Introduction
If you are an author who is looking to sell more books, then you need to know how to use content marketing. Content marketing is a form of marketing that focuses on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.
When it comes to content marketing for authors, there are a few key things that you need to keep in mind to be successful. In this article, we will take a look at what content marketing is, how you can use it to promote your books and some tips on how to create successful content marketing campaigns.
What Is Content Marketing?
If you want to be successful in marketing, then the content is an important part of your strategy. It can help attract and retain customers by being valuable or consistent with the information it provides them; relevant so people will come back for more every time they’re looking at improving their lifestyle some more via new product purchases – all while driving profitable customer action!
Content marketing is not about selling. It’s about creating valuable content that your target audience will find useful and interesting. The goal is to build a relationship with your audience so that they will eventually buy from you.
Think of it this way: If you were to receive an award for the best blog post of the year, would you rather have it be a sales pitch or something that was genuinely informative and helpful? The latter, right? That’s because people are more likely to buy from someone they trust. And you can’t build trust if all you’re doing is selling.
How To Use Content Marketing To Promote Your Books
Now that we know what content marketing is, let’s take a look at how you can use it to sell your books.
There are a few different ways you can go about doing this. You can use your blog, social media, or even email marketing to promote your books. Let’s take a look at each one in more detail.
Blog Posts
One of the best ways to use content marketing to sell your books is through blog posts. This is because you can show off your expertise on a particular topic and provide valuable information to your readers.
When writing blog posts, make sure that they are well-written, informative, and relevant to your book. If you can, try to include a call-to-action at the end of each post that encourages your readers to buy your book.
Atomic Habits author James Clear had great success with this strategy. He would often write blog posts that were related to his book and include a link to purchase it at the end.
Social Media
Another great way to use content marketing to sell your books is through social media. This is because you can reach a large number of people with your message and you can also build relationships with your followers.
When using social media to sell your books, make sure that you are posting interesting and engaging content. You should also make sure to include a link to your book’s sales page in each post.
For example, you can create quotes from your book and post them on Instagram with a link to your book’s sales page in the bio, this will make your readers become attached to what you’re saying and curious enough to want to know more – thus, clicking on the link and buying your book!
Email Marketing
Email marketing is another great way to use content marketing to sell your books. This is because you can reach a large number of people with your message and you can also build relationships with your subscribers.
The type of content you use in your emails is important when trying to sell books. Quality and relevance will help get readers interested, so make sure that what’s sent out has both! You can also include a call-to-action at the end which encourages them to buy your or another author’s work if they like it – this helps increase conversions because people want nothing more than for their hard-earned money to be put towards something worthwhile (books).
Call-to-actions like “subscribe to our newsletter for a chance to win a free book” or “download our eBook on how to write a bestseller” are effective in getting people to take action, and ultimately, buy your books!
Video Content Marketing
Video marketing is another great way to use content marketing to sell your books. This is because you can show off your personality and build a relationship with your viewers.
To increase the effectiveness of video marketing for your books, you must create quality videos. Your viewers should be engaged and informative so they can buy what’s on offer with each presentation or update about new releases from this author!
Creative titles like “10 books that will change your life” or “You won’t believe what these famous authors read when they were your age!” also do well to increase open rates.
Podcasts or Chapter Reading
As an author, you can also create a podcast where you read chapters from your book or sections of your book and post it online. This is a great way to get people interested in your book and what it has to offer. You can also do interviews with other authors, book reviewers, or experts in your field to help promote your book. Just make sure that the content you are providing is interesting and informative so that people will want to listen to it.
In addition to podcasts, you can also attend or host webinars. During a webinar, you can give a presentation about your book and then take questions from the audience. This is a great way to get people interested in your book and what it has to offer. You can also use this time to sell copies of your book or promote other products that you have available.
When it comes to content marketing, there are several different ways that you can promote your book. You just need to be creative and think outside the box. By using some or all of these methods, you can sell more books and reach a larger audience.
Tips for Creating Successful Content Marketing Campaigns
If you do not have a publisher, it is often difficult to promote your book. This is because you do not have the budget to hire a publicist or pay for advertising. However, there are several ways that you can promote your book without spending any money.
Now that we know how to use content marketing to sell our books, let’s take a look at some tips for creating successful content marketing campaigns.
1. Plan Your Campaign
The first step to creating a successful content marketing campaign is to plan your campaign. You need to set goals and objectives for your campaign and determine what type of content you will create. You also need to decide who your target audience is and where you will promote your content.
If you are a fantasy writer, you can appeal to the gaming community by writing articles about your book that would be of interest to them. You can also create a blog where you talk about your process for creating your book. You can even offer free short stories or excerpts from your book to help generate interest.
But if you are a non-fictional writer, then you will need to be more strategic in your content marketing. This is because you will need to provide valuable information that will help your readers solve a problem or improve their life in some way.
Either way, it depends on your genre and what will appeal to your target audience. Just like you have made an effort writing the book, marketing too will need the same efforts when you are addressing your audiences.
2. Create Compelling Content
The second step is to create compelling content. Your content should be interesting, informative, and relevant to your target audience. It should also be well-written and engaging.
