Tips on Thursday: Cross Promotion

Here we are again. It's Thursday and I'm sharing a tip that will benefit both book bloggers and authors. Today's topic is CROSS PROMOTION. We all know about networking and the benefits of promoting each other, but what about reaching out to other audiences? Surely there are readers who enjoy more than just books? Cross promotion increases your audience by reaching beyond your particular niche. Since cross promotion works much like promoting within your network, I'm going to share a couple of examples to get you thinking.

Example 1 - Book trailer music

Michele Richard, author of Mocked by series, paired up with a musician to have a song created for her Mocked by Faith trailer. By working with a musician she was able to tap into that fan base. The musician was able to benefit by being exposed to Michele's fan base.

 

If you are a non-fiction writer there are many cross promotion opportunities, but even book bloggers and fiction authors can cross promote. Did you review a cookbook? Find bloggers who talk about cooking, home, family, etc. to see if they will mention your review. I often read books with a science/biotech element to the blot, so a blog that talks about advancements in science might be interested in my review. Fiction writers need to connect the non-fiction portions of their books to bloggers or media that feature that topic. For example, paranormal authors may find an audience with ghost hunters or paranormal activity radio shows.

Example 2 - Support other creative people

I'm working with a ballet dancer, Tiffany, who has been accepted to the International Dance Competition in Cape Town, South Africa. Just the travel arrangements alone are expensive, not to mention the outfits, pointe shoes, coaching, studio time, etc expenses that will be incurred in preparation for the competition. 

As a dancer, Tiffany faces many of the same challenges authors face. How do you promote yourself and your craft? Tiffany shared her thoughts on promoting in the creative arts:

The creative arts are typically non-profit organizations that depend on donations from outside sources. In order to generate interest and get ones name out there they have to come up with ways to let the community know they are there. All of that costs money, but there are a few free alternatives which may only cost time; such as reserving a booth at the local farmers market to pass out flyers, hosting a car wash or putting on a free performance.

As an individual working to raise money, one has to go about things a little differently. Putting ones name out there is never an easy thing and much less your face, but people respond better to something they can visually see, touch and feel. One can still put on a performance, but they have to think of all the time and effort going into that and whether or not they can generate enough revenue in the allotted time they have. This is why I have chosen to sell ballet calendars instead. Just like with a performance, my face is all over it and people can tell from the photos the quality of what I'm selling (which is my dancing). Knowing they are getting something out of donating money for the calendar means they are more susceptible to donate; knowing that it's something legit means they won't hesitate to do so.

So now my job is just to do my best and try to bring them home something to make them proud :-)

Tiffany also happens to be an avid reader and has a lot of reading friends. An author she adores offered to donate a signed book to help her raise funds. Tiffany started to talk to another blogger, Tamie at Bookish Temptations and me to see if we knew of other authors willing to donate for an auction and help with promotion. I did an interview with Tiffany a year or so ago for a different blog and even a year later the interview still received 10 -15 page views per week just because people google her. Any author willing to donate a book or other swag to the auction is sure to be seen by a multitude of readers.

The Dare to Dream auction will be Friday, January 27 -  Monday, February 6. If you are an author who would like to donate or a blogger who would like to host Tiffany (she's offering guest posts, interviews, and possibly a video diary entry to bloggers), please let me know. Click on the video photo above to learn more about Tiffany, the auction, and her journey to Cape Town.

Here's who's participating in the auction:

Michelle Birbeck: Signed short story with bookmark

E.van Lowe: Signed copy of Boyfriend From Hell

Amy Lichtenhan: Signed copy of Pulled with bookmark

Killian McRae: Paperback

Debra Anastasia: Signed copy of PoughKeepsie

M.A.Stacie: 2 ebooks: Unwritten Rules & Accidental Fate

Sylvain Reynard: Signed copy of Gabriel's inferno and a signed copy of the sequel upon it's release.

E.L.James: Signed copy of Fifty Shades

Jeaniene Frost: Copy of Half Way to the Grave