One of my favorite books of the last few years is easily Pyromarketing by Greg Stielstra. In it, he outlines the four main steps in the viral marketing process.
- Gather the driest tender
- Light it with a match
- Fan the flames
- Save the coals
In this post, I’d like to highlight step two in particular. It involves the concept of lowering the barriers to trying your product. Discounting, offering samples and even giving your product away are all ways of doing this.
One real-world example involves another book and is happening as I write over at Andy Nulman’s blog Pow! Right Between The Eyes! Andy is giving away not just ten, twenty, or even 100 copies of his new book, but actually 200. In it he highlights the power of surprise in your marketing efforts.
In my industry, it can be so easy to fall back on what has worked in the past. Sticking with what’s been proven to work feels a lot safer and takes a lot less effort in the planning stages.
It is my hope that Andy’s book can help me to think more creatively and get outside my comfort zone, assuming I’m one of the 200 he decides to send a copy to. Upon reading it, I’ll review it here. Something I hope to do regularly on this blog.
If you are an author and would like me to consider your book for review, please send a review copy to:
Jeff Brown
c/o WAY-FM Media Group, Inc.
1095 W McEwen Dr.
Franklin, TN 37067
Filed under: Books, Marketing | Tagged: Andy Nulman, Greg Stielstra, Pyromarketing, Surprise |
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