In this episode, Lisa and I discuss marketing for the independent author. Also, Lisa has a new Tip of the Week about testing for marketing. Listen in…EPISODE 11 - Marketing, Marketing, Marketing.
First, Lisa and I discussed out weeks. Or, rather, Lisa told me about the incredible squirrel adventure she had! She saved an injured baby squirrel that managed to make it to her doorstep! She's such a huge animal lover. She turned the little girl over to some wildlife sanctuary folks who could take better care of her. She's the best! As for me, I sent Lisa an Indie Chicks mug as a surprise! Look at that cute picture of us over there. Am I right? I also spent my week drafting my WIP. I was a machine, I tell you! A machine! I think it might have something to do with college classes starting up. ;)
Next, we dove into the main topic for this episode—Marketing! This is one of Lisa's favorite topics. She started with some important definitions. Direct Response Marketing - “is a type of marketing that elicits a specific, measured response resulting from a consumer's direct response to a marketer. Direct response marketing facilitates the delivery of a call to action and outcome via direct or online interaction for immediate feedback and response.”
Then, we moved on to talk about email marketing. There was a lot of discussion about newsletters and how often to send out to subscribers. Lisa mentioned that marketing experts suggest every day. I added, that for folks just starting out, it might be good to take things one day at a time. Try sending out a newsletter once a month. Lisa mentioned that would be a great idea especially if your mailing list is under a hundred. I added that authors could promote subscriptions through contests and giveaways.
Next, Lisa talked about social media marketing. Here are the ones we recommend: Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Snapchat. We recommend that if you are just starting out, you
should pick Facebook. That seems to be what indie authors have the most success with. If you want to add another, select Twitter, which can be great for connecting with other authors. Instagram and Snapchat are great for authors who write in the young adult and new adult space. Lastly, if you write non-fiction, LinkedIn can be very useful.
We also had a nice discussion about Amazon ads, something I've been testing for some time. I mentioned that if you publish under KDP Select through Amazon, I've been noticing a boost for Kindle Unlimited (KU) subscribers and Kindle Owner Lending Library (KOLL) through the ads. However, you should note that the campaign metrics do not include royalties for KU or KOLL generated by the ad. So, it can be tricky to estimate.
Lastly, we talked about some options for marketing platforms. Lisa and I use Shout Outs through our Six website. But, I also use MailChimp for my personal website. Lisa covered some other options which include InfusionSoft, Robly, and Drip.
We closed with Lisa's Tip of the Week! Lisa recommends that you do tests with any ad campaign you are interested in. This includes Facebook, Google, and Amazon. Finding the right combination can be tough!
On our next podcast, Melissa will be reviewing Forever My Girl by Heidi McLaughlin, and Lisa will have another Tip of the Week!
One last reminder: We’re an indie author community, be kind and review your fellow indie authors’ books!
And…
Indie Chicks out.
Comments