Let's Talk Shop

[Kiln Publications]

Although I am new to the industry as a publisher I would be up for something like this....

 

[Warden]

Excellent. Sounds like plenty of guests to sit around the table and talk shop with.

So let's start with a first topic and then we'll start to select and time to chat about it. I'd also like to have it as an open invitation to those interested, but, of course, it would be best to pick a topic and time that will result in the best attendance.

I, for one, would really like to talk about sales and marketing. Shoot out some numbers and hear some back, exchange ideas on results that have worked out and those that have not. (You know I'm looking at you, Phil.)

 

[Bloodstone Press]

But what ePublishing topics are out there that people would like to know more about?

Long term trends
Sales
Web site traffic
Advertising
Producing a PDF

 

[annadobritt]

The best way to market pdfs. Also, what should go in a press release?

Marketing is about my weakest point as publisher.

 

[Warden]

Sounds like marketing is the place to start. Now we need dates.

Everyone who wants to participate in our first "Marketing PDFs" discussion, please post your availability to be involved in a live chat below...I'll do the same after I find out what my working schedule is like. Also, if you could post your prefered method of chatting so that we could come to a general consensus -- at this point, I'd say psionics.net is the way to go for each of these, but I would prefer YIM because it has a habit of not screwing up on me.

 

[annadobritt]

Sounds like marketing is the place to start. Now we need dates.

Everyone who wants to participate in our first "Marketing PDFs" discussion, please post your availability to be involved in a live chat below...I'll do the same after I find out what my working schedule is like. Also, if you could post your prefered method of chatting so that we could come to a general consensus -- at this point, I'd say psionics.net is the way to go for each of these, but I would prefer YIM because it has a habit of not screwing up on me.

Available anytime after 11 am Eastern Time zone any day of the week. Prefered method of chatting mIRC.

 

[HellHound]

As a current marketing major, I would love to talk marketing, but we should be certain that we are talking Marketing instead of Promotion - most people want to talk promotion when they say marketing, so perhaps the first discussion should be promotion instead?

After all, marketing involves determining what to produce, for whom to produce it, how to produce it, how to price it and provide pricing differences / incentives, etc, where to sell it / how to distribute it, and FINALLY, how to promote it - being by advertising, direct sales, public relations, point of sale promotions, etc.

In other words, it is a HUGE topic to cover in one chat. Just describing what each part of marketing entails in full detail along with the ramifications of each part can easily take up a multi-hour chat.

I think we should stick to ONE topic from this.

The basic breakup of marketing is the "four Ps" - I think we take on each one, one at a time, in these chats.

Product
Price
Place
Promotion

So, start with Product or Promotion?

---

PS: I'm available most evenings, but late... ie: after 6pm Eastern Time at the earliest, any weekday.

 

[annadobritt]

As a current marketing major, I would love to talk marketing, but we should be certain that we are talking Marketing instead of Promotion - most people want to talk promotion when they say marketing, so perhaps the first discussion should be promotion instead?

After all, marketing involves determining what to produce, for whom to produce it, how to produce it, how to price it and provide pricing differences / incentives, etc, where to sell it / how to distribute it, and FINALLY, how to promote it - being by advertising, direct sales, public relations, point of sale promotions, etc.

In other words, it is a HUGE topic to cover in one chat. Just describing what each part of marketing entails in full detail along with the ramifications of each part can easily take up a multi-hour chat.

I think we should stick to ONE topic from this.

The basic breakup of marketing is the "four Ps" - I think we take on each one, one at a time, in these chats.

Product
Price
Place
Promotion

So, start with Product or Promotion?

---

PS: I'm available most evenings, but late... ie: after 6pm Eastern Time at the earliest, any weekday.

I'd say start with Promotion.

Just my two cents.

 

[HellHound]

While Promotion is what everyone is most interested in, it is worth noting that Product is where you start for most of this. We already have one major factor of the Product decided in advance, being the format (PDF). But a lot of other factors remain such as size, style, release types, layout, and most of all content. After all, these factors will SIGNIFICANTLY affect your promotional campaign.

Promotional campaigns are also affected by the other parts of the marketing mix, including intangibles such as the perceived brand equity of the company producing the product, but the biggest part of promotion is absed on the product.

After all, promoting Phil's short PDFs and promoting our long PDFs (or vice versa, promoting our short PDFs and promoting Phil's long PDFs) requires VERY different promotional campaigns. You can't afford to invest in a major promotional campaign for each product when you release one small product each day, but you still go into a promotional spin over larger relases, and series of smaller releases. (As Phil has shown).

That's why I think we should start with Product.

 

[annadobritt]

Ok, I don't mind.

What I learned in high school concerning business was a ton of years ago. Back before everyone had a PC in their home.