8 TIPS TO MARKET SELF-PUBLISHED BOOKS-Part 2
5) Traffic to website:
If you sell any physical product, whether a book or jewelry, there are three passive ways and an active one proven to increase your website’s traffic and eventually your sales:
a) Passive moves: Not so passive at first but once set and done correctly they’ll have a visible, positive effect on your sales instantly:
- Pinterest:
Here are three basic tips:
i) Sign up for a business Pinterest account not a personal one.
ii)Include your website to your Pinterest profile information.
iii) DO NOT make this common mistake: My Pinterest boards = My products! Pinterest was created so people can share the photos of products they love and recipes they aim to do. Like most of other social media platform, Pinterest is NOT about “You”, it is about them and their interests. I came up with an example of how a children’s book other Pinterest account & boards might look like: Click here to get it .
- Instagram:
There are numerous tactics to use your Instagram account to direct people to your website and eventually improve your sales, I’ll mention two quick tips:
i) On your Instagram account you are given the opportunity to include just one clickable link in your bio, so do include your shortened bit.ly link.
ii) Flash sales or what I love to call “The happy hour”: Surprise your fans with a decent discount just for an hour (or a day if you wish, you are the boss, remember?). While I am known for being an anti-giveaway business-gal and truly believe in my heart that giveaways are one of the worst things you can do on Instagram, but I am pro-flash sales in moderation. This technique helps create a buzz, will encourage people to share your book’s photo/shopping link with their friends and the more people who read your book, the more feedback/testimonials you would get.
Check out how you could automate your testimonials with the link included in out free guide by clicking here.
- Facebook Ads/Instagram Ads:
Less than a few hours ago a beautiful friend Dana, the author of the freshly launched children’s book “Dreamland with Mommy“, asked whether Facebook Ads are worth it, and here is my honest answer: YES, YES & YES! However, there is a right way and a wrong way when it comes to Facebook ads. The correct way extends beyond the standard Facebook rules when it comes to the language used and not exceeding the 20% text rule, there are a bunch of other unspoken rules you need to be aware of, so I truly advise you to either sign-up for a course or hire an expert if you can afford.
b) Active move: a simple, no-brainer yet a lot of people (including myself) sometimes forget to do; Mention your website when you get interviewed and when you get any kind of media coverage.
6) Blogging :
a) A blog on your own website:
Blogging is your gate to modern marketing. Most of young creative entrepreneurs, artists and writers fear sounding too salesy , and I totally understand and relate, after all I can’t stand it when someone tries to push me into buying their product so imagining I am that pushy person is a nightmare!
So how can we encourage people to buy from us while not sounding salesy or being pushy? Human connection. Let people get to know you, as a person and as a writer, this is best done through blogging. One thing I have to mention, building a relationship with your audience through blogging does take time so be patient because it is worth it, I promise.
b) Guest blogging:
Guest blogging is always a good idea to get in front of new people in your niche. Here are two tips to make the most of your guest blogging experience:
- Do your research and write down a list of the top 10 websites in your niche or closely related areas. For example, a children’s book writer could target homeschooling websites, mother & baby websites, children’s clothes websites (Yeah! They do have blogs and some do accept guest bloggers), Kindergarten resources for teachers websites and Islamic online magazines.
- Do include your website when submitting your article/blog post and negotiate using the website’s logo (the one your article will be posted on) on your website under “As seen in” section. This tip is especially important if you are guest blogging on a well-known website.
Extra tip: How to search effectively for Guest Blogging opportunities?
Using Google search (Of course!), make sure you use these two components:
(Your niche)+(“Write for us”)
For example, if you are a children’s books author then your search could look something like this:
Children’s books author “write for us”
The trick here is to use keywords related to your field, in combinations with:
The trick here is to use keywords related to your field, in combinations with:
Write for us – Contributor contributor-Guest post – Guest blogger – Submit- Work with us
7) Free PR, Anyone?
No publicity is bad publicity, so why not use these two great & FREE resources to get publicity?
- Use HARO (Help a reporter out): HARO connects journalists with relevant expert sources, You, to meet journalists’ demanding deadlines and enable creative talents to tell their stories. http://www.helpareporter.com/
- Source Bottle: http://www.sourcebottle.com/ : This is how SourceBottle defines itself “SourceBottle is a free and easy-to-use connection platform that enables journalists and bloggers to efficiently find knowledgeable sources”.
” No Publicity is Bad Publicity” – Learn how to get your book featured. Click here to Tweet.
8) Submit your book to Ingramcontent.com:
Ingram provides a range of services, but I am specifically speaking about utilizing their “Fulfillment center” service to your benefit. Making your book available on Ingramcontent allows your customers to ask their local bookstore (worldwide) to order it online. Ingram could be considered as a fulfillment center. Check their website out for more information:
The main website: www.ingramcontent.com
For self-published books: www.ingramspark.com/Portal/HowItWorks
If you missed part one of this two-part series then click here to read.
