Branding ~ Trailers and Clips, a Hallmark of an Author Brand

 We’re talking Branding, and we’re almost through with this series.

Promotion is a key element of the writing business, for indies as well as traditional authors. All writers need to learn the basics of self-promotion.

That doesn’t mean promoting our selves. It does mean discovering and pursuing the best ways to promote our writing, the books or blogs that are our product.

1^st Key Question: What amount are we willing to spend? For new writers, with few products (less than 5 or 7 stories), spending for ads doesn’t pay off. The ROI / Return on Investment isn’t strong enough. We should concentrate on building our catalog. 20 books or more is the common discoverability measure.

For writers with those 20 books, or 15 or more, spending for ads can begin to have a higher and more reasonable ROI.

2^nd Key Question: Where do we place our ad expenditure? Social media, obviously.

But that’s a crowded game. So~

3^rd Key Question: What kind of ad do we place? Ah, this is the interesting question.

Simple posts, without any cost, can work as a starting point.

When people browse right past ads, what can we do that will catch their attention? I’m not talking reviews; that is long past the attention-getter for the browsing reader. We’re at that first nanosecond, when the cover hooks the reader.

Ad people—pro marketers—say we need to see something 7 times before we consider buying. We need additional looks—something beyond a static image when we must complete with a crowded social media.

These last two episodes in our Branding series focus on one way to reach beyond a static image. This way may not appeal to many, but it satisfies a great need inside me. I’ve made it a hallmark of the M.A. Lee brand.

It’s the book trailer. Let’s explore.

TIMINGS

• 00:00 Welcome
• 00:39 Intro
• 03:05 Trailer and Clips
• 04:15 2 Cardinal Sins
• 08:40 3 Cardinal Virtues
• 12:41 Locating Music
• 13:50 Last Word & Closing

Total Run Time: 15:18

LINKS

• Melissa Marr’s trailer for Wicked Lovely https://youtu.be/-orEn_zdKSM
• K.M. Weiland’s Dreamlander trailer www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOLD_rTDTBU
• M.A. Lee’s historical mystery Digging Into Death https://youtu.be/zX1BPx6VUnU
• M.A. Lee’s Regency mystery The Key to Secrets https://youtu.be/1Sj7NfvxzXg
• Edie Roones and M.A. Lee’s trailer for Outlaws of Wild Sherwood https://youtu.be/aCftiZFqq1E  
• A Video Trailer showing Branding in Action: https://youtu.be/uthI5gEWic8

Purchase the ebook at these inks:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YL8GBM1

https://books2read.com/u/bPyKQ7

Purchase a paperback 8 x 10 with Characters / Plot / Branding / Sentence Craft here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08691892S

Thanks for listening to The Write Focus. We focus on productivity, process, craft, and tools. Our podcast is for newbies who want to become writing pros and veterans who are returning to writing after years away.

Our current focus is Branding: the Way Writers will Reach the Readers.

Support the podcast with a cup of coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/winkbooksr

• You can find workbooks and templates at Buy Me a Coffee. Just up is the Enter the Writing Business Workbook and templates from the Discovering Characters
• Available Now: worksheet templates and a video trailer script for Discovering Your Author Brand.

For more links and resources, visit www.thewritefocus.blogspot.com  .

Write to us at winkbooks@aol.com.

If you find value in this podcast, please share with your writing friends or write a review. (We’re small beans. We don’t have the advertising budget of the big peeps. You can make a difference.)

Link to Audio https://eden5695.podbean.com/e/a-branding-hallmark-trailers-and-clips-436/?token=b8f836307deb0fc45bd3892e56b73833 

Listen on your favorite podcast site: from Apple to YouTube, Spotify and Podbean (my favs), Google Play, Amazon Music and Audible, Samsung and Player FM, Deezer and Podcaster, the rivals iHeart and Tune-in, and too many to list.

Here are the 4 easiest. Make us a favorite, and follow along easy-peasy, once a week, while you fix a quick dinner, drive a short commute, or take a brisk walk.

My favorite podcast is Podbean. https://eden5695.podbean.com/

YouTube direct link to the Branding Playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXi3M_aM-d7L4OtDk2Bde7LDwQ2l7K8NE

Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-write-focus/id1546738740%20

Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4fMwknmfJhkJxQvaaLQ3Gm?si=ffeb71ed17c3409d