eCommerce Meets Publishing, Part 2
This is a multi-part series of blogs detailing our own Sandee Hart’s experiences marketing her work as a writer. Part 1 of the series is an introductory overview of the series, and Part 3 takes a look at defining your target audience as an author or business.
Define & Build Your Brand
One of the first lessons I learned as a marketer, oddly was the first lesson I learned as an author: clearly and concisely articulate your vision or you will never convey the value and importance to others!
In all aspects of life, we are judged, assessed, and evaluated by others. Your significance and the value you offer by what you intentionally (and unintentionally) share makes a difference.
Everything you write, say, or do comes together to create the bigger picture- the picture of who you are and what you bring to the table. Through social media posts, blogging, article contributions, interviews, and all other collaborations, your visibility increases, providing a path for people to form an impression about you. Keep in mind, this is happening whether you are building your brand or not, so why not actively participate in influencing the direction your brand will take?
From day one, you must be purposeful in your brand building; this means think ahead. Start branding before you launch an eCommerce site or before you publish your first book. By framing yourself and your work you can grab the attention of potential customers or readers. You can give them something to look forward to. Your brand is a continually evolving story that communicates what makes your work unique, and represents an implied promise to your customers or readers of what they can expect you to consistently deliver.
Always keep focused on the fact that readers have plenty of other options vying for their limited attention. You must answer the question: “Why you?” If you can produce an emotional reaction in a reader, and emphasize what makes your work unique, not only will you stand out from the crowd and gain recognition from readers, but you will earn their loyalty and trust as well.
Sounds like a breeze, right?
Here is my branding journey for Nighthawk: A Young Airman’s Tour at Clark Air Base.
Define and Build Your Brand
When it comes to building a persuasive brand, you must develop and produce your brand identity and purpose, and then generate awareness.
Again, sounds like a breeze, but without a plan you are destined to fail.
Identity
Your identity is where you pull everything together. You must expose the visual, written and in-person elements that support your story while speaking to the needs and desires of your readers. This is not necessarily what you say, it is how you say it. The delivery of your message is the first impression your audience will have and you must make an impact in just a few seconds.
It was in building that identity that I learned that there was a huge difference between my brand and the genre of my book. Yes, I researched non-fiction military memoirs, but this book was different and did not necessarily fit the constraints of that particular genre.
- Logo
- Colors
- Fonts – one main or body font and one accent font
- Brand elements – patterns, icons, graphics or other style elements
- Brand tagline – your concise mission statement
- Website/blog – functions as your author headquarters
- Does your “about” page, contact page, book/sales page, blog categories, navigation menu, blog posts and website design all convey a consistent (and accurate) brand message?
- Set up social media accounts using brand design with same or similar URL’s and consistent platform profile photo and description
- Professional headshot and additional photos – consistent across all social media profiles, and for use on your about page and within your media kit (or press page)
- Business cards and other printed marketing materials – old school, but still effective
- Blog post image templates – compelling, quality images that reflect a cohesive brand style
- Other visuals – book covers, photography, illustrations, screenshots, quote graphics, artwork, and video
- Email – email newsletter template or other email graphics
- Domain name and professional email account
Purpose
The purpose is sometimes harder to establish. You have to dig deep and find the core reason for writing. It must reflect the importance people will attach to your book. Your purpose needs to tap the readers’ idealistic motivations—and take them deeper into your reasons for writing.
The foundational questions that your purpose statement needs to answer are:
What’s your brand’s ultimate reason for being?
If you went away tomorrow, what would people be missing?
The difficulty with finding purpose often occurs because we tend to confuse purpose with our goals or marketing strategy. Goals and strategies are continually changing; your purpose should not. And, even though the purpose will not change, it should inspire change in others. Not fully realizing your purpose does not make you a failure. It means you keep pushing forward.
Once you have established your brand identity and purpose, you need to develop a plan to promote and solidify your brand in the eyes of readers.
Awareness
Brand awareness measures how well your brand is known within its target markets. In publishing, it is extremely hard to become #1 on the New York Best Seller’s List, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do everything possible to get there. Here are some things you need to consider when building awareness:
- How will you demonstrate the feelings, values and unique qualities that you want attributed to you and your writing?
- How will you grab your reader’s attention and keep them interested?
- Who needs to know about your books?
- Which types of people would be most interested in your writing? (And where can they be found?)
- What are other authors doing in your genre?
- How can you position yourself and your work differently?
Once you identify your goals and objectives for increasing brand awareness you can begin taking your readers through the buyer’s journey.
These are a few things I have used and found to be effective with promotion:
- Content strategy – your publishing plan of action for your books, blog, social media, audio, video and email list. Utilize each medium’s strengths to share different aspects of your brand story.
- Brand style guide – create a brand style guide that includes your brand-specific fonts, colors, brand elements, patterns and imagery style, so that all your marketing materials are consistent and available at all times.
- Create a detailed reader persona to focus your efforts for reaching and connecting with your “people” – those who’ll benefit most from your work.
- Digital media kit – a marketing package for your book that attracts the media and others to feature you and your work.
- Word-of-mouth is the best form of promotion there is, so nurture your growing band of fans and supporters with extra perks and benefits.
- Collaboration – build your network and join forces with other authors and industry influencers.
As your brand evolves, you’ll need to gauge your audience’s interest and ask for their input and feedback along the way. Continue to build brand equity by continuously re-evaluating, refining, and growing your brand reputation.
Closing Thoughts
When you set out to create an author brand, it is no different than establishing a brand for a fully operational eCommerce site. In order to be truly successful, you have to create a brand that is an ever-evolving entity made up of many components that have to come together seamlessly in order to work as intended. Often, consumers buy products based on what the brand represents alone. People are ruled by emotions, both positive and negative, and it is your job to evoke positive feelings that encourage them to purchase your book or shop at your eCommerce store.
Why not let us create a brand image that memorable and effective and sticks in the mind of the consumer?
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