Friday, March 18, 2011

Marketing Tips from a Teenager

Ahh....Spring is in the air.  I can feel it, smell it, almost reach out and grab it.  I for one am so glad to see the cold leave until next fall I could do a happy dance.  Hope my neighbors aren't watching. :)  There are many reasons I decided to remain in Texas, but the warmer climate tops this list.  Cold is fun to visit, but I could never live there.

If you have animals, I'm sure you've noticed that the changes in weather triggers weird behavior in your pets.  For some reason the coming of this new season also triggers something in teenage girls as well.  With two, I've learned this the hard way. LOL  This thing is called "The Need for Clothes".  What they wore last year at this time certainly isn't an option and the fall wardrobe won't cut it either.  Don't even make the mistake of suggesting this one.  If your lucky, they'll quit rolling their eyes by the time they are ready to start making their Christmas list.

Anyway, so off we go to the local mall to see if we can reign in this need that causes moodiness if left untreated for very long.  Here's where the brilliance sets in.  At least I think it's smart now.  At the time, I was mortified.

The Sony store sits smack dab in the middle of the mall and is a favorite hot spot for my two.  Just looking and playing around on the different computers and other technical gadgets makes their day.  They don't even have to buy a single thing.  We used to call this window shopping in my day.  I'm somewhat technically challenged so I don't see the fun in all of it.  Once they'd had their fill, they came back giggling and acting like the darn cat that swallowed a huge canary.  I was pooped out and resting on a near by bench.  Of course I just tell them I'm people watching, you know doing research for my next book.  That's when my middle daughter explains her new marketing strategy for selling my new release.  I knew I was in trouble before she even started. 

Apparently, she'd made her way around the store and decided it would be cool to plug in my website on every computer in there.  She left it open to the spot where you can easily find and purchase my book.

Chills rushed my body.  I was cold then hot.  I couldn't move at first and then I wanted to run.  My picture is on that page too.  OMGOSH!  I dug out my sunglasses, ducked my head and couldn't get out of the mall fast enough.  These two stinkers are still laughing about it! LOL 

Now that it's over and I've had time to think about it and the initial shock that someone might recognize me in the mall from the picture on the webpage has worn off, I see the brilliance in her thinking.  How many people go through there?  What if they saw it? Even if it managed to catch one persons eye, it was worth it.  And best of all it was free.  Surely, no law was broken by doing this, right?  Oh, that would be my luck. LOL I just told her if she ever does this again, to make sure I'm not with her!

Teenagers!  You got to Love'em!!

I've updated my website to look more professional just in case.  ;)
www.melissaohnoutka.com