Time for honesty: have you started your holiday shopping yet? Have you made your list of who you’re buying gifts for, or who you’ll be celebrating the holidays with, and checked it twice?
It’s hard to believe, but the holidays are going to be here before we know it; we’re already two months out from Christmas.
And while I’m always happy to talk about my favorite upcoming holiday (Thanksgiving lovers represent!), what I really want to bring to attention is the importance of having a plan in place marketing your book for the holiday season as a whole. These last two months it’s not just about Halloween, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas, and New Years; there are a slew of other holidays that come between now and then, and with them come just as many opportunities to get creative with your marketing strategy.
I can’t say it emphatically enough, but holiday marketing is absolutely vital to your success in this final quarter of the year.
Sure, we all understand that the holiday season usually includes gift giving of some variety, but what many authors don’t realize is that the typical rules for marketing get thrown right out the window during this season. As consumers, we aren’t always thinking as rationally as we do during the rest of the year (although if you do, I am amazed by your will-power!). When it comes time to start buying our loved ones gifts for the holidays, our motivations tend to be based on whether we:
- Need it
- Want it
- Have been recommended it by a friend
- Experience FOMO (never discount the Fear Of Missing Out!)
- Or it fulfills a timely need, such as a Christmas holiday party gift for a boss, or an early family get-together.
Our buying actions are based on our emotions, our motivations, and our thoughts, specifically as they relate to the above mentioned categories. So, this holiday season, how will you plan to connect with your readers to let them know they:
- Need your book in their life
- They want your book because it fills an interest or a desire
- They heard from a friend or colleague that your book is a must-have
- They’ve experienced FOMO about your book’s message
- And they are ready to gift it to all of their friends and family
This is where having a plan for your holiday marketing goes from a “nice to have” to a “need to have.” Because our buying habits shift during this time of year, it allows us as authors to get creative in the way we show up for our readership, both current readers and future readers, means we can look to widening our audience rather than simply settling for the same results as the years past.
In fact, according to WordsRated.com, 1 out of 4 books bought in a YEAR is bought between the months of November and December. Let that sink in: 25% of all books bought for an entire YEAR are projected to have been bought in the last two months, with Black Friday obviously making up an enormous bulk of that (so much so, that November’s sales spike 15% higher than all of October’s just because of that one holiday).
Now is the time to get prepared, to make a plan to get your book out there and make the biggest emPact you possibly can! Whether it’s redefining your marketing strategy, collaborating with other authors or local small-businesses to offer a unique experience for your holiday readers, or upping your activity on social media to better connect with your audience, how are you planning to show up for the holiday season and sleigh the sales game?
If you’re looking for a starting point, we’ve got a limited-time offer at emPower PR Group…
The Holiday Book Marketing Collective is designed specifically to help you nail your holiday marketing plan. Chock full with information, customizable templates that take the stress out of your holiday social media, website, and email blast designs, and first ever office hours led by yours truly, it’s a chance not only to get your book out to new audiences, but to connect with other like-minded authors in the book marketing sphere. Perfect for both fiction and nonfiction, if you’re uncertain about how to best show up for your book and your readers this holiday season, I highly recommend taking a peek at all that’s included.
Also, take a listen to this pop-up episode of The emPowered Author Podcast highlighting holiday book marketing, and tips to help you stick out amongst the clutter.
Don’t let the fear of the festivities keep you from making this your best year yet; embrace holiday marketing and finish your year strong!
