digital marketing strategies

The book industry has been steadily switching digitally for the past few years. Attracting an audience for established self-published authors might not be as difficult compared to new and aspiring authors. One of the most effective digital marketing strategies of promoting books is by utilizing the online environment.

Self-published authors may make it big on the internet if they are well aware of digital marketing strategies. Proper digital marketing is important if you opt to make it big in the internet sector.

Creating a good impression may be highly attainable if you implement the following proposals in digital marketing.

Make Yourself and Your Work Known as an Author by Creating Your Own Website 

As an author, you deserve an introduction to your audience. Acquaint your audience by creating a space dedicated in introducing you and your work. Not only do your audiences get to know you more, this shall also serve to seal the deal for your books.

Let your audience get a glimpse of who you are by including details on your website pertaining to yourself, your interests, other books you have authored, and more importantly, provide your social media accounts for your audience to easily follow your work. In addition, unlike Twitter, Facebook, etc., your website shall serve as an avenue for your audience to formally inquire about your book without character restrictions.

This might seem a bit overwhelming at first, but it only takes a few things for your very own website to be up and running. And the best part of it is you have a rage of free options to it at no cost.

The WordPress Option

Option 1: Even though your domain will contain wordpress.com within the URL (the website address), it will not cost you anything because it is free. If in case you choose to purchase a domain later on, you may do so as you please. But first you must set up a free account, taking into consideration a theme that will help promote your website, mirror your personality, and say something about your books.

Option 2: Though somewhat more specialized than the free option, purchasing your domain and hosting yourself is worth considering, you only have to initiate your WordPress installation. Try seeking assistance from someone you know who can help you with it or you might as well try professional services from People Per Hour or Upwork if you have some spare cash. It is important to canvass and compare prices and experiences whenever engaging the services of a professional. Prices of domain and hosting range from $50.00 to $100.00 per year. This does not include professional fees. Prior to engaging their services, always read their work review to make sure you get your money’s worth.

I use Wealthy Affiliate to host my author website. You can host multiple websites on the platform. Their training and support is world class.  Wealthy Affiliate program has helped thousands of solopreneurs to succeed around the globe.

Search Engine Optimization Guidelines

SEO is not that complicated. Here is everything you need to know about WordPress SEO plugin if you plan to go for Option 2. Click here is for a tutorial on how to use WordPress SEO plugin.

If you are up to speed with SEO, the less seemingly difficult it becomes and this will definitely benefit you in the long run.

Place proper pages on your menu. The recommended pages are:

Homepage

Your e-book is the main focus when people check your site, and your homepage is the perfect place to showcase it. Keep a short and brief introduction about yourself (perhaps within the sidebar).

Images are of paramount importance: To spark intrigue on your readers, place immediately appealing visuals of your book. Include a tagline and a purchase button so people can easily access sites you are selling your books from to purchase your book.

Personal Profile Page

You may place your prolonged personal profile in a separate page (“About”). Others prefer to use a third person narrative to introduce themselves to their audience. But in my opinion, it best to let your audience know about you through a short autobiography answering this on; how your passion for writing has started, what made you decide to write your very first book, etc. Construct your paragraphs in a way that you directly project to your readers a friendly and warm feeling.

Books Page

In your Books page, a proven way of advertising your books is by placing a short description of it for promotional purposes. Insert retailer links for your book so interested buyers can easily navigate these online stores to buy your book.

Author Blog

Some of the very best blogs are written by authors. It is important to showcase to your audience that you are an authority on your topic of chose. An author blog is crucial to modern landscape but be sure to discuss on the right topics in your blog just like cook book authors adding recipes to their blogs so people get a taste of what’s written in the cook book. Fiction writers write tutorials on how to get started; you may also discuss on your favorite authors, or write an interview on other authors, etc. Explore your own sector keeping in mind what would interest your audience.

Keywords and its Importance

Keywords, also called “search queries”, are words and phrases that searchers enter into search engines. It helps search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing etc. know what the contents of your page is all about, so they can match it with terms people place in their search engines. In short, your prospective audience and buyers find you and your book through keywords.

Basic tips on Keywords

Google Autocomplete Keyword Tool

After deciding the topic of your blog, find out what people are searching for within the scope of your topic using the Google Autocomplete Keyword Tool. Take note that these are actual searches, once you add them to your blog, your articles containing them will be populated by Google.

Tip 1. The longer the sentence on Google Autocomplete Keyword Tool, the better.

Tip 2. Add as many related keywords as you can for better chances of being found.

Tip 3. The sentences created must appear in the title of your blog post and in the first paragraph of your blog so Google may clearly determine what your article is all about.

I use Jaaxy keyword research tool as it gives me competitive advantage when it comes to getting traffic to my website.

The Social Media Buzz (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.)

Social media itself gains a huge amount of traffic or attention and is now an indispensable part of modern day marketing. Whether Tweeting about your latest works or sharing a fragment of it through Instagram, social media is the latest way to build an audience, find a network marketing goldmine and attract prospective buyers for your book.

Follow me on Twitter!

Nowadays, almost everyone has already set up a Twitter account. Having your very own Twitter account is a must! Having your own followers and talking to people who share your interest is vital. Follow industry experts, know keen readers, and always entertain Tweet mentions that come your way. Is all about marketing yourself and your work. So, always keep work-related matters professional.

Manage your Professional Identity on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a popular business social network. You might already be using it to build your professional network and inform others on your latest career development, but did you know that you can add informative headlines to inform your audience exactly what your work is all about using LinkedIn?

Here’s a useful article on Hubspot for beginners. To publish articles, you can also use LinkedIn Pulse.

Other Social Approaches

In social media promotion, look for platforms suited for your purpose. For instance, if you are writing a cook book, Instagram might be the best platform for you. Fiction writers find it best to promote their books on Facebook as it makes it possible to build Pages and Groups for readers.

It is all about choosing what is most suitable for you as an author, but you might as well consider what works for others might also possibly work for you or would at least give you some ideas to consider or to help you get started.

Join conversations on forums and groups having the same topic and try to discuss on your work when relevant. Do not over promote your books, etiquette is important when sharing on other Facebook groups or forums.

The 80/ 20 Rule

The Pareto Time Management Rule is one of the most helpful of all concepts of time management; dedicate 80% of your time when you see that something works for you; the remaining 20% should be used in trying new things.

As it is sometimes difficult to predict whether one strategy is more successful than the others, you should always be flexible in the changing demands of digital marketing. Ditch straight away things that do not work as it might not be possible for it to work later on either.

Lastly, give it about a year to see substantial results. Just like taking time to build trust in a relationship, Google also takes time to trust websites, and accumulating a number of social media followers does not happen overnight.

Note: Success is the result of perseverance and persistence.