foundational understanding of marketing and sales funnels are what pushed me over the edge, Susan. So when you are marketing your brand or your product, it is a numbers game. Understanding that from the beginning I was committed to creating tools and marketing channels that would propel the sale of my book forward. Knowing that I needed to have a basic landing page that outlined my book, understanding that I had to make it easy for people to buy my book either on Amazon or from me privately. Creating a outbound email campaign thanking people for purchasing my book and offering them consistent tips and insights from the book to keep them engaged in the concepts and then eventually ask them for a call to action to do business with me really were part of propelling me forward. So in a nutshell, Susan, it was about creating a comprehensive and consistent sales funnel that would promote the sale of the book and maintain communication with my target audience.
Susan Friedmann [00:06:48]:
There's several things that you've said there that I'd love to even tap into, and one of them is the fact that it's a numbers game and marketing, as you know, having been in it for so long is an inexact science. One day it works one way, another day it's going to work another way. It's always that you can't guarantee that you're going to get the same result each time. So let's talk about some of the tools that you used in this sales funnel. Can you take us through a little bit of that to help our listeners, some of the things that they might be able to do as a result of your brilliance and what you did successfully and what worked for you?
Amber Gaige [00:07:30]:
Oh, I'm happy to share that, yes. Well, as you know, there are a plethora of platforms where a landing page can be built. Of course, if anyone wants to reach out to me, my team and I are always happy to create a landing page and a sales funnel for your listening audience. But creating a basic website should really consist of a few things. An about you page so that people can fall in love with you, and a checkout page so that people can buy your products or services and a form fill so that you can create a database of a target audience. Those are some very simple ways that you can make your presence known online. Creating a social media corresponding page and group for your reading audience is another excellent way to create an audience and a group to stay connected to. That's easily done on Facebook and, and then consistently posting on platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram and YouTube video content so that people can find you organically online and understand what you have to share through brief video content.
Amber Gaige [00:08:43]:
15 to 30 seconds is incredibly valuable in today's marketing world. And it's so simple to do because I think so often we think it has to be perfect and it really doesn't. And I think so often we think that we have to have all kinds of different content and fresh ideas, especially as authors. But we can really repurpose so much of our content easily these days that inaction is where we fail. If we simply devise a plan and repurpose the content that we already have, we can go very, very far.
Susan Friedmann [00:09:23]:
Very much I love that. I mean, repurpose, that's one of my favorite things to do, to cut dice and slice your information. Because your book, I mean, is just chock full of tips and articles and you name it, there are multiple things that you can do. So repurposing what you've already got and that consistency, I think this is something that often people, they try a few things and then they don't see any result. Then they get disillusioned and then it's like, okay, now what. What's the next shiny object? Rather than, as you say, you plant your seed and you nurture that seed, you know, you water it and you do what you can so that it's going to grow. And so I loved it. Keeping in touch with people and putting out information and making people see, hey, you're an expert here.
Amber Gaige [00:10:25]:
And I think that we have to be very aware of what our expectations are, and those expectations are really what help us to determine the correct platforms to promote our books. If your expectation is to grow an audience for the sake of business consulting, then you need to think about having your own online group. Perhaps you should think about turning your book into a course as well. If your expectation is to simply sell your books in bulk, well, then I know you, Susan, have a fantastic program for doing just that. So making sure that the tactics match the expectation is probably question number one that every author should answer in their own mind.
Susan Friedmann [00:11:12]:
I love that you say that, because often people are not even sure that they know what it is that they want to achieve other than, I want to sell my books. Well, there's more to it than just that. I mean, you're selling information, you're selling you, you're selling your expertise, and that's got to come out and not hide behind the book, which I think often authors do do for sure.
Amber Gaige [00:11:40]:
Why did you write your book in the first place? How do you intend for your book to bless the world around you and impact it? Yeah, these are questions that should be considered for sure.
Susan Friedmann [00:11:50]:
Yes, the knowing who you want to target, because, yes, your book may be for many people. I get that. Oh, my book's for everyone. Well, yes, it might be, but you can't sell to everyone. And I know listeners. You've heard me say that umpteen times. You're probably sick of me saying that. But repetition just to remind you, because your book might be for everyone, but you just can't sell it that way.
Amber Gaige [00:12:16]:
Frequency overreach, right, Susan?
Susan Friedmann [00:12:18]:
Yes. Yes. I was just reading an article today, actually a medium article, that talked about repetition and the value of repetition, that even though you're like, oh, I'm repeating myself and repeating myself, but people remember. That's why people remember. They don't remember if you tell them once, they remember when you've repeated it over and over again.
Amber Gaige [00:12:43]:
Yes, it's so very true. And, you know, I think that as authors, we tend to be more passionate about literature and reading than perhaps our audience is. And so we have to be careful and understand that by repeating our message in a variety of ways that we are actually upholding our commitment to literature. Putting your brand or putting your book message into a quick video or into a blog or into an email, these are not downplaying the value of reading. You're just making it easier for people to adopt your concepts.
Susan Friedmann [00:13:25]:
And so many people now don't necessarily have the time to read. So what you're doing is you're making it easy for them. You know, let me give you the best way that you could do this. You know, try this marketing tactic, this strategy that might work well for you in a certain situation. How about mistakes? What are things that you maybe lessons that you weren't expecting along the way? Have you ever had any of those?
