Teaching Leaders the #1 Method for Promoting Their Books When They’re Deathly Afraid to Promote Themselves

As leaders, we know the importance of effective marketing for our brands, platforms, and books.

You can have the perfect product that solves your audience’s problems. But unless you know how to reach people and persuade them to purchase, your book remains obsolete.

Marketing is best understood as proper positioning in a targeted market. Once positioned, you use different communication strategies that highlight the value your product brings to a community, tribe, or audience.

During The CCM Leadership Convention, I spend a great deal of time teaching the science behind this skill set. Most leaders have elementary knowledge about this marketing field; and too often, they position their product (book) in a market that isn’t interested in their works.

Consider my leadership platform and its products or services. I do not promote my works to just everyone. I am positioned strategically in the conservative political market and the thought leadership industry. Therefore, the content, books, and services I deliver are easily received by those who are interested in both topics.

Essentially, that is how effective marketing works; and when you’re just beginning your leadership journey, it’s difficult to cultivate a space for yourself in such a competing market. For this reason, brands have leveraged the influence and power of famous people to help promote their products or services.

This is the basic premise of influencer marketing, and this strategy proves most effective for leaders who are too often apprehensive about promoting their own works.

For the sake of this lesson, here’s our working definition of influencer marketing:

Influencer marketing involves outsourcing key leaders in the virtual space who will bring awareness to a leader's brand. By purchasing sponsored content (i.e. blog posts, social media posts, video content, website ad space), a leader can rely on an influencer to promote one’s brand and book to a growing audience.

And over the last decade, this strategy has taken over the social media sphere.

Social Media Marketing: 2010 and Beyond

​We know the power of social media. It is the one area where brands can fish for their ideal customer for virtually free. This is also a perfect place to locate readers who will be empowered by your books and services.

Since 2010, social media marketing has enabled people to become instantly famous. In fact, the barrier to entry into the fame life is so low, cat-lovers have discovered ways to become well-known.

Celebrities who have taken to Instagram, Facebook, and even LinkedIn have discovered ways to monetize their platforms by selling their influence to businesses who want to promote to a wider audience.

And over the years, smaller accounts (what we call micro-influencers) have emerged, giving other brands opportunities to advertise their products.

Types of Online Influencers and How Each One Leverages Their Platforms

Not all influencers are the same, and not all influencer platforms deliver the same results for each brand that hires it.

A great article from SenseiMarketing analyzed the various types of influencers, so let’s discuss them here:

1. Mega-Influencer: These are celebrities whose name alone carries more fame and influence. They don’t necessarily focus on a subject matter, but their influence is felt among millions of followers. Brands that have the marketing budget to pay for mega-influencers can expect to receive instant traffic and sales with just one Instagram post, for example. Some celebrities are known for charging up to $1 million for just a single post, because their social media presence commands so much persuasive power. This, of course, does not automatically translate into massive sales for a brand. And in this case, the best strategy for hiring a mega-influencer is to increase brand awareness.
2. Macro-Influencer: Like celebrities, these influencers have a large platform, generally consisting of 100K-1M followers across all social media sites. Such individuals include podcasters, bloggers, and political influencers. Ideally, such influencers are subject-matter experts. They are the go-to individuals for all things related to education, technology, empowerment, etc. Brands that pay for macro-influencer marketing can expect to reach a niche audience that focuses on a specific topic.
3. Micro-Influencer: Individuals who have managed to create a following of 1,000-100,000 followers fall within this category. These are voices who, like macro-influencers, focus on a niche audience. They are intimately acquainted with their followers, and are supreme subject-matter experts for a given topic. My platform fits within this category. When promoting a brand (like you, Beloved) on my platform, I am helping you establish authority and credibility among an audience we both have interests in. Because I have such a connection to a specific audience, and that audience engages with my content on a deeper level, positioning your book on this platform is more profitable long-term than if you hired a macro- or mega-influencer (which may exceed your current marketing budget).
4. The Advocate: Think of these influencers as the ones who will engage in meaningful conversations with online audiences around your product. For example, let’s say you have a book that will truly empower women. As an advocate and micro-influencer, you could ask me to host a weekly women’s bible study, using your book as the primary resource. This marketing strategy goes deeper than simply asking me to promote your book to my audience of 20K+ followers. In this case, you are paying me to promote your book AND engage in discussions that guarantee book sales.
5. The Referrer: I’ll characterize this influencer as one who is brand loyal to one specific business. A referrer will commit to only promoting your brand as the primary solution for their target audience.
6. The Loyalists: Here is where every brand wants to get in the market. Such influencers are the people who are loyal to your authorship, i.e. your social media followers, readers, viewers, and listeners. I remember back in 2019 when I decided to cut politics from my Facebook platform, I assumed all my followers would cease in promoting my messages. As I stepped away from this platform to focus on my e-mail subscribers and Twitter scholars, I watched as some from Facebook instantly followed me where I was. Today, these followers are my main promoters. They share and re-tweet my content and products for me. They purchase my offerings. They are absolutely loyal to this brand. 

