Digital Marketing Strategies for Authors

In today’s book publishing climate authors are grasping at ways to promote their books. To the average author, this task can become overwhelming and in some cases daunting. The options are not that obvious and digital marketing strategies for authors has not been around long enough to measure its success. So in the meantime, online retailers and promotional companies are practically giving away eBooks to help authors build a following.  But is this what authors have signed up for?

Marketing a book takes time, consistency, monetary investment, and patience. With these thoughts in mind, authors should be open to try any strategy that makes sense but should use judgment in deciding which ones to try and when to try them. Merely throwing money at marketing opportunities you read about will not yield the results you want.

In recent years digital marketing has played a significant role for businesses of any size and now has trickled down to the publishing world. But how would an independent author take advantage of these strategies? Below are some ways digital marketing strategies for authors are being used to increase awareness, brand and customer purchase behavior.

Advertising-

The fastest way to reach your best prospects is ‘paid advertising.’ Authors should create an ad strategy that looks at distribution partners, online resellers, social media platforms, and other resellers. While social ads are a good option, proper planning, testing and understanding the analytics will yield better results.  Running a physical or digital ad in a genre specific magazine or website can increase exposure and build a following. This opportunity cost money, but given the right strategy will be worth the investment.

AdWords and Amazon Marketing Services-

While both platforms are pay per click, there are distinct differences. Authors choose keywords they want to rank for, set a budget and can drive customers to your content or book. Unlike other forms of advertising, these platforms need to be monitored daily to refine and enhance the information. The algorithms work best when these types of ads are left active for some time. Authors can set a daily budget and per click options to test the waters and then expand things once they are comfortable with the platform.

Content Creation-

Creating quality content is something that should be included in every author’s overall marketing strategy. Blogging, guest posting, link-backs, video marketing and other content creating initiatives will lay a foundation for long-term growth. [Tweet “Having many authoritative websites linking to your site will boost your ranking.”]

Website Authority-

Having a website that ranks high will bring more visitors to your site. Having many authoritative websites linking to your site will boost your ranking.  Other ways to increase your overall page and site rank are always to create quality content, use SEO best practices, link your site to all other marketing platforms, have social content that is shared often, improve your internal linking structure and make sure your site is mobile friendly. A basic, well designed website is easy to create.

Email marketing-

Creating an email list continues to be one of the better ways to build and communicate with your audience. If you give your target audience a reason to follow you, they will become loyal and enthusiastic promoters. Even if you are not sure what the benefits are, it’s important to understand that setting up an email list will allow you to build a following. It’s your responsibility to learn the rest.

Social Media-

Social Media is a must for building a following, branding yourself and keeping up with the industry you are in. Authors should create well-thought-out content to post, be consistent when posting and expand their network as large as possible. Give people that follow you on social media a reason to sign up on your email list, share your content and be advocates for your brand.

As an author, there is more involved than publishing a great piece of work.  Marketing is imperative to drive readership and sales. Digital Marketing Strategies for Authors has taken the traditional strategies for book marketing and magnified their strength.  Stress Free Book Marketing has implemented several digital marketing campaigns and has teamed up with some industry professionals to assist in meeting your goals. Don’t hesitate to ask us how we can help.

Rick Lite of Stress Free Book Marketing, stands at the forefront of the ever-changing book industry. He is a seasoned book marketing professional with over 13 years of experience in the industry. Rick’s expertise comes from tirelessly working on new and innovative ways to market his own books and CDs with his company and parent company, Stress Free Kids. Embracing the core values of integrity, innovation, and growth, Rick works closely with authors to create custom, robust book marketing programs. His easy-going manner provides “stress-free” support and comfort to authors going through the book marketing process for the first time. Rick is quick to share his knowledge and “insider tips” for a successful marketing campaign that will lead to increased exposure, awareness and most importantly, sales.