Self-Publishing has become huge in the last few years. With a large number of books available at the click of a button, it is important for the publishing companies to know the tricks to make sure their books are found and bought. The first thing to know is if a person is not looking for a children’s book about Unicorns and fairies they will not fumble upon the marketing material for it and will not be pushed into buying it. So, finding the correct target audience is imperative for any success.
So, it is futile to push any person who may be online into looking or buying the book. One must find people who have the disposition for the kind of book you have and then create a marketing strategy to persuade them into buying.
Here are a few things the publishing companies should keep in mind while designing the marketing plan:
- Know your book. Know the people who will enjoy the book, think of what people will get after reading the book. What you had in mind when you wrote the book. So that you can showcase the book correctly.
- Avoid persuading people who may not like the book. The online feedback and ratings are valuable, and if you convince someone into buying a book they will not like, then your reputation is at risk.
- Look for leads that have a specific interest as your book. The strongest leads are an intersection of people that intend to buy a book and share the specific interest in the subject of the book at hand.
- Focus on leads that are strong. The book is good and it should be brought to readers who will enjoy it and praise it. So, they will share their good experience and further persuade other readers.
- Work your way into the decision-making process of the leads. Think the way a potential reader/purchaser would think while looking for a book. Then find a way for your marketing martial to reach them, and influence their decision. Give special attention to finding out how a reader searches for a particular genre.
- Find your way to places they trust online for information. While looking for a particular target audience, one must be sensitive towards their interests, where they look for trusted advice, where they hang out online who they share common interests with.
- Place persuasive content at potential places. Once you are armed with the information about the buying process of a typical buyer, you can find your way into it. For e.g. There are blogs or online resources that the reader may be looking at to find the advice of which are the best books to buy.
- Sieve out the correct Target Reader. If your book is about ‘unicorns and fairies’, most likely the book will be bought by an adult purchasing for a young girl. They may be parents, grandparents, or a guardian buying a gift. The more you narrow down the audience the more likely a successful purchase will be. It is like shooting empty shots otherwise.
- Influence the purchase decision. Narrow down to a niche of people and make sure they see your book. Flesh out how the specific group of readers/purchasers will decide on a book.
The basis of a successful marketing strategy for a digital book is finding and targeting the right people.
