Photo by Taan Hyun on Unsplash
Even before your book is published, it is possible to build an author brand that creates excitement and anticipation for your product. Experienced publishers will often insist on the importance of authors creating an emotional connection with readers before even they read the author’s work. Your readers should feel as if they know you without meeting you.
How is that possible? Well, working with an established publishing and marketing company can ease your process. You will have an understanding of the groundwork that needs laying before publishing your work.
Coming up with an Author Brand Identity
The first and most important step to take is to create a brand identity. This means defining who you want your readers to know you as. As an author, you may need to come up with a logo and brand colors to make your work easy to recognize. Those colors should have some thought put into their selection. It is best to rely on some expert advice before settling on your choice. Depending on how concise you want to get, you may also settle on a brand font and style to be used consistently in all your works.
And Just What is Your Brand?
One thing that is very important to understand. Your “Brand” is not just a clever tag line or a logo. Your Brand is how people feel about themselves when they use your product or services. For example if you feel better about yourself when you wear a Ralph Lauren “Polo” shirt that carries their little icon of the guy on the horse as opposed to that same shirt without the Polo brand/logo, that’s the result of the investment that company has made in establishing their brand identity.
Once you’ve defined your brand identity, you need to create channels to engage with your target audience. Decide on the best social media channels to communicate to your target audience. The target demographic and nature of intended communications will inform the choice of social media platforms. Our e-book, “Social Media Strategy,” helps you form your social media outreach.
It is also important to have a website and/or a blog because it will help you build up an email list. On your blog, you can create posts that reveal your writing style and ideas to readers. On your website, have an ‘about me’ section where you reveal more about your personal life and passions. It makes the author much more relatable to readers.
A good publisher will have the author organize a professional photoshoot. These images will appear on the website, social media accounts, flyers, and on the book.
Brand Awareness Campaign
Once the brand crystallizes, the next priority should be to create a bit of excitement and interest around it. You may look at what other authors in the genre you are writing on are doing to create anticipation for their publications. However, there are a few places you can always start.
Promotion Strategies
First, you need to develop a content strategy for your social channels. You can do short posts, long-form blogs on your website, video interviews, and more. While doing this, have a specific ‘reader persona’ in mind and tailor it to fit them.
Find creative ways to create a buzz for word-of-mouth promotion. For instance, you can organize an event for a few fans from your email list to access your work early. These will become your brand ambassadors. Where possible, organize media interviews on platforms where your target audience is likely to see you. This is where having a well-connected publishing house comes into effect because they can get you through the door in big media houses.
The Value of a Strong Author Brand
Building a strong author brand takes time but ultimately it makes your marketing efforts easier with each new publication. A strong brand attracts readers to you and increases the likelihood of success whenever you put out new work. If you would like help in publishing your work, and building your brand, get in touch with HigherLife Publishing & Marketing Inc. We are an author-friendly publishing house with more than 50 years of experience in both publishing AND marketing!
