Tired of trying to figure out what all the book marketing buzzwords mean? Here are definitions for the 12 you'll see the most.<\/em><\/pre>\n
I don’t like\u00a0when industry buzzwords and terminology are dropped into conversations with people who don’t work in that field.<\/p>\n
You know how it goes . . . social workers never tell<\/em> anyone anything. They share<\/em> with them.<\/p>\n
Educators don’t work with groups<\/em>. They’ve got cohorts<\/em>.<\/p>\n
And there are no phrases with words in the military and financial services field — those folks love their acronyms. They’ve got a POV<\/em> or\u00a0ARM<\/em> for everything.<\/p>\n
Authors are guilty of using buzzwords, too<\/h2>\n
Authors do it, too.<\/p>\n
How many times have you mentioned to someone who doesn’t write that you’ll add a POD<\/em> option for your next book or that you’re wondering if you should ditch ARCs<\/em> this time?<\/p>\n
Marketers are no different. They might even be worse!<\/p>\n
I get frustrated when I see them using the latest buzzword (or any<\/em> buzzword)\u00a0with authors without pausing to explain or define industry expressions.<\/p>\n
No matter who does it, it’s a way of setting up boundaries that separate those in the know from those in the dark. I prefer inclusion over exclusion.<\/p>\n
Learn these book marketing buzzwords<\/h2>\n
With that in mind, here are a dozen common book marketing buzzwords you’re likely to come across as you learn how to market your books. The list is not exhaustive, but it’s a good start.<\/p>\n
1. Call to action — CTA<\/strong><\/h3>\n
A call to action, often abbreviated to CTA, tells your reader what you want them to do next.<\/strong><\/p>\n
Authors who are savvy social media users include CTAs in many of their posts. They might say, “If you liked this, please subscribe to my newsletter,” or “What do you think of my new character’s name? Does it work for you? Tell me in a comment.”<\/p>\n
All authors should include a “please review this book” CTA at the end of their books.<\/p>\n
We need to be told what to do, so please tell us in a CTA.<\/p>\n
2. Funnel<\/strong><\/h3>\n
This concept describes the journey a reader takes\u00a0from the first interaction with your book(s) to\u00a0purchase.<\/strong> It typically moves from awareness to opinion to purchase, as shown in this illustration. (Note that it looks like a funnel.)<\/p>\n
Not everybody who becomes aware of your book will go on to purchase it. Those who do move through the complete cycle shown in the illustration and come out the bottom of the funnel as your readers after they purchase your book.<\/p>\n
<\/a>