I recently was joking around
on a reader chat.
From beginning to end,
I made jokes and teased people
and had a great time.
I also posted excerpts and buy links
and added friends to my Facebook account
and readers to my newsletter list.
At the end of the chat
(and the readers didn’t want it to end),
readers said that wasn’t a chat.
That was fun.
In other words…
that wasn’t marketing
because it was fun.
On another writer loop,
I announce new releases by members.
With every new release,
I ask the writers what they learned.
Recently there was a ban
on promotion/marketing
with the exclusion of new releases.
Because members learned things
from the marketing,
they didn’t consider it marketing.
So when you hear
from customers
that they don’t want you marketing to them,
that’s bullshit.
What they really are saying
is that they don’t like the way you’re marketing to them.
If your marketing is entertaining
or educational
or ???,
it will not only be tolerated
but requested.