Chris Brandt – Marketer

Namwayut

It was an honour to work with Chief Robert Joseph on the launch of his book, Namwayut: A Pathway To Reconciliation. The book was ranked by Indigo, Canada's largest book retailer, as the #2 book of 2022.

I worked closely with Chief Joseph, the team at Reconciliation Canada, his editors, his social media team, and sales and distribution teams across North America.

Amazon Bestseller Status

Do you want to be an Amazon bestseller? 90% of my clients have achieved this status. I will guide you through a proven strategy to give you the best possible shot at topping the charts, and how to use that asset in future marketing.

Why We Serve: Stories of Today's RCMP Members

A unique project featuring the most recognizable Canadian institution, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. This project is a limited edition hardcover with a much higher price point than the average book. This book celebrates RCMP Members serving today, during the RCMP's 150th anniversary, through the stories of 150 Member officers, and is a luxurious high end product with incredible photography. We were able to secure bestseller status on Amazon several months before publication date.

Our marketing strategy combined the activation of existing email lists for the community, and targeted online advertising. Amazon ads are part of the post-release plan, with a focus on Canada. Since this project is a one-time print run, our long term goals are simply to sell through the copies to be printed. We pre-sold 20% of the entire print run before pub date!

Balance

We were able to leverage the author's global audience to achieve bestseller status in Canada, US, and UAE in highly competitive categories involving investing and retirement planning. Pre-orders of the book were high enough to cover the author's original investment, meaning that by pub date he had completely recouped. This book also engaged in a very successful ebook campaign, which saw 10,000 copies purchased by a third party and were distributed to their clients, at a notable profit margin for the author. Now with over 250 reviews on Amazon.

Testimonial from Andrew Hallam, author of Balance:

I can't take credit for this...but I think it's the world's best advice for all teachers, employees and leaders:

Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.

I didn't know Chris before Page Two publishing assigned him to me (or me to him) to be my upcoming book's marketing coach and strategist. Chris formulated a step-by-step marketing plan, starting almost 10 months before my book was scheduled to be released.

He provided tips for my website, and he always gave great feedback on changes we made. Chris showed me how to build an email list of supporters and his marketing guidelines were always clear. He would say, now that you've done that, here's what you should think about doing next.

My wife and I always looked forward to our monthly Zoom (marketing strategy) calls with Chris and we had helpful email exchanges more than once a week.

So...what's with the fuzzy opening quote? Chris' marketing expertise alone probably puts him in the top 10 percent of marketing experts. But that wouldn't be worth a thing without something much more important.

While we worked together, Chris showed genuine interest in me and my wife as people. Let me explain how important that is:

Marketing isn't easy. As I plugged myself for radio, newspaper and podcast interview exposure (something only a narcissist might enjoy) I reported my successes; to Chris. He also gave me the right questions to ask, when seeking media exposure, and he often looked up the audience/media reach for those who agreed to interview me.

Whether the exposure was big or small, Chris treated each of them like a victory. This gave me confidence to keep going. It might sound silly, but after I scheduled my 27th radio/podcast interview, I thought, Chris will be so impressed if I can get that number to 30!

As I write this, three days before my book's launch date, I've scheduled 40 radio/podcast interviews and multiple newspaper and blog exposures. If it weren't for Chris' constant cheerleading and guidance, I would likely have quit after scheduling 10 interviews. And ten is a lot!

Chris doesn't get paid based on how many books I sell or how much media exposure I get. But his encouragement never wavered, and that kept me pursuing more exposure.

But this isn't just about book marketing. The fact that Chris cares (and knows a hell of a lot) would make me want to work with him, work for him, or have him work side-by-side with me...at any sort of job.

Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.

Chris knows a lot. And he cares. The guy is a rockstar (music pun not intended).

The Awesome Music Project

The Awesome Music Project was so much more than a book launch. We started with a 100 day social media campaign, transitioning into the launch and promotion of the book, and then the authors launched a charity. This is an example of how a book is often part of an author's larger ecosystem. We utilized social media and Amazon advertising, an influencer campaign, and tied the book to national and international events surrounding music and mental health. It's important for authors to bring all of their circles of influence together for their book, and there are strategies to use the book to help the author achieve their larger professional and personal goals.