The Stats Behind Influencer Marketing and Why They Matter

One lesson I stress to my clients, scholars, and readers is this: Your books are a part of your business or ministry. They are branches of the overall work you’re called to deliver. Therefore, in order to see them thrive, the core business or ministry must thrive. And the only way that will happen is when leaders apply best business practices to their works.

In the online space, the way to thrive is by studying the current marketing trends, which can inform a person’s next moves. And in this section, I want to highlight 10 stats that prove why influencer marketing is key to your success.

1. For every $1 a business spends on influencer marketing, that business generates $5.20 in marketing exposure (Source: Influencer Marketing Hub). And with the right influencer package, the return on investment can be much higher if that person creates evergreen content with your book as the featured resource. For example, I recently worked with a new author, Dennis Perkins, to help promote his book to my audience. My influencer services included a 500-word book review, a feature during my virtual Bible study, and a feature during my annual virtual summits. Each content piece is designed for ongoing use and remains an integral part of The Foundation. In addition, each piece can be shared and re-shared on Perkins’ platform for as long as he needs. The upfront marketing investment he made yields long-term dividends, and the same can be said of your work, Beloved, when you work with a skilled influencer who serves in your best interests as well as her audience’s.
2. The best influencers to work with are those within your niche or industry, ones who can promote your product most effectively (Source: Influencer Marketing Hub). I cannot stress this enough. To see the most return on your investment, you must put your book in the hands of an influencer who functions within your current space. It’s unwise to ask someone in the children’s book industry to promote your marriage book, because that audience will not receive your content. In like manner, if you have a Christian book, hire a Christian influencer in the book-publishing industry who can get your work before the right audience.
3. Influencers are strict about the products they promote, selecting only that which is most relevant to their audiences (Source: Influencer Marketing Hub). It is not uncommon for me to reject a brand whose product does not minister to or empower my audience. Although I would receive compensation for the promotion, such partnership would negatively affect my relationship with my audience, which I value above a brand’s dollar. As you seek to find influencers to promote your book, understand your product must be in perfect alignment with that brand’s network and platform. This will make for a powerful experience for all.
4. Print advertising is decreasing as influencer marketing increases (Source: Influencer Marketing Hub). Perhaps you’ve been thinking about creating more flyers or other forms of advertisements to promote your book. Good news! You can stop now. With the rise in influencer marketing, digital promotions reduce the costs associated with printed ads.
5. 40% of Twitter users said they made a purchase based on a tweet from their favorite influencer (Source: Influencer Marketing Hub). A few months ago, I recommended a $47 e-book to my Twitter audience. Bryan Sharpe, aka “Hotep Jesus,” wrote the #1 guide on Twitter marketing; and after observing his strategies first-hand, I recommended my Beloved audience purchase the manual to help them build their own platforms. Within weeks, at least one of my connections purchased the book after asking me if I truly believed in Sharpe’s product. I assured him this product was legit, and he eventually made the purchase. That’s exactly what happens when an influencer tweets a product to a specific audience. While sales may not happen immediately, they will eventually come because an audience trusts an influencer’s word.
6. When searching for influencers, it’s important to find brands that are already into your products (Source: Influencer Marketing Hub). When working with my clients and scholars, I become their biggest cheerleader. Because I am intimately acquainted with their product, I instantly promote their books to my audience because I believe their works will empower. As you seek an influencer for your book, find someone who will love your brand and message. She will enthusiastically sell your product for you, which brings more awareness to your Author’s Platform.
7. 91% of millennials say they trust influencer or online reviews in the same way their trust recommendations from family and friends (Source: Influencer Marketing Hub). Millennials are astute shoppers, and they are more likely to purchase products (i.e. books) based on their favorite influencer’s recommendation. Why? Because that influencer has built an online relationship with her audience; and just as they trust their family and friends to recommend the best products, they have that same trust with their influencers.
8. 50% of consumers will take action to purchase a product after reading a positive review (Source: Influencer Marketing Hub). I have seen this action, literally days after a client posted my book review to his audience. Most consumers are impulsive with their purchases. And all they need is the right influencer to give them the go-ahead to purchase the right book.
9. The most effective influencer marketing campaigns are the ones that are organic to an audience (Source: Influencer Marketing Hub). Rarely do I use paid advertisements when promoting my client’s books because I’ve built such rapport with my online audience that they trust my reviews. The whole purpose of working with influencers is to find voices who have persuasive power; and too often, paid advertisements do not deliver that personal touch. If an influencer has not proven her ability to connect with an audience, paying for her to promote your work is fruitless. (You can hire a social media ads manager to do that job for you.)
10. Influencers with 10K - 100K followers offer the best results for organic engagement and reach (Source: Influencer Marketing Hub). It is a fact: the larger the follower count, the less organic engagement an influencer receives. Therefore, it is best to work with micro- or macro-influencers who are experts in their industry, ones who will promote your book so effectively that your brand becomes synonymous with theirs.

