Since I know real estate, that’s how I’m going to couch this today. Enjoy!
When Joe gets his real estate license, he starts out with nothing. No past clients, no signs, no business cards, no listings. (Well, not always, but we’re going with this premise for now.) He’s brand new, just born, and has to start from scratch to get what his buddies John and Bubba have earned over the past ten to twenty years.
So it is with new writers. Jessie has been thinking about writing for a while, Jane has been writing for a while, but neither has really done anything with that writing. They don’t have readers, they don’t have a fan base. Just born, starting from scratch.
Realistically, Joe, Jessie and Jane know that they can’t just expect clients/readers to fall into their laps. It’s going to be some tough work ahead, and it might even cost a bit of money. (Especially in Joe’s case – signs aren’t cheap!)
Joe is going to start out letting everyone know he’s now in real estate, even if it’s only part time. He’s going to send out announcements to everyone he knows, starting with his family and friends, and moving on to the people he wants to sell houses to so he can start making money.
Jessie and Jane need to do exactly the same thing, except maybe not the same way.
My agents send letters, postcards, and flyers containing valid market data. It costs money, but if you’re sending out good stuff that your target audience wants to know and is interested in, you can make that money back very quickly. Especially if you’re good at your job.
New writers aren’t going to attract new writers with mailings, though. That’s not how you reach your potential audience. What you want is to reach out to the folks who are going to read what you write, and to be honest, you really need to have something written that you can share. It doesn’t have to be epic, it just needs to be ready.
Jessie and Jane need to share, and start with the same folks Joe did. Family and friends are the best place to start because you can put your work up for sale and of course they’re going to want to support you! Encourage everyone to share it with the people they know, especially if they’ve enjoyed it.
But don’t wait for reactions from these folks – there’s still more work to be done. To do what Joe did and send to his target neighborhoods, you will need to figure out who your ideal reader is. Then, sort out where they are and what they’re doing. Then do it with them. Making yourself, and your work, visible is urgent in the garnering of readers and fans.
Whoo! Hope you enjoyed that one. You might be wondering – do I have experience? Urm…in real estate marketing, yes! I see what works, and this is it. Have I done this myself with my own writing? Uh…well, not yet. Actually, I’ll be making this particular trek along with anyone reading this, and offering progress reports on my own voyage through the new waters of publication. If you’d like to read advice from a guy who obviously has the experience to back up what he preaches, you ought to take a peek at DeanWesleySmith.com. Is good.
