Welcome to our five-part series on marketing your self-published book! In this series, we’ll explore the ways that you can use digital marketing to increase sales. In this post, we’ll cover how to set up a social media account and some best practices for using it.
Takeaways |
---|
1. Understand your target audience’s preferences and behaviors. |
2. Develop a compelling and tailored book description. |
3. Leverage social media platforms for targeted promotions. |
4. Collaborate with influencers and book bloggers for reviews. |
5. Implement data-driven strategies for continuous improvement. |
6. Utilize email marketing to engage and update your audience. |
7. Monitor and analyze key performance metrics to assess success. |
8. Establish partnerships with relevant websites for cross-promotion. |
9. Invest in visually appealing promotional materials. |
10. Adapt and refine your strategy based on audience feedback and trends. |
Create A Book Landing Page
A landing page is a web page that contains information about your book, including a link to buy it and maybe other links to related products.
You can create one on your website or use an online service such as Instapage. If you have more than one book, include links to them all on the same page.
Your landing page should include:
Your book cover image (also known as the “cover”) for example, if the title of your book were My Book Title then the filename would be my-book-title-cover .jpg .
A call-to-action button where people can buy your book in exchange for giving their email address (or something similar).
This could be something like “Buy Now” or “Get My Book”. It doesn’t matter what you call it so long as it’s clear and concise; just make sure there’s no ambiguity about what happens when someone clicks it!
A link back to where they can view/purchase your work on Amazon if applicable (if not applicable then feel free not to include this at all). Note:
You must still include an explicit link back here even though we’ve already linked directly inside Amazon itself because Google won’t recognize those internal links when searching through its database–instead preferring external ones.”
When it comes to promoting your digital book, having a solid foundation in marketing is essential. Explore our comprehensive guide on Marketing 101 to gain valuable insights, ideas, and tips that can help elevate your promotional strategies.
Use Email Marketing To Engage With Your Readers
Email marketing is a great way to build a relationship with your readers, especially if you are writing in a niche genre. It also allows you to engage with them and ask for feedback, as well as promote additional books or other products that they may be interested in buying.
Here’s how to set up an email marketing campaign:
Sign up for MailChimp (this is what I use) or another service like ConstantContact or AWeber (these are all free).
Create a “signup form” on your website so that people can subscribe. You can do this by adding the code provided by the service provider into the HTML of your site’s landing page this tells them where the signup form will appear, so they know it’s there even before clicking on it!
When someone fills out this form and clicks on “Sign Up,” they’re sent an initial automated message from you thanking them for signing up! This is just saying “Hi” so that we know who you are 🙂
Use Facebook Groups To Engage With Your Readers
Facebook groups are a great way to engage with your readers. If you have a Facebook page, you can use it as a platform for promoting your book and engaging with fans who want more from the author.
You can also create your own Facebook group that focuses on the books or genre you write in. This will allow you to build up an audience of people who like reading what you have to offer and give them access to exclusive content from time to time.
Are you aiming to master the art of marketing on Instagram? Discover the secrets in our detailed resource, The Guide to Being an Instagram Marketing Master. Learn how to harness the power of visuals and engagement to effectively promote your digital book.
Start A Facebook Group For Writers
If you have a Facebook group for writers, this is your chance to get the word out about your book.
To promote your book, use a post that links to the Amazon page where people can buy it. You can also post photos of yourself with the book (if applicable). Don’t forget to tag any friends who are featured in it!
Ask for feedback on what works and what doesn’t. Ask members how they felt when they read certain passages or scenes, if they predicted anything ahead of time, etc.
You may also want to ask them if they liked the ending or whether there was anything else you should add/take away from future editions of the book.
Promote other writers by sharing their posts as well as other topics related to writing/publishing in general through your Facebook group’s feed (or another platform like Twitter).
This way people will know who else out there can help them with their journey into publishing–and possibly become fans themselves!
Have fun promoting yourself by posting blog updates about what’s going on with you too; maybe even link up some funny memes here and there too so everyone knows where exactly these posts came from 😉
Send Out Advance Review Copies (ARCs) Through NetGalley
Sending out advance review copies (ARCs) is an easy way to get your book in the hands of reviewers, bloggers, and book reviewers.
NetGalley is a digital book distribution platform that has over 1 million registered users on its website. NetGalley offers two types of access: free or paid.
The paid version allows you to send out more ARC copies than the free version does, but both options are available at no cost to you!
NetGalley will also accept self-published books and ebooks published by small presses, so don’t feel like you need a traditional publisher to use it!
The only downside with using NetGalley is that it’s not very well known outside of the publishing community – so unless someone specifically asks for an ARC through this site…you may not get any takers (or at least not many).
Promoting your digital book doesn’t have to break the bank. Explore innovative approaches in How to Market Your Design Business on a Budget to discover cost-effective marketing strategies that can amplify your book’s visibility.
Use Technology To Write Better Books
Use Technology To Get The Most Out Of Your Writing Time
It’s a good idea to use technology to get the most out of your writing time and save yourself from the hassle of typing.
A dictation app can be used to dictate text and audio, which is then converted into text by an AI-based virtual assistant. This allows you to write faster than ever before!
Use A Mind Mapping App For Organizing Your Book Ideas
Once you have all your ideas down on paper, it’s time for organization! A mind mapping app can help with this process by helping you create diagrams that link ideas together in an easy-to-understand way so that others can follow along with ease as well
Create Shareable Content
The first step to creating a shareable content strategy is to understand the needs of your audience. You need to know what kinds of information and content will most interest them, be useful to them, or provide value in some way.