How Rising Leaders Can Leverage Influencer Marketing and Reach the Masses without Saying a Single Word

​By now, you get an idea of how influencer marketing can work for you. The purpose behind influencer marketing is to level-up your own platform exponentially and within a shorter time frame. If your current platform only has 100 followers, and only 1 person has purchased your book, then working with a micro-influencer can take your brand to the next level.

The more leverage you pull with an influencer, the quicker your own platform will increase, because audiences love being a part of a collective. I’ve discovered this within my own political network. The influencers connected to my brand willingly share my content and books with their followers, because we are all preaching a similar empowering message. And our followers often follow the same influencers, which gives them a holistic online experience.

If you can implement this same strategy within your authorship, you will discover how easy it is to position your business or ministry before millions.

Steps You Can Take to Leverage This Marketing Potential

Now that you understand the science behind influencer marketing, let’s discuss how you can get started in this process.

1. Determine to make influencer marketing a part of your annual marketing budget. If you have been in the game for a while, you know how important it is to set aside a specific budget that will go towards promoting your books or products. And if you make influencer marketing a part of your aggressive strategy, you will see a positive return on your investment.
2. Generate a list of influencers you wish to work with. It’s important to remember that influencer marketing is a brand partnership. The influencer does not work for you. Therefore, you should not treat the expert as an employee. That person knows how to reach her own audience, and it’s to your advantage to respect that connection. Do not ask the influencer to say this or that when it comes to marketing to their followers. Instead, let the influencer decide how she will promote you to her network.
3. Reach out to the influencers via email or social media. When I connected with my first set of brands, I turned to Facebook author groups. I needed experts who could deliver the proper services that my audience needed, and we communicated via email to set up the partnership. As you seek your influencers, present yourself professionally. These experts are a part of the marketing industry and should be approached as such. Do not ask for favors. Do not present yourself as anything other than a professional leader. The Influencers will respect you immensely.
4. Hire the Influencer whose platform and services match your brand’s goals. Never pay for a platform that doesn’t reach your target audience.
5. Be prepared to work long-term with your selected Influencer. Remember, with influencer marketing, longevity is key. You need to see this marketing opportunity as an ongoing relationship. You may not see instant results with their services; but you will experience positive long-term effects.

