Revive Your Book Sales Part 3: 5 Steps to a Solid Marketing Plan

Publishing Secrets

In this episode, you’ll also hear:

• Why you need a solid marketing plan if you want to reach people with your book’s message
• 5 steps to build a marketing plan that works — and that aligns with your goals for your book
• How to tailor your strategy to reach the right audience with the right message
• Free training: 3 steps to keep your book at #1 on Amazon

Why Isn’t My Book Selling?

Emily had been dreaming of becoming an author for as long as she could remember. As a young girl, she would get lost in stories about dragons and princesses, but now it was time for her to create her own story.

After countless hours at her computer typing away, Emily's book was finally finished! She couldn't wait to show the world what she had created. She submitted it to a publisher, who accepted it with enthusiasm. They predicted that Emily's book would be a huge success, so the days leading up to its release were filled with excitement and enthusiasm.

On release day, Emily eagerly checked her sales figures… but only a few copies had sold. What happened to the hundreds of sales?

While Emily had spent months writing a good story, she didn't spend any time planning how to get people interested in reading it. And without word-of-mouth or advertising campaigns behind the project, no one knew about the book. So no one bought it.

It was a hard lesson learned for Emily. Having great content is important, but having a solid marketing plan is equally critical if you want your work to reach people and transform lives.

No Strategy, No Sales

Like Emily, you have put everything into your book project. You’ve spent so many late nights writing and made countless revisions and edits. But if you don't have a strategy for promoting and selling your book, you won't be able to reach your target audience or make any money from sales.

When it comes to selling books, one of the most important elements is making sure that potential readers know about the book. Without a solid marketing plan in place, no one is aware of your book or its contents.

That means even if you've written something truly remarkable, it won't get the recognition or the attention that it deserves. Think of a marketing plan as the foundation on which your success is built.

5 Tips for a Solid Marketing Plan

Not sure how to put together a solid marketing plan? Don't worry, we've got you covered! Here are five tips to get you started:

1. Define your audience. Who are you truly trying to reach with your books? What age group and gender are they? What interests do they have? Once you have a good understanding of who your target audience is, you will be able to better tailor your marketing efforts to reach them.
2. Research your competition. Once you know who your target audience is, the next step is to understand the other authors who are writing books that appeal to this audience. What marketing strategies are they using? By understanding what your competition is doing, you can develop a solid marketing plan that will help you stand out from the crowd.
3. Set realistic goals. After you define your target audience and research your competition, you need smart goals for your marketing plan. How many books do you want to sell? How much money do you want to make? How hard are you willing to work to make it happen? And how much money are you willing to invest in marketing? Once you've set some goals, you can begin developing a plan of action to reach them.
4. Choose your marketing strategies. There are a number of different marketing strategies that you can use to reach your target audience. These include using social media, running ads, doing guest interviews, and speaking at events. You don’t necessarily have to do all of these things — instead, choose the strategies that will work best for you and your book.
5. Implement and monitor your plan. Once you've developed a solid marketing plan, it's time to put it into action and monitor its effectiveness. This isn’t a “set it and forget it” type of thing. You have to monitor your marketing efforts to see how they’re working. Try different strategies and see what works best for you. And make sure to track your sales and progress so you can adjust your plan as needed.

Creating a solid marketing plan is vital for any Christian author who wants their work to impact as many people as possible. It requires dedication, research, and a strategy that's tailored specifically towards reaching the right readers with the right message.

If done correctly, however, this effort will pay off tenfold (and more!) when eyes — and more importantly, hearts — are exposed to your work. So get to work creating your marketing plan today!

How to Stand Out on Amazon

As an independent author, the challenge is that there are so many books out there for people to choose from. So, even with a solid marketing plan, how do you make sure your book stands out and sells well?

Our friend Nate from selfpublishing.com has created a free training guide that walks you through the three steps to keeping your book #1 on Amazon. With these easy-to-follow instructions, you'll be able to generate more sales and start building a loyal reader base.

Imagine having repeat buyers who love your work! If that's what you want, now is the time to take action. Don't fall behind when it comes to marketing your masterpiece — learn how you can break through with this free training, and get started mastering the skills of successful authorship.

BIO:

My name is Tamara "Coach Tam" Jackson and I am a published author, Facebook© Certified Digital Marketer, host of the Top 100 Publishing Secrets podcast, and founder of The Christian Authors Network (C.A.N.) Facebook© community. I specialize in helping mission-driven authors, coaches, and entrepreneurs increase their exposure, impact, and income through strategic self-publishing and digital media appearances. Just say yes and we will work together to attract a tribe of loyal followers that 1) "get you", 2) love what you do, and 3) are happy to invest in your book, business, cause, or movement. Plus, we will accomplish all of this without fake, salesy, sleazy, or manipulative tactics. Yes you CAN write, publish, and profit in a way that honors God; join the community today at https://christianauthors.net/fbgroup.

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