How To Do Just About Everything
Heritage books and music window display
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From conference and expo brochures, it looks pretty easy to promote your product. Buy a table, bring your product and wait for the customers to throw their money at you. Actually, it's not as easy as it looks, but here are five steps to make your conference or expo experience productive.
Book clubs are notorious for bringing additional customers.
Consider everyone a potential customer. Every book has a target audience, but do not shun anyone who shows interest in your work because he doesn't fit the profile. Readers are interesting people. They want to learn something new, and many readers will go outside of their comfort zone to read about topics that are unfamiliar to them. Every single person who approaches your table has the potential to be a customer. Tell him about your product. Answer any questions he may have. Be polite. Even if he's not interested, he have a friend who is and buy it for her as a gift.
Postcards underneath the books are from VistaPrint.com.
Always have free takeaways. At an expo, there can be anywhere from a few to hundreds of authors trying to sell their books to book buyers and readers. However, consumers rarely show up to events like these ready to buy everything in sight. Some may be interested in your book but have too many more books that they're trying to read or just want to window shop. If you have something that they can take home to remember you by (e.g., postcards, pens, bookmarks, business cards), they are more likely to revisit your material at a later date.
Sometimes the outfit alone can get a reader's attention.
Do not sit at the table and wait for customers to come to you. A book expo is like going to a nightclub. There is so much to see and do that it is hard to concentrate on just one particular person. As an author, the one person you are most concerned about is you, and your book is the most important to you. However, when people walk into a book expo (unless you are more popular), the odds of a consumer rushing over to your table just to see you are slim to none. Stand up. Greet people. Talk to people who pass by. Make sure they leave with your takeaways. Marketing for money is not for shy people.
Leave your attitude at home. In Step 3, there was a lawyer who was annoyed by a consumer asking him a question about his company. Even when he realized the assembly mistake that was made, the consumer still gave him the benefit of the doubt and opened her mouth to ask a question about the company. Instead of responding, the lawyer walked away after saying he was tired. Word of mouth can sell a product, but word of mouth can also destroy a company or author's reputation. If your attitude is ugly, even if the consumer loves your product, she will be less likely to buy it. Why would they want to support someone who acts like she could care less about her business? Always smile. Shake hands. Be cordial.
Novice 
