Oh my goodness, who is ready to talk Marketing? Not me, ever. I truly was not put on this earth to engage in marketing. But never the less, i have found myself knee-deep in the depths of marketing my business and books.
And here's the thing. I had a publisher, but they didn't help me with any of this. So for the last 5 years, I could have (but wasn't) been building my audience through very simple marketing strategies, but I wasn't. And I didn't even realize how much I was missing out on, until I was years in and the opportunity cost is not something I want to calculate.
helping New authors is my thing, or at least I am trying to make it my thing, which has led me to this post.
MARKETING MUST- DOS FOR YOU & YOUR NEW BOOK
and the set up time!
1. GoodReads- 20 Miniutes
This is free, easy and a great way to be connected to the reading community. Jump on there and make your Author Page. Just look at it and you'll see that it is riddled with readers. So you should be there too, if you want people who read to know you exist.
if you're not going to create a website for yourself, you best be on here at least
2. Facebook Page: 15 Mintues
Again, this is FREE! That is my favorite price. This will help you to connect your books to everyone on your Facebook & more. You can schedule posts, share photos, share articles, and more. Help people opt in to following you.
Take time to add things to this page at least 1 time each week, making this one more of a habit it important. My advice, set aside 1 hour to schedule out for a few weeks and then go about your day.
Again, go take a Look! https://www.facebook.com/dreambuiltbooks
3. Instagram:5 mintues
super easy to start up your account, Free, and high visability. This is the most time intensive of all, but you can download apps to allow scheduling. But you need to engage actively. Follow like-minded accounts,or accounts of the audience you're looking for. Make sure that you are searching #hashtags and commenting authentically on posts. Connect with people. And post 3-7 times each week on yours, showing a variety of things.
Social media matters and you need to take it seriously in the world we have today. THis and Facebook are where your audience and your consumers are finding the people & products they want.
Engagement, but not annoyance. I believe that to be the key.
Check it Out> https://www.instagram.com/dreambuiltbooks
4. Do A BOok Launch Event!
Whether it is just on online Facebook Event or a party or whatever, do something. This is something I missed out on for years. With amazon sales & boosting on there, if you can create a concerted purchasing power on one day, you can increase your visibility and get free boosting from Amazon. Now, you have to sell like 300 for that, BUT people love a cause and supporting you. Give them a reason to! Allow them to feel like their purchase made an impact on your success, because it did!
5+ because i don't like these as much but they are worth mentioning and some i got tired of typing, oops...
Twitter, pinterest and any other social media. It is all worth the time, well kind of. I don't like twitter, but I have it.
Events- Be visible, use your connections. Share your book with people
Advertisements-- only do this if you are boosting an event. I haven't found great success paying to direct people to my pages. Facebook, Google, & Instagram are good place to do Ads because you pay by the click, can target certain audience (which you should) and you can set very affordable budgets.
Books Reviews-- Get people who have bought your book to review it, especially on GoodReads and amazon. This helps boost your presence.
Website--I would encourage getting one of these. People want to know where to learn more!
It's not a lot, but it is far more than I had when I got started. Take the time to market your book; likely, no one else will.
And i know it sounds easier, but it is pretty unlikely that someone will pick up your book, they just happened to see, blast it out on social media and suddenly you'll be a sensation and people are calling to interview you or get you on oprah or make it into a movie.
So do yourself a favor and build your audience. Stay tuned for more and comment your thought, feelings, feedback or concerns below. Or whatever random thing you need to get off your chest.