You’ve written a book, so I figure you can write…at least well enough to make use of one of the best online marketing techniques I know of — Content marketing promotion for authors.

What Is Content Marketing Promotion for Authors?

From an author’s point of view, content marketing involves the creation and sharing of content online. This content can include blog posts, videos, podcast episodes, or social media posts. When done well, this content does not explicitly promote your book, but its intention is to stimulate interest in your book, leading to increased book sales.

Your content can be posted to your own channels, such as your blog and social media profiles, or you can product guest content on other people’s channels, such as writing a guest blog post or being a guest on someone else’s podcast.

This is a long term strategy that can help build backlinks to your site and introduce new people to your topic of expertise. It can also lead to more sales of your book.

Can Fiction Authors Use Content Marketing?

Yes. If your book is nonfiction, it is easier to use this marketing method, however, if your book is a novel, no worries! Fiction authors and poets can use this technique, as well. You will want to focus on the non-fiction gems of your fictional story or poetry…use your research to help you write articles about the general topic or even talk about the writing process.

For example, if you wrote a high fantasy novel, you could write about Medieval weaponry or lifestyle. If you wrote a horror novel based on some legend or myth, write about the origins of your monster. Did you write a historical romance? Write articles about the period in which your novel is placed. Do you get the picture?

Reuse, Recycle and Repurpose to Make Content Marketing Easier

Written Content

Re-purpose your blog posts and use them in your guest posting, ezine marketing, and social media marketing. Here’s one way to do this:

1. Discover your blog’s most popular topics
2. Come up with some other ways to can talk about these same topics
3. Pitch your ideas to blogs and ezines that accept guest posts
4. Use your blog contennt as a leaping off point for a new article for those venues that accept your pitch

You can also take your blog posts, edit them so they are at least a little bit different, use them as scripts for videos or audio podcast episodes.

Video Content

Video record yourself every time you speak–whether it is at a book signing, a Toastmasters meeting, or a webinar. Take that video and edit it into short, 3-5 minute, videos focused on a single point. Upload those videos to YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

You can also hold a “virtual book tour” by creating videos of yourself reading excerpts from your book in different locations. When 57 Secrets for Branding Yourself Online was released, I recorded myself reading while at my mother’s in the country, aboard the Queen Mary, at the Getty Museum and other locations. These weren’t specific events I was speaking at. They were simply locations I happened to visit and I took the opportunity to use the location as a backdrop for a virtual book reading.

Audio Content

The things you do with video, you can do with audio as well. In fact, you can convert your video to audio and distribute it in that format.

Conclusion

The more content you have available in as many formats and locations as you can manage, the great chance of someone discovering your work, liking it and buying. That’s what content marketing for authors is all about!

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