This week's focus:

Have you ever read a book, watched a movie, or visited a restaurant that you really enjoyed, but never told anyone until someone else brought it up in conversation? Once you were reminded, then you began to tell numerous friends. This situation identifies two common problems for authors, businesses, and non-profits who want to generate more word of mouth. First, most people won't tell their friends about your product or service unless you make an obvious request. Second, you must make the ability for people to tell friends as easy as possible.

Most people are willing to spread word of mouth, but they're busy or forgetful due to all the distractions in our hectic society. Thus, if you want more people to tell others about your product or service, you need to make it blatantly clear. For instance, if you're an author, you must specifically tell people, "Please tell your friends about my book." Then, provide free tools on your website that makes it easy for readers to do so. If you run a non-profit, you must openly ask people to donate. Then, provide compelling success stories and easy ways for people to contribute to your cause. Otherwise, most people will never stop to think about forwarding your information to someone else. State the obvious in order to start a word of mouth wildfire.

New Two-Day Workshop for Authors:

Join me in "Hot-lanta" Georgia on April 27 - 28th for a new two-day author workshop, "Sell Your Book Like Wildfire." This event will be the opposite of a typical writer's conference. You won't get generic instruction lumped in a room with dozens of other authors. Instead, you'll get two days of direct instruction on your specific book in a small group setting. You will leave making significant progress in these key areas:

• Identify your book's value in a way that makes readers flock to it.
• Distinguish the target audiences who are most excited to buy your book.
• Develop a brand that guides your career and sets your books apart from the crowd.
• Maximize exposure for your books via media interviews and speaking engagements.
• Use a website and social media to effectively promote your message.
• Develop a personalized marketing plan that focuses on your strengths.
• Fiction authors: Discover special marketing tactics geared specifically for novelists.

Early-bird pricing is $750 by April 1st. For details and registration, click here.

Note: Don't wait. I will need at least 8 people registered by April 1st to conduct this event.

Rob's Resources for Authors: