She Had No Business Book Launch
Make it your business to say yes to unique opportunities.
Summary
Deirdre Lopian Public Relations, LLC (DLPR) partnered with first-time author, Jessica Varian Carroll, to launch her debut book, She Had No Business.
With only three weeks and a shoestring budget, Jessica had aggressive goals: she wanted event hype to drive 200 pre-sales and have 50 guests at her book launch. DLPR delivered by creating a multifaceted approach to spark awareness and demand.
Challenges
The event was being held in Asbury Park, so a hyper-local media strategy was going to be a key. However, the date of the launch coincided with Asbury Park’s biggest event of the year, the Sea Hear Now Festival. We knew every local and niche media outlet would be focused solely on this two-day concert.
Tactics
Take it from us, make it your business to seize opportunity and rise!
With the shoestring budget in mind, booking the venue and ordering food was our top priority.
DLPR’s office is a collaborative work hub that could easily convert into an event space, it took some negotiation on rate, but we procured it as our event location.
For catering, we used existing relationships with a local cafe and bakery to create an assorted menu of light fare and treats for guests.
Next came the brainstorming the evening itinerary. We wanted guests to leave inspired by Jessica’s story and excited to tell their friends about her new book.
We needed to she couldn’t sit behind a desk signing books all night, we wanted her accessible to her fans.
Media Outreach– We received anticipated pushback, but we still shared the event press release and EPK that included a Q & A of popular questions, just in case our contacts had extra time and space.
As social media strategists, we know researched showed 92% of consumers trust recommendations from friends/family and 88% trust online reviews.
Due to a low digital footprint, we would have to tap into Jessica’s warm market and create brand advocates and influencers that would build and rally momentum through the launch.
Social Media: Having no time for a full-blown social campaign, we created a She Had No Business Book Launch Facebook event page. We filled the page daily with branded visuals of early book reviews, event announcements, pre-sale promos, and videos of Jessica reading book excerpts from various parts of her life to guarantee relevancy with her diverse audience.
We used tags to boost engagement, conversation, shares, invites, and sales.
Non-Paid Micro and Nano Influencers – It’s nice to know people in high places. Using our network, we asked award-winning podcaster, Ming Chen promoted the event on his social channels and niche book reviewer @GrpLitgrl shared her book review.
Results
Make it your business to seize opportunity and rise!
- Surpassed book pre-sale goals by +100% .
- Exceeded event attendance goals by +400%.
Demonstrated Impact of Event Campaign:
As a direct result of the event and continuing social buzz, Jessica booked five additional book signings including an author event at Barnes & Noble, which also sold her book online and in-store. This is an amazing accomplishment for a new indie author.
Jessica also secured online sales through major retail outlets including Amazon, Target, and Walmart.
Jessica booked a corporate speaking engagement. (Bonus: The CEO bought 25 books to gift her employees.)
Earned a spotlight in the “Stay in and Read” section of Bella Magazine, a national beauty and lifestyle magazine.
Passionate – Dedicated – Professional
