What does it take for an author to go from an unknown name to a brand with a loyal following? To turn one-time buyers into a loyal customer base, you need to keep your audience interested and engaged long-term. How?
Here are five digital strategies that keep readers wanting more:
Choose a brand name with personality
A writer’s pen name shapes its identity and tells readers what the brand is all about. Even self-publishers should use an imprint name. Also known as a fictitious business name or “doing business as,” an imprint lets you do business under a name other than your personal name. Before choosing a DBA name, make sure the associated domain is available and check your state’s Secretary of State’s website to ensure it isn’t already in use.
Know what matters to your audience
What keeps your ideal reader coming back for more? Analytics tools empower authors and publishers to discover audience demographics, where their readers hang out online, and what they care about. Once you know where to reach your target audience, you can choose audience keywords that speak directly to readers’ needs.
Use reader magnets to grow your email list
Email marketing is an excellent tool to engage readers, humanize your brand, and add value to the customer relationship. But how do you get readers to subscribe in the first place? Reader magnets give subscribers a reason to sign up by offering something in return. That may be a free gift, exclusive literary content, affiliate discounts, or practical guides.
Get personal with email list segmentation
Building your email list is the easy part. The real challenge is getting subscribers to open newsletters and engage with the content. You can’t do that effectively if you’re blasting the same automated emails to every reader in your audience. List segmentation lets you tailor communication to different groups of subscribers so that both longtime readers and casual subscribers receive relevant and engaging content.
Host events on social media
Don’t wait for readers to come to you. Meet your audience where they’re at by engaging on social media. Go beyond publishing free content and use social media to organize livestream events, polls, discussions, and other opportunities to connect with readers in real-time. Beyond creating a behind-the-scenes experience, social media events foster a sense of community among readers, writers, and fans.
Helping readers discover one’s books is a high priority for any up-and-coming author. However, cultivating a loyal following is just as important as attracting new readers for a brand’s longevity. A loyal audience not only helps to sell more books on a consistent basis, but loyal readers are also a brand’s biggest cheerleaders — and there’s no better marketing than an engaged and enthusiastic community singing your books’ praises!
Vanessa Holwell and her husband, Rick, created HiringSquad.net after losing their jobs during the financial crisis in 2008. The site is designed to be a forum for people to share advice on how to get hired, provide job search resources, and give you the tools you need to get the job you want.
Learn how Kadaxis can help you find your loyal following and start marketing smarter.