For example, if you are a self-help author, you can write articles that offer tips and advice on how to improve your life. You can also create a blog where you share your journey and offer advice to others who are struggling with similar issues.
And I have also seen comedic writers do very well by creating humorous blog posts or articles that still manage to get their point across without being too heavy-handed.
If you can make your content interesting and engaging, people will be more likely to read it and share it with others.
3. Promote Your Content
The third step is to promote your content. You need to make sure that your target audience sees your content. You can promote your content through social media, email marketing, or paid advertising.
Whatever method you choose, just make sure that you are promoting your content to the right people.
For example, if you are a business author, you can promote your content on LinkedIn. This is because LinkedIn is a platform that is full of professionals who are always looking for new and helpful information. If you are a fictional author, TikTok could be a good option for you. This is because TikTok has a large and engaged community of young people who are always looking for new and interesting content to consume.
4. Measure Your Results
The fourth and final step is to measure your results. This is inevitable and will help you determine whether or not your content marketing campaign was successful.
To measure your results, you need to track the number of views, likes, comments, and shares your content receives. You should also track how many sales or leads you to generate from your content marketing campaign.
If you are not seeing the results you want, then it’s time to reevaluate your strategy. Try something new or different and see if that makes a difference.
How “NOT” to Promote Your Books
Now that you have learned what to do, there are some things you shouldn’t do when using content marketing to sell your books.
Here are a few things to avoid when promoting sales:
1. Don’t Over-Promote Your Book
When you are creating content, it’s important to mention your book from time to time. But don’t make every piece of content about your book. This will only turn people off and make them less likely to purchase your book.
Let’s say you have posted a video about your book and deleted the video to repost it again and again because no one was watching it. This will only make people angry and they might even leave negative comments on your video, which will only make things worse. This alone might not be the only “Example” of over-promoting content.
There are other circumstances where people might over-promote their book. For example, if you have a paid ad on YouTube and the ad keeps playing even after people have clicked “Skip Ad,” this will only irritate them. So make sure you are not over-promoting your book or content in general.
2. Don’t Be Too Salesy
Your content should be helpful and informative, not salesy. If you come across as too salesy, people will tune you out and won’t be interested in what you have to say.
Using words like “buy,” “purchase,” or “shop” too often in your content will make it seem like you’re just trying to sell something, and no one likes to be sold to. Instead, focus on creating helpful and informative content that will benefit your audience and give them a choice to buy your book if they want to.
3. Don’t Spam Your Readers
Don’t spam your readers with too many links to your book or too many calls to action. This will only annoy them and make them less likely to buy your book.
I have particularly seen writing communities (on Reddit or Quora for example) where people constantly link to their books or blog posts in every single comment they make, regardless of whether it’s relevant or not. This is a surefire way to get people to ignore you and your book.
So make sure you are not spamming your readers with too many links or calls to action. Only include them when they are truly relevant and subjective.
4. Don’t Create Clickbait Content
Clickbait content is when you create a headline that is misleading or inaccurate. For example, you might create a headline that says “You Won’t Believe What Happens Next!” when nothing is exciting or unexpected that happens in the article. Also, avoid using “buzzwords” in your headlines. These are words that are overused and often misused, such as “revolutionary,” “amazing,” or “game-changing.” Not only are these words overused, but they also set high expectations for your content that it may not be able to meet, resulting in disappointed readers.
5. Don’t forget to proofread
This is a mistake that a lot of people make. They create great content but then they don’t proofread it before they hit publish. This is a big mistake because it makes you look unprofessional and careless. Always proofread your work before you publish it.
Proofreading avoids grammar mistakes, and there are even many free tools in the market today, such as Grammarly, that can help you with this.
In addition to proofreading your work, you should also have someone else read it over before you publish it. This is because sometimes we can make our own mistakes.
6. Don’t forget to edit
Another mistake people make is forgetting to edit their work. Again, this makes you look unprofessional and careless. Always take the time to edit your work before you publish it.
Editing is different from proofreading in that it involves making sure your ideas are clear and concise. It also involves making sure your article flows well and is easy to read.
7. Don’t forget to format
The last mistake I see people make is forgetting to format their work. This is important because it makes your content more readable and easier for the eyes. Always take the time to format your work before you publish it.
There are a few different ways you can format your work. You can use headings and subheadings to break up your text and make it easier to read. You can also use bullet points or numbered lists to make your ideas easy to follow.
8. Don’t give up
And finally, If you don’t see results right away, don’t give up. Content marketing is a long-term strategy and it takes time to see results. Keep at it and don’t give up.
Who knows – you could even go viral one day!
Conclusion
Content marketing is a great way to promote your books. By following the tips above, you can create click-worthy headlines, proofread and edit your work, and format it for easy readability, and you’ll be well on your way to using content marketing to sell your books. Just remember to be patient and to keep at it and you will see results.
So what are you waiting for? Start promoting your book today! Or if you need help getting started, check out our content marketing services at 12channels. We can help you create a custom content marketing strategy that will get your book noticed.
