Of course I’m starting this with a link to my latest book, Leadership Is/Isn’t Easy, because it leads into today’s topic. That and I’m hoping you’ll at least go check it out.
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One of the things that got me to release the book when I did is that in many ways I have been enjoying and bit more popularity than I had been for a while. Once I started traveling for work, I stopped commenting on as many blogs as I had been previously, and even though I still spent a lot of time on Twitter, I’d start sharing my blog posts there or pretty much anywhere else. I had been sharing them on Facebook, but no one reads blog post on Facebook for the most part.
I’d also been writing articles on LinkedIn, and for the most part did in generating a lot of publicity as well. And, because I’d figured out new ways to get more attention on Facebook, I was thinking that it was time to strike while the iron was hot and releasing my new book. However, I didn’t just release it as a book, but as a package of goodies as I’ve mentioned previously.
I then went on a major marketing push in all these different places, which I wrote about a couple of articles ago. Truthfully, it’s not like I expected a whole bunch of sales. After all, my general belief was that it might only attract people who are already leaders of some kind in their job to think about purchasing it as an entire package is to adjust the book.
I figured that I might sell a few packages, and that a few people might take me up on my special coaching offer that’s listed on the package. In that instance I would’ve had to make a full bunch of sales just a couple of quick ones, and a cash wouldn’t be so bad in the long run.
You know what I discovered? I basically discovered I’m not as popular as I thought I was. Sure, the pages actually gotten a lot of visits, but nothing commensurate with the number I had thought might visit. And strangely enough, not all that many people from LinkedIn came by, and that was initially surprising based on how well I’ve been doing there.
That is, until I actually went back to look at things. Three weeks ago I had a post on their that had almost 700 readers. However, since that post it’s been hard to even get close to 100, and my last article I didn’t even reach 40 readers. Since I thought I had a formula that could get me a lot of readers, I have to admit that brought me down a little bit.
What Google Analytics tells me is that, for the book, the majority of traffic has come from Twitter. I only received one visitor from LinkedIn; isn’t that a shame? That’s from the social link that shown on Analytics. As it pertains to source, the majority of traffic has actually come via this blog; I’m not overly upset with that. Goodness, I got more traffic from Facebook than I did from LinkedIn, and I know those people aren’t even reading my blog posts.
By the way, an article I had written just a couple before the one they got almost 700 readers had 1,300 readers. So, I pretty much figured I had to be good enough to at least get one or two buyers that way.
It’s somewhat disappointing to realize you’re not as popular as you think you are. One would’ve thought that I would have been prepared for that one I look at the figures for this blog in general. At one point a few years ago I was ranked in the top 70,000 by Alexa, and now I’m sitting around 304,000.
At least half my visitors use to be returning visitors, and now that percentage is around 37%, which is still actually considered pretty good. However, after people from the United States the biggest group of people who are supposedly visiting the blogs are from Russia. Frankly I’m doubting that greatly, which makes me start to believe that may be I’m not even getting close to the visitors I think I’m getting, that instead it’s some kind of bots visiting the site and building up the numbers.
I don’t know. What I do know is that as a package the book didn’t sell, so tomorrow I will officially start selling it as a standalone product. It will be on the same page as the package so that people can make a decision as to which one they want once they see the pricing of it.
Once I officially launch it, I will be adding new marketing processes along with keeping the same marketing processes I did before in trying to get to by the book on its own, in .pdf form in case I haven’t mentioned it previously. And then we’ll see what happens, and I get to see if I really know anything about marketing or whether I’ve just been talking nonsense all these years; sniff! lol
How many of you have struggled with this idea of wondering how popular your blogs and websites are? I figure I might as will put the question out there and see what others have to say about it. Have a wonderful Thursday.
Oh, hey, welcome to the world of being an author, the world of publishing, the world of book marketing! Humbling, isn’t it? 🙂 Of course you’re as popular as you think you are, Mitch. We all love you. You can’t let blog analytics and book sales figures be your yardstick on that, or you’ll crawl into a dark little hole and weep to death. Don’t do that. It’s not worth it. And now, you understand why Poe took laudanum… but don’t do that, either. Just say “Begone, foul demons of the dark!” and keep the day job. *giggles*
Sorry. Now that we’ve had THAT little talk… let’s have a few more (later, after I’ve put in my 8 or 9 at the day job) on how to improve the sitch. (Although, honestly, when it comes to sales, it could be the blind fumbling along on hands and knees next to the blind.)
LOL! Well, Friday I’m announcing the book as a standalone product, which might help some. Still, it’s an interesting thing to deal with, and I always have to bring myself back to Chris Brogan, who said he’s well known on social media but in his own neighborhood people only know him as the guy who sits in the coffee shop from time to time. We’re never as famous or as popular as we think we are; sigh…
I guess this crazy world of the internet makes us legends in our own mind. I stopped thinking about it when my head got all muddled and I couldn’t figure any of it out anyway. Well, actually sometimes I still think on it now and then but give up.
Best of luck on the next round of marketing. I guess you never really know what will hit big.
Arlee Bird
That’s true Arlee; let’s see if the new idea pans out… though it’s not a new idea, just the next phase of the program. Fame is an interesting thing, eh?
Mitch, I start from the premise that I am unpopular except with my dog. In any case, I am not in the same situation as you are in as I have nothing to sell! But I understand your frustration as I have recently had two very dear friends, one in fact a close relative try to launch their books and know how it feels. All the best friend.
Thanks Rummuser. Hey, at least I got some attention in that people visited the page, so I’ll have to take what I can get.
I think if you were to promote the fact you are willing to autograph Embrace The Lead that might help sales. Just a thought.
