3 Creative Ways to Promote Your Book

When marketing your self-published book, there are plenty of ways to reach out to potential readers both offline and online. Along with press releases and book readings, you should explore the wide range of marketing tools available to you on the internet. Here are some of the most effective and creative online means of promoting your book.

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Create a Book Trailer
Using videos is an effective form of content marketing that helps to drive engagement and increases conversions on all forms of social media. About 64 percent of internet users are more likely to buy a product online after watching a video.

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A book trailer doesn’t have to be as ostentatious as a movie trailer. It just needs to pique the interest of potential readers. Even if you choose to go big by using voiceovers and a score, this can be done on a budget.

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Ethan Fox, author of “The Scissors and Sword”, made his own book trailer for just $230. He used AudioJungle to source the soundtrack, Fiverr to hire a voiceover artist and VideoHive to collect video clips. Using free video and audio editing software, he was able to create an engaging video for his novel.

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The video clips took up most of his budget, but there are ways around this. You can use a friend’s drawings or title cards to cut back on your costs if your budget doesn’t allow you to purchase stock images or hire an artist to create custom illustrations. It doesn’t have to cost hundreds of dollars to create a book trailer if you have the right tools!

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Think Outside of the Box When Engaging on Social Media
Every self-published author should know that engaging on social media is essential for spreading the word about their new book. Identify your target audience and engage with them on the social networks where you are most likely to find them. For example, Snapchat is popular among teenagers and young adults, which is perfect for authors of YA fiction. On the other hand, authors of non-fiction and self-help books should consider engaging on LinkedIn and forums that relate to the topic of their books.

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John Green presents a great example of how to use this social network to engage with Snapchat users. Recently, he used his snaps to tell a profound love story as he took a walk through a forest. This is exactly the type of visual content that will engage potential readers and encourage them to seek out your books.

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Facebook and Twitter are the two social networks on which all self-published authors should be active. Allowing you to post pictures, videos and text, they allow you to engage with your readers in a variety of different ways. You can stand out from the crowd by doing more than posting updates about your writing progress and everyday life. Host weekly chats, poll your followers and ask them to share photos of them reading your book (or their snack of choice while reading and their favorite location to enjoy a good book).

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Another great tactic is to create a Facebook page for a character in your book. This is a unique method that allows your readers to up close and personal with your protagonist, and it is particularly effective for characters in a book series. Lisbeth Salander and Miss Peregrine have their own pages!

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Invest in Facebook and Twitter Advertising

In recent years, organic reach on Facebook has declined by over 10 percent. As such, it is no longer enough to simply have social media profiles; you should be allocating a small portion of your marketing budget to Facebook and Twitter ads. It is a very cost-effective approach that requires only a few dollars per day to reach hundreds of new users.

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Both social networks offer sophisticated targeting that allows you to really hone in on the type of users that provide the most value to your brand. The best tactic is to target your ads based on interest. Research popular authors in your genre and promote your ads to users who like their pages. Also, consider targeting users who like the books on their own or films based on the books.

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It’s not necessary for social media ads to only attract users to like your profile. There are several different uses available:

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• Increase page likes
• Build your email list
• Sell books directly via social network
• Send traffic to your website
• Promote offers on your book

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The best thing about marketing via social media is that you can do it from anywhere in the world. However, it does come with inherent dangers if you’re using public WiFi. Remember to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to prevent unauthorized access to your email and social media accounts.

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A VPN works by connecting your device to the internet via a remote server, using security protocols to keep any information that you send over the internet secure. This means that any of the data that you send or receive is encrypted and cannot be accessed by a third party. Read this guide about VPNs for WiFi hotspots to find the best Virtual Private Network for your needs and learn more.  

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When promoting your self-published book, be sure to think out the box to engage potential readers across the internet. Having an effective content strategy for online promotion will go a long way to expanding your reach and making more sales.

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Author Bio: Cassie is a blogger with a background in online marketing and a passion for reading. In her writing, she combines her love of these two areas to help self-published authors promote their books via social media.