by Michelle Sass Aleckson, @Jesses_girl4evr
Who likes self-promotion? Anybody out there just love talking about themselves? If you are like me—and many writers I know—you probably just cringed thinking about those questions. And if this is what you think marketing is, no wonder most of us would rather avoid it.
But have no fear!
I’ve come across some ideas recently that helped change the way I look at marketing as an author. This shift in perspective took the dread factor out of the process. Maybe it will for you too.
- Marketing for an author is not about selling books. Yes, of course, we want to sell books, but if you approach your marketing strategy as such, you’re doing it wrong. Marketing is about connecting with your readers. Think about what you can offer your audience instead of what you can get from them as you develop your website and platform.
Sounds great. But how do you do that? Read on.
- Marketing is not self-promotion. It is about sharing passion. Remember passion? The thing that started you on this path in the first place? If you tap into that, you will find the things you can offer your readers.
Do you love to make people laugh? Share funny anecdotes in your newsletter or a comical meme on Facebook. Is food an important element in your stories? Include a recipe in your next post or as a freebie for signing up for your website updates. If I think of marketing as promoting something outside of myself (values, hobbies, passion, etc.) it becomes much easier. Talk about movies or shows you watch that relate to your stories or setting. You can even share a playlist of songs that helped inspire your writing. Yes, you may need to do a little soul searching and find what is unique and important to you that you can give, but remember, this will be a point of connection with others, not just you talking about you.
Also, remember to share the love. Talk about other authors you read and their new releases as they come out. It’s so much easier to talk about a friend’s book! By doing so you share your passion for the genre, for reading in general, and will probably find others who appreciate it too.
- Marketing is not about using as many media platforms as possible. Pick a couple to master and focus on those. Think about your target audience and which social media apps they use. Those will be the most effective places to concentrate your efforts.
- Marketing is not a one-time thing. It’s called “building a platform” for a reason. You don’t throw a pile of board and nails down and hope it ends up a treehouse. Take some time to develop a plan and do a little bit every week. It won’t happen overnight, but diligence will prevail.
I’ll be honest, I still have a long way to go on building my own platform, but I hope some of these ideas help make marketing a little less daunting.
Do you have any marketing tips to share?
After growing up on both the east and west coasts and traveling the world, Michelle Sass Aleckson now enjoys living the country life in central Minnesota with her husband and four children. She loves rocking out to 80’s tunes on a Saturday night and playing board games with family and friends. She’s a graduate of Novel Academy’s Storycrafter course, and she won the 2018 Genesis Award for Romantic Suspense and the 2018 Cascade Award for Contemporary Fiction. Look for her debut novel with Sunrise Publishing in 2021. And in the meantime, you can connect with her at michellealeckson.com!