Episode 5: Ian Lamont on Advertising and Direct-to-Consumer Sales

The BookSmarts Podcast, with Joshua Tallent

In this episode of the BookSmarts Podcast, Joshua talks with Ian Lamont, founder of i30 Media Corporation, about advertising on Amazon and Facebook, utilizing his website to build community, and building direct to consumer sales.

Amazon advertising offers some excellent opportunities to advertise your products and your brands, and has put a lot of thought into how products are discovered and displayed to consumers. However, there are some limitations that come with too much reliance on Amazon's advertising and sales, not the least of which is not being able to see more information about your customers and grow your own relationships with them.

Ian ran into that problem last year when Amazon stopped taking orders from publishers in order to focus on personal protective equipment at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. This caused him to dive into the world of Facebook advertising, and to spend more time building a connection to his customers through his own websites.

Facebook advertising works differently than Amazon advertising, but you get the opportunity to reach a different demographic, engage in social sharing, and build more connections with your readers through that channel. Ian connected his move to Facebook advertising with some changes to his websites, and was able to expand his personal email list and start creating a dedicated cadre of return consumers that now recognize his brand and appreciate his products.

NOTE: I apologize for the intermittent background noise during the episode. The process of publishing never stops, and we recorded the episode while Ian's team was busy packing boxes.