Troy, your saying that tells me you didn’t visit the link. But that’s okay, it might not be your type of genre.
I did visit the link and saw that offer on the page which is why I wrote what I did. It just came out wrong. Should have wrote “the fact that you are signing…”
I had not even had my coffee and I was visiting your blogs. 🙂
Now Troy, you know better than to write before you’ve had your coffee! lol That’s coming from a non-coffee drinker, but someone who probably needed a 2nd sweet tea this morning to try to keep me from going off on some people… sigh… lol
Yes, my humor seems to fall flat prior to coffee.
Point is- your autograph on a book is an awesome bonus!
Keep up the good fight! You are a rock star!
You’re too nice Troy, but I appreciate it. 🙂
Not only did I click through, I read it all. 🙂
Hey Mitch,
sorry to hear about your book package – I know it isn’t easy to sell books that easily.
Here’s a few advice that I can share:
1 – get a landing page up for selling the book – that way, you will catch a lot more sales.
2 – Get rid of the feedburner and get a mailing list started – promote your list more actively if you have it already,
3) get active on sites like GoodReads etc. where people are more interested in buying books
4) get active on the blogosphere again, people tend to forget bloggers pretty fast. Start making about 50+ comments a day like you once did – if I remmeber correctly?
ideally, would suggest you to do a book introduction page – introducing no less than 50+ bloggers in your book – then send them copies and ask them to promote and share your book on the social media.
good to know that you are working hard on linkedin – that will help in time, but will take more time to show significant results, just keep at it.
and please don’t think you aren’t popular – because you are!
Greetings Shobha, and thanks for your comment. Since it’s long, I want to address it point by point.
1. I do have a landing page for the book. The link is in this article; you must have missed that.
2. Getting rid of Feedburner would mean that the people who already subscribe would have to go through the mess of signing up again. That I won’t do. However, I wrote here a couple of weeks ago that for the first time ever I’m thinking about starting to capture email addresses. Of course that would be in the future, which wouldn’t help this book at all.
3. I’ll have to check into Goodreads because I don’t even know what that is. lol
4. The problem with making 50 comments a day is that I have to work… actually, as a sole proprietor I have to first market, then hope to get a contract, and then work. If I’m making 50 comments a day I won’t make any money, I’ll lose my house, my wife will divorce me and I’m thinking that blogging and commenting might not be at the top of my list of things to do anymore. lol Actually, I was never quite that active because it couldn’t be sustained, and because back in the day no one except me was writing something every day. So, my concentration was on 10 blogs a day. However, I had money to sit on at that time; when I get there again, I’ll comment like that again.
5. My book is on leadership, not blogging, so introducing bloggers in the book wouldn’t quite work… let alone sending them copies of a book they’re not going to read. I guess I didn’t mention enough that it was a book on leadership, but since I gave the title of the book with the link I made an assumption… I guess that was wrong.
6. The final point… I’m not close to being as popular as I once was, and I’m not only talking about blogging. My last two years in college I really was popular, though I have no idea how it happened. I know what it’s like when everyone seems to know your name, you’re getting invited to all sorts of parties (which I rarely went to) and people are throwing all sorts of free stuff at you. Man, those were the days… 🙂
Well, You are popular with me. You are always informative and usually entertaining in the process. As for me, I have a few followers but know that most visitors are just googling for a bit of help with a problem they have. Since I am not trying to make money at this point in my life, My only purpose is to maybe entertain, hopefully enlighten, and provide what people need (other than a suicide letter). Being the most uninformed (probably) of your followers, I don’t have any advice for you but – I’m all for you, Mitch!
Thanks! lol Actually, I wasn’t looking for advice as much as sharing my revelation and seeing how others felt when they came to it on their own. I have big dreams and goals and I keep working towards that little bit of influence that I understand will help a lot. Just not there yet, and after more than 7 years I had figured I would already be there. Oh well…
Hi Mitch, you are as popular as you believe 🙂 I think it’s a narrow niche you are trying to market to – just leaders. Leaders in business, in the corporate world? Or am I not understanding your landing page? I do like the different offers you now have available. I think that will help you. I’m also thinking a lot of LinkedIn marketing would be good for this one!
My first eBooks were slow going and I didn’t promote a lot. (Still working, still blogging, eating and breathing, who has time to promote?)
I’m looking to do my 3rd but in a different way, been doing some research lately.
Good luck with the changes Mitch!
Actually Lisa, it’s not just leaders, although that’s the primary group. Even as a narrow niche there are lots of people in leadership positions; supervisors, team leaders, directors… on and on. If you have a small business with at least 2 employees, you’re a leader. lol So, it’s not really all that small. I don’t know another way to promote it that would be honest if it wasn’t geared towards anyone in leadership.
Hi Mitch,
Thank you for visiting my blog, appreciate it. Interesting post. I actually assume I’m not that important or interesting at all .. I’m just some old lady reinventing herself at home and hoping to make a difference in other peoples lives, as well as generate income online, like so many who come online and start a blog. I’ve actually been online since 1998 – didn’t have a blog until 2005 I think, and have been fussing with it ever since. I believe strongly there’s an audience for everyone based on the quality of the content you write and promote, be it books, product, service. With social media transparency and integrity, putting customers first is a major catalyst for attracting business.Mixing this with non-stop marketing draws a larger audience.I’m pretty new to Affiliate Marketing, but I want to learn and experience as much as I can and share it with others trying to do the same. Will my popularity grow? I have no idea, but hopefully my audience will … very interesting post, thank you 🙂
Thanks for stopping by Lesly. I know I’m not as popular as I was at one time, but sometimes I do something and have to be reminded of that. It doesn’t mean I shrink away; it just means I have to pound harder. And I will!