How You Can Overcome Your Fear of Self-Promotion by Leveraging Influencer Marketing

In the online space, there is a place for every voice, every book, and every message. But it’s up to the creators of such works to position themselves before the masses.

When fear kicks in, preventing you from delivering to the market what God has placed in your heart, you can overcome that challenge by putting your product in the hands of an influencer who is reaching millions already.

If you would like to get your platform and book promoted to The Foundation's national audience, sign up to become a monthly Beloved Sponsor.

It's easy to get started:

1. Visit our donation's page here.
2. Sign up for a $50+ monthly donation (be sure to click the "monthly" tab before checkout).
3. After check out, send your platform and book information to [email protected].
4. Get ready to be promoted each month!

In Conclusion ...

Thought leadership is a powerful method for elevating your platform and bringing your message to millions of people nationwide.

But to be most effective, you will need proper training from an expert coach who has delivered the kind of results you desire.

​Beloved, in this new era, I want to teach you how to tap into your God-given abilities so you thrive as one of His leaders in the earth.

Whether your vision focuses on the social, political, or economic spheres, you can fulfill God's calling on your life when you have the right spiritual and practical training to make it a reality.

​Today, I invite you to join our growing rank of leaders who are learning to do things God's way so we get His results.

Your training is crucial to this development, and at The Felecia Killings Foundation, we've crafted a dynamic leadership program and event just for you.

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Register for Our Bi-Annual CCM Leadership Convention | Build Your Thought Leadership in the Social, Political, or Economic Sphere

Join Coach Felecia Killings and her guest speakers for our annual 3-day event hosted in Atlanta, GA. 

Sponsored by The Felecia Killings Foundation, The CCM Leadership Convention will help rising leaders like you establish powerful thought leadership in the social, political, and economic spheres.

During our intensive training, you will learn key principles that will help you bring your ideas to the national forefront. Event topics include:

• Learning key strategies for effective leadership based on Kingdom laws and spiritual principles;
• Learning how to bring your voice, your message, and your mission to the national forefront;
• Networking with key leaders in your industry;
• Accessing independent and mainstream media outlets to deliver your empowering message;
• Improving your public speaking skills so your messages are conveyed clearly and succinctly in media;
• Identifying key social, political, and economic issues and creating effective, solutions;
• Packaging your solutions in book format so you build credibility and authority in your industry;
• And so much more!

Don't miss this exciting time to receive our in-person training.

​Our Convention Schedule

Day 1 — Establishing Powerful Thought Leadership in the Social, Political, or Economic Spheres

• 9:00 am - 10:00 am: Guiding Principles for Effective Leadership
• 10:10 am - 11:30 am: Identifying and Clarifying Your Vision and Mission
• 11:40 am - 12:40 pm: Identifying and Clarifying Your Core Message
• 12:40 pm - 1:15 pm: Lunch and Fellowship
• 1:20 pm - 3:00 pm: Understanding Social Media, Building an Online Movement, and Creating Your Content Creation Machine
• 3:15 pm - 4:30 pm: Creating Your Ideal Audience and Curating Solutions 
• 4:30 pm - 5:00 pm: Convention Homework Assignment (Preparation for Day 2)

Day 2 — Packaging Your Thought Leadership in Books

• 9:00 am - 10:00 am: Group Discussion
• 10:10 am - 11:30 am: Understanding the Principles of Book Publishing
• 11:40 am - 12:40 pm: Understanding the Science of Effective Storytelling
• 12:40 pm - 1:15 pm: Lunch and Fellowship
• 1:20 pm - 4:20 pm: Writing Workshop (Developing Your Story and Book)
• 4:30 pm - 5:00 pm: Convention Homework Assignment (Preparation for Day 3)

Day 3 — Packaging Your Thought Leadership in Online Courses and Coaching Programs

• 9:00 am - 10:00 am: Group Discussion
• 10:10 am - 12:30 pm: How to Monetize Your Thought Leadership Using Coaching Programs and Online Courses
• 12:30 pm - 1:15 pm: Convention Feedback, Evaluations, and Extended Training
• 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm: The Great Debate on Twitter/X

Register Today!