By The WBR Team
As the book publishing world evolves, staying ahead of the curve is crucial for success. This is especially true when it comes to book marketing, where the right tools can make the difference between a bestseller and a shelf-sitter.
For any author looking to launch a bestseller that achieves real business results, it’s important to update your marketing arsenal with the latest innovative tools designed to maximise your book’s visibility, engagement, and sales.
Here’s our guide to the best book marketing tools for 2024, complete with actionable tips, statistics, and valuable pointers.
1. Content optimisation tools: Surfer SEO for books
In today’s world, SEO isn’t just for websites anymore. While books themselves don’t need to be optimised for SEO, book-related content online often benefits from SEO optimisation.
For example, by optimising your author website, book description, or blog posts with relevant keywords and metadata, you can increase the likelihood of your book appearing in search engine results. Ultimately, if potential readers find your book through a search engine, they may be more likely to purchase it – which translates into sales for you.
Tools like Surfer SEO can be used to optimise your book-related content and get actionable insights on how to enhance visibility.
Actionable tip: Use Surfer SEO to refine your book blurb/description on Amazon and your personal website based on the keyword strategy that best fits your book’s topic. By optimising your book description using keyword analytics, you can significantly improve your online discoverability and drive sales.
2. Email marketing software: ConvertKit for authors
Email marketing remains one of the most effective tools for direct reader engagement.
ConvertKit offers advanced segmentation features that allow authors to target their audience based on reader behaviour, preferences, and previous engagements. Whether it’s sending tailored content about new releases or personalised reading recommendations, ConvertKit can help you keep your readers engaged.
But why does email segmentation matter?
According to data from Campaign Monitor, segmented email campaigns can increase revenue by up to 760 per cent. This means that leveraging ConvertKit’s segmentation features will help you target your audience more effectively and increase conversion rates.
Actionable tip: Regularly update your subscriber list with insights from recent campaigns to continuously refine and personalise your interactions with your audience/potential readers. This will make your book promotion much more effective.
3. Social media schedulers: Buffer
Buffer helps to manage and schedule posts across all major social platforms, including LinkedIn, Facebook, X, and Instagram. This tool also has an AI-driven analytics feature that suggests the best times to post based on when your target audience is most active, thus increasing engagement and visibility.
Image source: Buffer.com
Actionable tip: Utilise Buffer’s multi-platform functionality to create a consistent posting schedule, ensuring that your book launch campaign reaches your audience without overwhelming any single platform.
4. Webinar and live streaming services: GoTo Webinar for book launches
Hosting webinars and live streams has become a pivotal part of successful book launches. In fact, a significant percentage of WBR’s authors often host webinars as part of their book promotion campaign!
GoTo Webinar offers an integrated service that allows authors to schedule, promote, and host webinars with ease. The tool supports interactive features like Q&A sessions, polls, and chat options, making it an excellent medium for directly engaging with your readers and creating buzz around your book launch.
Actionable tip: Schedule a pre-launch webinar to tease key themes of your book and capture your audience’s interest. Follow up with a post-launch webinar to discuss deeper insights and engage with reader feedback.
5. Advertising tools: Amazon Advertising and BookBub Ads
Amazon Advertising remains a powerful tool for book marketers, allowing you to place your book directly in front of potential buyers. You can also include BookBub Ads in your book marketing strategy to reach millions of readers subscribed to book deal alerts.
Actionable tip: Experiment with different ad copy and images to see what resonates most with your target audience. Use A/B testing provided by these platforms to hone your ad campaigns.
6. Graphic design tools: Canva
Visual content is more engaging and often garners more visibility on social media than text alone. According to MDG Solutions, content with relevant images gets 94 per cent more views than content without. This means that leveraging tools like Canva can help elevate the attractiveness of your promotional efforts.
Canva’s specialised templates for authors include book covers, promotional graphics, and social media posts, which are crucial for creating high-quality visuals without needing an in-house graphic designer.
Actionable tip: Regularly refresh your book’s marketing visuals to keep your promotional content appealing and relevant. Use Canva’s extensive image library and book-specific design features to create eye-catching promotional materials.
7. Media collaboration platforms: BuzzSumo
Book publicity campaigns are a powerful strategy when it comes to your book promotion. In order to build an effective book publicity campaign, you’ll need the media. That’s where BuzzSumo comes in.
With BuzzSumo, you can find and connect with over 700,000 journalists, spot high-impact journalists with social engagement data, and write relevant pitches faster with the platform’s AI pitching tool.
Actionable tip: Identify journalists with extensive industry reach. Offer free copies of your book for honest reviews and ask them to share their thoughts with their audience. You can also monitor the impact using BuzzSumo’s analytic capabilities.
Conclusion
To make the most of these tools, it’s crucial to integrate and synchronise your marketing efforts across different channels. Coordination ensures that your potential readers receive consistent messaging, which strengthens your brand.
Always stay informed about new tools and market trends. The publishing world is dynamic, and staying adaptable will help keep your marketing approach fresh and effective. Remember, each book and author is unique, and therefore, testing different tools and strategies to see what works best for your specific situation is key. The aim is not just to sell books but to build lasting connections with readers.
If you’d like professional help crafting a book marketing strategy that resonates with your audience and elevates your work to new heights in 2024 and beyond, why not book a free Clarity Call today to learn how our team of experts can help?