P is for Periscope.

Periscope, all the rage among marketers and others today, can quickly trigger Shiny Object Syndrome.

If your inbox is like mine, you’ve received lots of messages telling you how amazing this new video tool is. (In four weeks, I’ve received 57 messages mentioning Periscope.)

This could be the only message you’ll get that mentions it but doesn’t say, “OHMYGOSH! You must check out Periscope! It is SO amazing!”

Why? Because this new video app from Twitter might not help you reach the right readers for your book.

Are your book’s readers using this shiny object?

Here’s the thing: You want to use book marketing tools and tactics that help you reach the people who are most likely to buy your book – your target audience.

If you know your target audience well – their age, gender, lifestyle, location, income, education level, social media habits, etc. – you will know if Periscope or any other cool tool will help you get in front of them.

If you don’t, well, you could be wasting a lot of time on Periscope or with any other shiny object, whether it’s podcasting, Goodreads, or Wattpad.

Answer these questions

Before you are distracted by the newest shiny object that everyone seems to be chattering about, ask yourself these questions:

1. Who is using this tool or service?
2. Who will I reach if I use it?
3. Is my target audience – the people who are most likely to love my book – using itl?

If the people using it are your target audience, it could be worth exploring. If the people using it aren’t those who will love your book, then keep moving along.

To prevent the many problems caused by Shiny Object Syndrome, you must know your audience and the tactics that will help you reach that audience. Spend some time learning more about how to determine your target audience and what you need to know to reach them.

What shiny object have you chased recently? Where did it take you?