For me, the beginning of each year is very important. Not only do I spend January preparing for tax season, but I also take the time to note and assess how my business did the previous year. I then use that data to make adjustments for the current year’s goals.
January is always very illuminating.
This year, in particular, I was pleasantly surprised by my data. I want to share a small bit of the behind-the-scenes of my business (essentially as a case study) to prove how intimately I know that my Minimalist Marketing approach works, and also to help you generate ideas for yourself.
Why was this year’s accomplishments particularly surprising? Because I am pregnant right now. Like, super-pregnant. Eight months along. By the time you get next month’s newsletter from me, there should be a baby.
Because this is my third pregnancy, I went into it with certain expectations that I could handle a lot. After all, when I was eight months pregnant with my first child, I was working (read: waddling) around a major outdoor art market I had helped plan and promote that brought in roughly 4,000 attendees.
Well, turns out every pregnancy is different. Also, being pregnant in your 20s versus 30s is very different…
So when this pregnancy completely wiped me out, when I struggled to get out of bed during certain weeks, when getting my older kids dropped off at school in the morning felt like a major accomplishment…it was not what I was expecting. Emotionally-speaking, I was not exactly prepared.
My business was prepared, though.
Because despite the pregnancy that took up most of 2023, I had:
4x growth of my newsletter/email list subscribers from previous year
3x growth of my income from previous year
Promises of easy money are toxic. This is not a newsletter that promotes any smarmy “make money while you sleep using my proven method” garbage. There are no shortcuts. I didn’t see growth in 2023 through any passive income. I simply stuck to a minimalist schedule that I could handle despite how I was feeling—though, yes, at times it was still hard.
I also examined my marketing intentions and made some pivots that fit better with what I could handle. In short, I got much pickier and much more intentional about the marketing moves I made.
You may not have a health-related reason that you need to slow down for right now. But every business needs to be built on a foundation that can handle those seasons in life when they appear—whether those seasons are happy interruptions or heartbreaking setbacks.
My “marketing moves” in 2023
Here are some things I did that created growth while saving my energy:
Local focus. Instead of competing with The Entire Internet, I made a point to prioritize my own community (and greater region). This was not always easier than working online. In many ways, it was harder because it included travel and being physically present. But the return on my time was greater, meaning I could do fewer events while still getting results. (i.e. It’s Easier to be a Big Fish in a Small Pond cliche.) What types of things did I try?
I regularly attended readings/literary events at my local library, university, and bookstore (even some fun poetry slams at a local bar) and fostered my relationship with the organizers (and introduced myself to featured authors, always in ways that continued to an online follow up that was based in friendship, not pitching my services).
I partnered with my local art center to start a monthly in-person book marketing group for area authors.
I did in-person events, including teaching workshops and having a booth at a book vendor market. Because I don’t live in a major metropolitan city, there was some travel (including overnight trips) involved for some of this.
Consistent in newsletter. My social media posting strategy flung around inconsistently last year, like a ping-pong ball hit by a child (and I did lose followers because of that.) But my newsletter is on a once-per-month schedule. No matter how I was feeling, I was able to stay consistent with that.
Giveaways. I gave away a LOT of free content last year as part of bundles or contests to grow my email list. I don’t just mean small freebies like my lead magnet. I gave away some of my high ticket items, like my video course, too. I didn’t have the energy to market it appropriately anyway, and I would prefer it be helping people. (If you happen to be one of the people who got that course in a bundle—Hello! I really hope it is helping you!) By partnering with other book industry professionals in these collaborative giveaways, I was able to massively grow my email list without expending a lot of energy.
Note: the bundles I was in as a book industry professional would be different than ones you use as an author. For collaborative author list-building opportunities, check out bookfunnel.com, booksweeps.com or kingsumo.com. To be clear, I have never seen any of these sites be a “magic bullet” for my clients—you can’t participate in one group promo and suddenly see huge results. This is something you stack and do many of over time.
Organization. I strongly believe that disorganization and messiness contribute to overwhelm and confusion. Some days, all I did was clean my office or organize my computer folder files. Maybe answer one or two urgent emails or unsubscribe from newsletters I rarely open. I never let myself feel guilty about these days—it was real work and made it so that when I had a good energy day, I was ready to go and was even more productive.
Technology audit. I went through all my paid tools and subscriptions I was using to run my business and eliminated or replaced most of them with cheaper alternatives.
As you think about what 2024 will look like for you and your author career, consider whether some of these tactics could help propel you forward, too. And feel free to leave a comment with any questions you might have—or send me a DM on Instagram.
I was able to honor my priorities this year—my body > my business—and still see business growth where it mattered. This is what I want for your author career, too!
Recommendations
It’s almost time for the Women in Publishing Summit—one of my favorite online events! For the last several years, this writers conference (which covers BOTH writing craft and marketing/industry education) has been one of my annual traditions, either as attendee or featured speaker. I am sad to have to miss it this year (on account of it taking place one week after my due date.)
But any woman who will not have just pushed a squirmy 8-ish pound bundle out of her body should definitely consider going. :) Details and price at my affiliate link below.
This is super helpful and thoughtful-thanks
Thank you so much for this reminder Emily! I am still plugging away at my platform as some acute issues disrupted my imagined timeline, but my consultation with you helped me keep the faith and manage my emotions around it. This is a perfect reflection piece. Good luck with the birth -- of to check out the summit now 😊