.comment-link {margin-left:.6em;}

Booklet Tips From Paulette

Writing, producing, and promoting tips booklets for marketing, motivating, and making money.

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Travel-related Booklets - a Noteworthy Trend

I get an ezine from a site called www.TravelMole.com I'm not totally sure why I get it. However, I do find it interesting reading both personally and professionally. An article in today's issue captured my marketing mind enough to want to pass it along to you.

It says that US hotels are spending more marketing money and are changing their advertising to more of a person-to-person approach. Because they spent more last year on their marketing budget, their earnings have been higher.

What does this have to do with you? Well, I know that a number of booklet authors have written specifically on various aspects of travel. If I were one of those authors, I'd start contacting some of the big chain hotels right away, to license or sell fully-produced copies of my booklet(s) for those hotels to use in their person-to-person marketing campaigns. And I'd talk not only about an English version, I'd talk about non-English versions, starting with Spanish and other formats of the same content.

There are some pretty large universes out there when you think of just Marriott alone, and all of their many brands. That could be a highly lucrative path to take. Let me know if you want any help.

Your traveling pal,
Paulette
http://www.tipsbooklets.com

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Results are Everything

Robert Middleton's ezine is one of the few I usually read every time it arrives (which is weekly). His audience is solo professionals worldwide and he focuses on marketing. It's called More Clients, the Online Marketing Newsletter for Independent Professionals from Action Plan Marketing and Robert Middleton. You can see it for yourself by subscribing at http://www.actionplan.com/pdffiles.html

Why I am mentioning him and his work today is because of the topic in the recent issue. He talks about speaking in terms of results. What results do we bring our clients? He talks about how most of them don't want process, they want results.

He hit the nail on the head. By the time we as booklet authors are bringing our products to our clients (especially those bulk buyers of our booklets) they've dealt with process in other ways in their business. They are best served by our booklets bringing them results, and us talking about what those results can be. More often than not, the results relate in some way to helping them achieve greater sales of their own products, services, or a greater platform for their cause.

This is crucial when a booklet author contacts a corporation, association, or publication to sell or license them large quantities of booklets. You're not selling the information in the booklets, hard as that may be to swallow. You're selling them a mechanism to increase the sales of their own product, service, or cause. The booklets are a vehicle for those results. Yes, of course the content is important in the decision-making. However, it's about the results for that decision-maker. The results are more sales.

When you keep this in mind from the earliest contact you have with that prospective buyer, your own sales are bound to increase, since you, too, are interested in results!

From your friendly bottom-line oriented booklet queen,
Paulette
http://www.tipsbooklets.com

Monday, June 27, 2005

"I came in thinking ...

...that a booklet wouldn't apply to my content or my business. I came out thinking I couldn't wait to get started on my first booklet, today!"

Let me count the times I've heard this from people who have attended any of the speaking engagements I've done about booklets during the past 14 years, in person or on the phone. It's been everything just short of a big yawn to having some minor interest in the idea of a booklet. That opening line of thinking both fascinates and challenges me. The attendee's transition in the thought process is more than merely a response to my style as a speaker, though I do know that contributes some piece to it.

It's really more about seeing possibilities that were not noticed before, seeing things through different filters, realizing how low-tech and how do-able it is to create a tips booklet. And now I encourage people to come out of the gate with a product line of three products simultaneously, two of which are directly from the tips booklet manuscript.

All of this doesn't mean the opening line above will change anytime soon. It does mean the transition is likely to happen faster though. Maybe you were one of those people who walked into a seminar room or onto a teleclass on the phone thinking booklets would be a ho-hum and left the session feeling like you were ready to jump out of your skin to get your booklet started. Now look where you are, selling thousands of the booklet at a time, expanding your product line, and feeling like booklets have kinda always been part of your reality. Go figure, huh?

Take your book and slice and dice it into booklets and other formats. Or notice the fact that 'write a book' is still on your 'someday-maybe' list, still not started or completed. A booklet can be done in record time. Re-tool your own speeches into booklets and other formats to generate non-airplane, non-driving income while staying right in your own zip code or postal code. Go through your newsletters to cull from those articles. Listen to the things you are saying over and over again to your prospects, clients, and anyone who will listen.

So, you came to this blog today thinking booklets are whatever you think they are. What's your next step?

For now,
Paulette
http://www.tipsbooklets.com

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Why is it that size?

People have asked why I advocate a particular size for tips booklets -- approximately 3 1/2 inches by 8 1/2 inches, with 16-24 interior numbered pages. Initially it was because that was the size of the booklet I saw that I used as a model for mine. Shortly after my booklet was completed and I started mailing them out, I realized some very pragmatic reasons for keeping booklets that size. Here are two:

  • They are less expensive to mail. A 16-page booklet takes only one first-class stamp.
  • There is more flexibility in uses by keeping it to a standard size business envelope size.

Recently I was happily in the company of two colleagues for whom I have the greatest respect -- Joan Stewart (www.publicityhound.com) and Marcia Yudkin (www.yudkin.com ) I am forever learning from each of them, a tidbit here, a huge amount there.

Among the many things Joan does, she's created dozens of excellent special reports that she sells about various aspects of creating publicity for your products, services, or cause. She mentioned when I was with her that she advocates creating special reports that are 5 pages long, single-spaced, I believe. Why 5 pages? When she first did special reports, she was selling them as hard copy. Like my booklet, keeping to 5 pages in her special reports kept it to one first class stamp. She now delivers her special reports as downloads, though she still suggests 5 pages in length. Subscribe to her weekly ezine at www.publicityhound.com I find it to be a great shot in the arm every Tuesday. She's got terrific ideas.

