Help with a Marketing Survey

As most of you know, I'm not much of a marketing guy. I've read a lot on the subject, however, trying to get up to speed before I launch my book.

There's one piece of advice I encounter over and over - Know Thy Audience!

I have to admit that I feel a bit like South Park's underwear gnomes:

Step 1: know your audience
Step 2:
Step 3: make great profit

Seriously, though I don't know exactly how to utilize the data, I can see it's value, and, since I have no idea who my audience is, I've been thinking a lot lately about how to find out.

I took one of my scenes to my writing group the other night. A guy there said that he didn't like my protagonist, didn't even know what about my protagonist he was supposed to like. I've had other people say, though, that the scene made them smile and really feel for my protagonist.

This led me to a brilliant thought: This scene defines my audience!

If you're the kind of person who reads this scene and smiles and thinks "poor guy," you're probably going to really enjoy my book. If not, I'm not sure you're going to hate it, but you're probably not going to get the core of my story.

ALL THE ABOVE JUST TO GET TO THIS POINT: What do you think of this idea:

On my blog, post the following -

1. Appeal to help me out
2. The scene in question
3. A survey

Then, use my blog, FB, and forums to ask everyone I can find to fill out the survey. Hopefully, from both the positive and negative responses, I can get a better picture of my audience.

I'd want to keep the survey short and simple, something like:

1. Did you smile and find yourself feeling for poor Xan? Yes or No (with buttons)
2. Please tell me about yourself - age, gender, hobbies, authors you read (important!), and anything else you may want to tell me
3. If you liked the piece and want to sign up for my newletter, enter your email address:

Suggestions, thoughts, advice?

Thanks!

Brian

 

No hurry; take your time. I'd love to hear your comments.

Hope you feel better.

I could definitely do it both places, and any ideas on how to expand the group is helpful.

Thanks!

 

I really get what you're saying here, but I'm trying to minimize questions. Do you think it's worth adding another box?

While the data I'd get from what they felt tells me something, I'm not sure it accomplishes my purpose. My thesis is that a person who both a) smiles and b) feels emphathy for Xan is a member of my audience. Since my primary objective with the question is to figure out if the person responding is or is not a member of my audience, I'm not clear on what the additional information would give me in that regard.

The goal here is to tell me where to find my audience, right?

Age and gender do that to some extent. I think that author does it even better. If there's an overlap between my readers and the readers of author X, then finding where his readership hangs out finds potential members of my audience. Same thing with hobbies, I think.

I guess I'm not looking for: the majority of my audience does this hobby as much as looking for clues as to where they may hang out.

What do you think?

It's the only thing I could think of. Glad you think it's a good idea.

Thanks!

 

Pauline,

To be honest, the step preceeding underwear gnomes' "Make Great Profit" idea is a bit vague for me as well.

I think, though, that the concept is to target your marketing.

Telling friends and family is great targeted marketing because those people are likely to buy my book and help me by writing reviews, etc. because they're friends and family.

Ideally, there are people who exist in the world who will want to buy my book who aren't related to me. The idea is, I think, to figure out who they are so that I can target my marketing.

My time is limited. If there are two potential blogs for which I may be able to write a guest post, it makes more sense to go with the one that is more likely to attract my audience. For example, I write relatively optimistic fantasy. I'm not going to try hard to get it featured on blogs for fans of dark fantasy.

I'm trying hard to balance the time I spend marketing vs the time I spend writing the next book. I think that, overall, I'm going spend more time on promotion than I should. I'm just trying to make sure that, whatever time I do spend, is spent as well as it could be.

Don't worry. I will continue to write the books that I want to write.

Thanks.

Brian

 

I don't disagree that getting more measurable data would be beneficial. I just worry that I'd be asking too much. Two questions easily explode to ten or twenty. I think I'm more likely to get people to participate if I keep it as quick and easy as possible.

I could be wrong, though. I have no experience with this kind of stuff beyond being on the other side of it. Usually, I'm willing to help at first. Then, when I see a huge number of questions, I'm like, "Screw that."

As to the questions about reading, you're going far afield from the purpose of the survey.

First of all, I don't anticipate getting so many respondents that any kind of indepth statistical analysis is going to help a ton. I'm thinking in the tens of people, not the hundreds.

In an ideal world, I'd have thousands of responses where I could draw all kinds of correlations. In the real world, I'm just not seeing how this is realistic.

I feel that, if someone has the response I listed to the scene, they're more likely to "get" what I'm trying to accomplish with the book. If they "get" what I'm trying to accomplish, they're more likely to enjoy the book. Those who enjoy the book are more likely to tell others and are the ones I should target.

Given that the above statement is true, my goal is simply to find out:

Did you have the reaction?
Who are you?

Again, I'm not a marketing guy, and I'd love to hear Devor's input on this. I'm just trying to take a realistic approach that gives me some kind of information that I can use.

Thanks.

Brian

 

Fantastic information as always, Devor. Thanks!

 

The great things about forums like this one is that we all help each other out.

Just as I beta read for people I met here, they beta read for me. Just as I give feedback and offer tips to others, they do the same for me.

It's kinda the whole spirit of this place. I'm not sure exactly what your objection is.

I have no desire to tweet. Sorry.

 

At every story I go to now, they offer me "the chance at winning $X" if I complete a survey. I never do the surveys.

To get a good level of participation, it seems to me like I'd have to offer something substantial to each respondent. I simply don't have the resources to do so.

My thinking is: what would get me to fill out a survey?

My answer is: a personal appeal. "Hey, this is my situation. I need help. Please?"

It's not ideal, but it's all I got.

 

I get that both have positives and negatives, but do you have a particular reason for making this suggestion at this time?

My reasons for self publishing are:

1. Impatience. The traditional route takes too long. I have to first find an agent and then wait for the agent to maybe find a publisher then wait for the publisher to get around to my book. It's maybe not a great reason, but it is the way I feel.

2. Entrepreneurial. I've always wanted to own a business. Self publishing is a low risk way to do that. Besides my time (which I consider spent developing a hobby), I'm only putting a grand out of pocket to do it.

3. A, perhaps unsubstantiated, feeling that traditional isn't worth it. It seems that the standard deal is $5000 and not a lot of marketing support. Whereas +$5000 is better than -$1000, you have to go through a lot of crap (queries and waiting and more queries and more waiting) to get it, and the profit sharing limits financial upside a bit. Granted, a separate upside is that I would have support that I lack now and more credibility.

Anyway, if someone were to say, "Hey, Brian, we really like your stuff and want to publish it" I'd certainly consider their offer. I feel like the system now is, "If you jump through all these hoops, we may throw a couple of pennies your way." That feeling kinda brings out a "Screw you and the horse you rode in on" response from me.

Don't get me wrong. I understand the publisher and agent POV. They are putting their money up, and they need to do everything they can to guarantee a profit. Doesn't make sense for them to do any different. Doesn't mean I have to like or accept it.

Anyway, despite what I just said, it is a tough decision for me. I really think that the book I wrote is publishable, especially considering the help my editor is providing. My wife, also, is pushing me to try to the traditional route. So, I'd love to know what prompted your comment.

Thanks.

Brian