Amber Gaige [00:13:58]:
Oh, of course, of course. I don't think I was as well prepared not to launch but to sell my book well as I would have preferred to be. Everything that I'm talking about today are things that I've learned since then. I think to avoid the same mistake for your audience, having a plan ahead of the book launch is probably ideal. I think we do a lot of catch up and we do a lot of frantically trying to build infrastructure as we're going along. How much better would it be if our infrastructure was laid ahead of time but before our book ever came out? I think having your launch plan, having your platform, having your Instagram profiles, your social media profile set up, having your YouTube profile set up, understanding your personal branding kit, doing the work doesn't stop after you write your book. We have to have our branding packages and our platforms established if we expect to sell our books well. And so for me, I wish I would have slowed down and taken the time to build those things out for myself in advance.
Susan Friedmann [00:15:16]:
Yes, it's so cool to hear you say that because it's true. And the catch up that often you do and you don't know what you don't know often beforehand, even though I'm sure you read about it, I'm sure people had mentioned it, but yet somehow you get caught up in, I've got to get this book out. You know, I finished it, I've got to get it printed. But then thinking about, well, how am I going to actually promote it and do it correctly. Yes, but you've got to know what you want to do, what do you want the book to do for you? Yes, that's such a key question.
Amber Gaige [00:15:53]:
So true.
Susan Friedmann [00:15:54]:
One of my first questions that I ask authors, who is it for and what do you want the book to do? For you. Key question. Yeah, key question.
AmberiGaige [00:16:03]:
Oh, I love that you do that.
Susan Friedmann [00:16:04]:
Yes. So important. If you were to give an author starting out some advice, what would that be?
Amber Gaige [00:16:14]:
Know who your audience is, understand what you want to accomplish with your book, consult with a branding expert in advance and build a plan so that you can get the very most out of your efforts as possible.
Susan Friedmann [00:16:34]:
Yeah, that's so key. Building that plan. Knowing what you want to do with the book. Yeah, build that plan particularly for your target audience. I mean, how do they consume their material? Some people like to read, other people like to listen. Some people need to see. So the fact that you are doing a bit of all of these things is dynamite.
Amber Gaige [00:17:00]:
Well, thank you.
Susan Friedmann [00:17:01]:
Did you think that you were going to do that before you started?
Amber Gaige [00:17:06]:
Oh, never. As a first time author, I was so clueless, really. It was your mentorship that got me thinking along these lines and educated me as to the next steps is incredibly crucial. So no, I don't think we know what we know until we have to know it.
Susan Friedmann [00:17:24]:
That is so true. So true. We don't because as we said, we got so consumed in obviously the writing of the book takes a lot of time and energy. And then of course the editing process and then the COVID design and there are all these pieces of the book that need to work together. And then there's the marketing. You know, it's like, oh, well, I'll get to that. But as you said, if you can start that beforehand, that'll save you a lot of time and energy rather than playing the catch up game.
Amber Gaige [00:18:03]:
Yeah, for sure.
Susan Friedmann [00:18:05]:
How can our listeners get hold of you, Amber, and find out more.
Amber Gaige [00:18:09]:
I would love to engage with your listeners. Susan, I'm on social media. You can find me on LinkedIn. Amber Gaige, A M B E R G A I G E. My company is Far Beyond Marketing,Far Beyond Marketing dot com. You'll find us on all the social media channels. So all you have to do is search for my first and last name or the name of my company. We're happy to have a complimentary consultation for any of your readers.
Amber Gaige [00:18:38]:
And I also have a free gift. If anyone would like to have a copy of our marketing planning document, I'd be very happy to send that to them as well to help them map out the content that they need to launch and win.
Susan Friedmann [00:18:53]:
That's beautiful. Wow, listeners. Yes, we'll put the link for that in the show notes so that it'll be easy for them to grab a copy of that because that's very generous of you. Thank you. And as you know, we always have our guests. Leave our listeners with a golden nugget. What's yours?
Amber Gaige [00:19:16]:
My golden nugget would be to never give up. Entrepreneurship and even authorship can be overwhelming. But if there's a message that God has put in your heart, then there's someone out there that needs to hear it. Don't allow imposter syndrome to silence your voice. Continue to serve your fellow humans by presenting your message with what you feel you can contribute to the world because everyone has value.
Susan Friedmann [00:19:45]:
Oh, you must have read my last articles all about the imposter syndrome. Don't let that get in your way because it's so easy. We allow that and I've had it. And I still occasionally have it. But yes, great advice. Thank you. This has been amazing. You shared so many great tips and practical strategies that people can use and then giving away this valuable gift.
Susan Friedmann [00:20:14]:
So thank you for that. And listeners, if your book isn't selling the way you want it or expect it to, let's you and I jump on a quick call together to brainstorm ways to ramp up your sales. Because you've invested a whole lot of time, money and energy, and it's time you got the return you were hoping for. So go to bookmarketingbrainstorm.com to schedule your free call. And in the meantime, I hope this powerful interview sparked some ideas you can use to sell more books. Until next week, here's wishing you much book and author marketing success.
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