Once you’ve identified the needs of your readership, make sure that whatever it is that you create meets those needs. Consider what types of information they might find interesting or educational; how can this help them learn more about their area/industry?
What kind of entertainment would be most engaging for this group? Is there any way you could combine all three elements into one piece?
This goes beyond just having good ideas. You also need to make sure that what you create is well written, easy-to-read (even if it’s not fiction), grammatically correct, and free from typos and spelling errors the last thing anyone wants when reading something online is too much effort!
Finally: Once created, shareable content should be promoted through social media channels like Facebook groups (for example).
LinkedIn groups or pages like “For Writers by Writers” helps writers promote themselves as well as give them support from other writers around the world.”
Use Video Marketing To Sell More Books
It’s no secret that video is the best way to connect with your audience. We know that because we see it every day in our own lives even if you don’t actively watch videos, chances are you see them or hear them daily.
And while this may seem like an obvious choice, it isn’t always easy to get started with video marketing when you’re already struggling to find time for your book writing and publishing schedule.
But there are many different types of videos out there, each one designed to do something different:
- Promote Your Books (and Brand)
- Promote Your Business (and Brand)
- Promote Your Services (and Brand)
Crafting a successful marketing plan is pivotal for promoting your digital book effectively. Delve into the intricacies of formulating a winning strategy with our comprehensive guide, A Guide to Crafting the Ultimate Marketing Plan, and equip yourself with the tools to propel your book to success.
Host A Giveaway On Goodreads
Goodreads is a social media platform for readers and book lovers. The site has over 20 million members, who like to review books and interact with authors and other readers. If you want to launch your book on Goodreads, then you have to follow some rules:
Giveaway contests are free. You can’t charge anyone for entry into your giveaway contest.
Giveaways must be for your book only! You cannot give away another author’s book as an entry requirement in any way (for example, by following them on Twitter).
If you want to promote someone else’s work as part of a giveaway, it should be done through an external link (for example, tweeting about their book).
Giveaway contests must last no longer than two weeks in duration and this includes both the entry period and winner notification period combined! This will help keep things fair so people don’t get too upset if they miss out on the chance because they were late signing up…
Run An Amazon Kindle Countdown Deal
As the name suggests, a Kindle Countdown Deal is an offer for your book that lasts for a limited time.
You can set up your countdown deal from the “Kindle Countdown Deals” page on Amazon. Simply click “Create a Countdown Deal” and fill out all of the information required to run your promotion.
Once you’ve created your promotion and set it live, it’s time to promote it! You can use advertising platforms like Facebook Ads or Google AdWords to drive traffic back to your book landing page and encourage purchases before the countdown expires.
Be sure to keep an eye on how well these ads perform by measuring things like clickthrough rate (CTR) or cost-per-click (CPC).
When choosing where you want people to go when they visit your launch page, make sure you’re considering design as well as functionality your landing page should look professional while providing visitors with everything they need:
Buying links, reviews from other readers who have already purchased the book, and testimonials from authors who endorse yours!
Digital Marketing Is An Important Skill That Authors Need To Succeed
Online marketing is an essential skill for authors to have. Successful digital book marketing will help you sell more books, build your brand and audience, and ultimately succeed as a writer.
Digital marketing can be intimidating at first but it’s not as complicated as it seems and once you learn it you’ll be able to do so much more with your writing career!
Understanding reader behavior is a key aspect of promoting your digital book. Uncover insights into behavior-driven marketing strategies in 15 Behavior-Driven Strategies for Marketing to enhance your approach and connect with your target audience more effectively.
Conclusion
We hope you found this post to be helpful and can take advantage of some of the things we learned. Please let us know in the comments section below if you have any questions or comments.
Don’t forget to share with your friends on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn so that they can learn about digital marketing too!
Further Reading
Looking for more resources to enhance your understanding of digital marketing? Check out these recommended articles and books:
Mayple’s List of Essential Digital Marketing Books: Explore a curated list of books that delve into various aspects of digital marketing, providing valuable insights and strategies.
Top 9 Digital Marketing Books by Target Internet: Discover a selection of nine must-read digital marketing books recommended by experts in the field, covering a wide range of topics.
10 Books for Digital Marketing Success by Edureka: Enhance your digital marketing skills with this compilation of ten influential books that offer in-depth knowledge and actionable advice.
FAQs
What is the importance of digital marketing books in learning?
Digital marketing books provide comprehensive insights into various strategies, techniques, and trends in the ever-evolving field of digital marketing. They offer a structured way to learn from experts and gain practical knowledge for effective marketing campaigns.
How can I choose the right digital marketing book for my needs?
When selecting a digital marketing book, consider your current skill level, specific areas of interest, and the book’s reviews and recommendations. Look for books that align with your learning goals and offer practical examples and case studies.
Are these recommended books suitable for beginners in digital marketing?
Yes, many of the recommended books cater to beginners by covering foundational concepts and gradually progressing to more advanced topics. They often provide clear explanations and real-world examples to help beginners grasp essential digital marketing concepts.
Can I find digital marketing books that focus on specific platforms, like social media or SEO?
Absolutely. There are digital marketing books that specialize in various aspects of the field, including social media marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing, email marketing, and more. You can choose books that align with your interests and goals.
Are digital marketing books updated to reflect the latest industry trends?
Many reputable digital marketing books are regularly updated to incorporate the latest industry trends, tools, and best practices. Before purchasing a book, check its publication date and any updates mentioned by the author to ensure its relevance to current digital marketing practices.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.