Guest post by Jeff Rivera:

Stop Marketing!

The first step you must take in order to build a robust fan base doesn’t require any physical effort, but without it, your campaign will fall apart.

I want you to completely throw the word “marketing” out the door.  That’s not what we’re doing here. What we’re doing is something that is a new way to do something old, but something that works more effectively than tweeting all day. In fact, it’s something that your grandparents might have taught you and their grandparents before them.

What you’re going to be doing is BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS! By this I mean treating people like normal human beings. Building lasting relationships with people is not only paramount to your success; it’s also a skill that can be developed online. But before we start that, there’s something you need to do.

Evaluate your Meaning of Success

When I say you need to build relationships with people, I’m not suggesting you touch millions of lives and live like a pauper. You can impact people’s lives and still make a very good living, and it doesn’t have to take forever to do it.

But first, you need to redefine what success means to you. If success means making a comfortable living to you, then how much does that mean? If the average American makes $30K annually, is $100K enough for you to feel at ease?

Establish what being comfortable means to you, and then measure your success based on how your definition translates to your life. Once you have an idea in your head, you need to start looking for the people you want to build with.

Who Are You Trying to Reach?

Here’s the thing. Some authors have sold 20,000, 50,000 maybe even 100,000 eBooks on Amazon or BN.com so far, which is amazing. But the question is, do you know who your readers are? Do you know their first names? Do you know how many dogs they have and when their birthday is?

Know your target audience. This is the single most important part of gaining success online.  You have to know who your audience is. If Willie Nelson gets on stage at a rap concert, he’ll probably get booed off. If Barney the purple dinosaur gets on stage at a death metal concert, same thing would happen.

You have to know who your audience is before you choose what message board is right for you. So how do you identify your target market? Three simple tips will help do the job.

Where Does Your Novel Fit?

Before you start building relationships, you need to know who you’re going after. Identifying your target audience is very important, and here’s the first thing you need to do to if you want to be successful.

First, think about what other novels your audience would pick up if they were in a bookstore. What genre does if fall under? What age does it appeal to? Now, where would a bookstore shelf your book?

If you don’t know right off the bat, go to several bookstores, bring your book or at least the summary, and ask a few bookstore clerks where they would put it.  Ask them what books are similar to yours. The next step in identifying your target audience is something only you, the author, would know.

About the author: Jeff Rivera is an author and inspirational media personality. He has appeared on national television, radio and print in such outlets as The Boston Globe, Publishers Weekly, Right On! Magazine, Rotarian Magazine, TMZ, WABC, WNBC, WCBS, SITV, American Latino and NPR. Rivera created a massive online following before the eBook revolution even existed.  He was able to land an agent and a book deal with Warner Books (now known as Grand Central Publishing) within 7 days.  He has used the knowledge he gained from this experience to help coach his clients on social media campaigns and has helped over 100 clients take the first step in landing an agent too. Learn more at http://www.jeffrivera.com/index.php