Marcia does a weekly Marketing Minute ezine that arrives in my email inbox every Wednesday. When talking with Marcia, she said her Marketing Minute is 180 words, plus or minus. Why this number? Well, it started when she was responsible for creating a marketing minute for a client that was broadcast as a media spot (not sure if it was on radio or television, I think radio). She realized that it took approximately 180 words to fill a minute. Because of her top-quality copyrighting skills, she was able to develop a highly useful message in 180 words, which she now carries on to her weekly Marketing Minute ezine. Subscribe to her Marketing Minute to see for yourself. You'll find it at www.yudkin.com

All of this reminds me of the recipe that was handed down through the generations. Was it for a pot roast? The recipe said to cut off two inches from the end of the roast. No one knew why. It was just part of the recipe. Finally, after someone decided to trace the evolution of this recipe back through the elders, the answer came. The size of the original roast was too large to fit into the original roasting pan, yet people who later received the recipe followed the instructions to the letter, without question or understanding.

Well, at least now you have some understanding. You know why I say to make booklets the size I do, why Joan says to make special reports 5 pages, and why Marcia Yudkin's Marketing Minute is plus or minus 180 words. We each have our reasons, based in something that made perfect sense at the time and will be changed only when there seems to be a really good reason to do so.

Until next time,

Paulette

www.tipsbooklets.com

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Checked Your Mail Lately?

Have you looked at your mail lately? I don't mean the bills, and I don't even mean the checks you get. I mean everything else -- the direct mail pieces, the catalogs, the magazines, the professional journals. When you are writing a booklet related to your business or to a primary interest you have, your mail is probably full of leads for large quantity sales of your booklet (and all related products you develop.)

The entities behind those pieces of mail all want to promote their own product, service, or cause. Your booklet can help them do that. Plus, to some degree, those entities have already pre-qualified themselves because they have spent money to promote their product, service, or cause through the direct mail pieces, catalogs, magazines, or professional journals (plus look at the advertisers in the magazines and professional
journals, too.)

What you may have considered junk mail a couple moments ago might now look like a wonderful banquet served up on a silver platter, there for the taking. To go into much greater depth about all of this, get ahold of my manual or home study kit, "How to Promote Your Business with Booklets." I give you a step-by-step roadmap on what title person to contact, what to say to them, how to price your booklet, and lots more info to streamline the process of converting your knowledge into money. If you're still not sure this is for you, look at the product testimonials at my site, in the About Us section.

And if you've already got this title of mine in your library, understand the concepts, and want some individual customized insights for your own unique journey, then let me know when you want to schedule an hour of my time. We can do this no matter what continent you live on. There are booklet authors now on almost all of the continents, last I checked. And many of them/you send me some wonderful mail!

Until next time,
Paulette
http://www.tipsbooklets.com

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Expanding Horizons

If you've been following this blog in recent months, you've noticed a pause in posts during the past 2+ weeks. I was on the East Coast for two weeks, and have been playing 'catch-up' so far in this week I've been back. I'm sure you understand that last part. I'm almost all caught up now.

The first week was in New York City, a place I haven't been in the 9 years since moving to San Diego from Westchester County, New York. I lived in Westchester for more than a quarter of a century, so I had more than a passing familiarity with New York City. New York City is truly a one-of-a-kind place, no doubt about it. However, it's not for me anymore, on any kind of regular basis. Am I truly becoming a laid-back, California chick? (I can hear the giggles now from those of you who have even 30 seconds worth of experience of me.) Not to worry that it will ever happen, I don't think.

During that first week, I presented a full-day workshop (one of the Booklet Brilliance and Brainstorming events), and then two sessions at the annual Publishers Marketing Association University. It's a chance to meet new people, reconnect with people I've known before, and finally put faces on people whose names have only been on emails or discussion boards and voices only known by phone. Each and every one of those categories is vital to keeping new blood running through the veins of any business and its owner, certainly me and mine.

Amazing grasp of the obvious? Maybe. However, even for someone as aware and conscious as I tend to be, it always fascinates me when I see how many new ideas I come back with, how many new dollars find their way to my checking account, and how much more fun my business is when I return from a jaunt like this recent one. I'm probably more enjoyable to be around at that point, too.

It's not uncommon to hear people talk about how much time and money it takes them away from their business to go to any kind of a conference. And that's certainly one point of view. It's not MY point of view at all. I always come back from well-chosen events with so much more than I left home with, on all counts. I made direct sales of products and services, plans for new ventures with people I've developed relationships with over the years, and enjoyed introductions to people who will be new clients with new projects.

I'm glad to be home now. The second week on the east coast was a whirlwind vacation of sorts, seeing lots of people, places, and things near and dear to My Magnificent Other and me, all within 10 days, driving about 1200 miles between New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and New York. That second week also served as just enough of a buffer to let the experiences of the first week have some time to settle in a little before diving head-long into all of it. Yes, I was antsy by the time we got home, and now it's time to move it all forward.

Even if you like to stay close to home, get yourself to venture out a bit once in awhile. It's one of the best antidotes for burnout that I can suggest to you. Stay tuned -- more ideas are coming, and coming soon.

Until next time,
Paulette
http://www.tipsbooklets.com