3 Simple (and Free) Marketing Ideas Working for Authors

I'm keeping this newsletter simple and to the point!

Authors, if you feel like you've hit a wall with your marketing, here are 3 things that are working for some of my current clients.

1. Reaching out to past and current connections at relevant organizations

Here's what we did...

• I sat down and created a list of organizations and companies that I know my author has been connected to in the past, as well as organizations that were relevant to her book/book topic
• I presented this list to the author and asked her to name someone at the organizations she's been connected to in the past who was still working there. Then I prompted her to send an email to each of these individuals to reconnect and share about the book.
• For the organizations she wasn't directly connected to, we found someone in her network who was. So I prompted her to send an email to those people and ask for an introduction.

As a direct result from this outreach she received multiple speaking invitations (including a keynote for a 600+ person event), and several bulk book buys.

2. Connecting with relevant groups through cold outreach

Here's what we did...

• I helped create a list of Facebook groups related to my author's book topic
• I wrote a script for the author to use in his outreach to the group admins, including an offer to do a book giveaway inside the group

Now he has at least one giveaway set up in a group of 1,000+ new Facebook users who have an interest in the book topic.

3. Creating a lead magnet to convert more website visitors to subscribers

Here's what we did...

• My author gets a lot of traffic to her website through blogging and social media, but her newsletter opt in wasn't drawing in subscribers.
• So I created a digital sampler with a chapter from each of her four books (all connected to the same theme/topic).

With this new lead magnet she sees more website visitors converting to email subscribers (where she shares updates on her books and other products), and she is getting increased visibility and sales for her older titles.

Putting it into practice

How can you use these ideas in your own book marketing? The approach you take may look a little bit different from the ones I took with my clients, but the core strategy is there for the copying!

Need help identifying how you can make these strategies (and others) work for you and your book?

I've done quite a few 60-min one-time consults this summer and I've been able to help authors work through problem areas in messaging, Amazon metadata, social media strategy, and more.

If you're looking for a quick diagnosis and a tailored action plan for your book marketing, book a consultation here.

Keep rocking,

Aryn Van Dyke

Founder, Book Rockstar