Content Marketing Overview for Authors

What is Content Marketing? 

Content marketing is a widely varied and creative method of building layered, lasting exposure for brands, books, and individuals. Content marketing lasts longer online than any other method of marketing. Without marketing, authors are unable to get their work exposed to the world. 

Often, the best marketed books are what sell. 

This form of marketing is anything created and shared. An excerpt from a book to a comment on a character counts as content and thus can be leveraged for exposure and developing connections. 

These key aspects build authority for non-fiction authors and develop interest in fiction authors. It’s a limitless pool of both free and paid options that will draw in readers and inspired fans alike. 

How can Authors Use content to improve their visibility? 

People connect with authentic content. This includes content that stems from books in creation. Readers, both non fiction and fiction fans alike, appreciate insights into the creation process. They thrive on the behind the scenes aspects of a creator. 

For nonfiction authors, it’s also a source for building authority. This means using content marketing, such as vlogging or blogging, it’s possible to connect directly to the people most interested in the area of expertise. 

For fiction authors, it’s a way to develop a plan of connection, preview, and insights. The tool to build your newsletter, increase readers, and expand reach makes content marketing unique for authors. 

What types of content marketing are there?

There are many types of content creation. The one thing authors need to keep in mind is that everything they do, writing a book, posting on a social media site, creating a video, is content created. These are all tools that can be leveraged for content marketing. 

Text based content marketing is the foundation of most marketing campaigns. This can be a blog article, or an article shared on social media. Typically it touches on a topic, relates to the creator, or is created to speak to the reader. In a nonfiction author’s corner, it’s a method many use to build authority with free information. In a fiction author’s corner, it can be leveraged to connect to the reader in a manner that draws them back time and again. 

Audio based content often takes the form of a podcast or audio snippet featured on a website or as a guest spot. This is a method that can be developed and honed to focus on reader directed conversations. In snippet, conversational form, it can and often does draw readers back to hear the next audio snippet. 

As authors, there’s a plethora of content available from the books alone. This empowers an author with a source for reading if they aren’t comfortable speaking on the spot. It also stems from ongoing options, such as reading the first ten percent of a Kindle Vella created story, or a chapter from a non-fiction guide. Nuggets of information directed to a reader can last in their mind and return their attention time and again.

Image based content catches attention on every social media platform, blog locations, and often in some newspaper centered creations. This means that the work created is enhanced by improved visibility and can be leveraged to grab the attention of the causal social media visitor. It’s a tool that can be used in every single post shared online. 

Image based content can be infographics that are easily shared and amplify a message or brand. This can be a quick quote from a book that directs viewers back to the source material. There is also the option to simply add an image to a post too. It can be simplified further but often that doesn’t get shares, amplified messaging, or the level of targeted visibility. 

Video content is one of the most consistent methods of reaching readers, creating authority, and developing a brand. Creators do not have to share their face to share their knowledge, methods, or plans. They simply have to share the information in an engaging and directed method. This may include a virtual representation aka VTuber, or it may not. Video simply must exist to gain some level of exposure. 

What works best?

A mixture of the above methods of content creation are ideal. A monthly or bi-monthly high quality blog article over 750 words grabs both search engine attention and traffic. Add a audio of the author reading the article, images, and things come together on a website to attract attention. Cut the audio in half, include a link, share it to social media with an image and that will create amplification. Take the whole audio, add video elements free from Pixabay or elsewhere and you can create a YouTube video. Pick the most impactful line and add shorter video elements and it’s now a TikTok or IG Reel. 

The next most crucial question though – do you need to do it all? That answer is simply no. No one needs to do all the things all the time to create a reach, or leverage effective content marketing. It’s possible to create the content and share it to high visibility, high traffic locations to get the kind of impact spreading your message can have. 

When should content marketing or marketing in general begin? 

Start early and keep at it. 

The moment words hit the page is when marketing should begin. Leveraging a combination of content and social media from the start begins to build connections before the book is out. It also creates anticipation ahead of the release. When an author puts the book on preorder the results of sharing and talking about the book and contents will translate to preorders, which translates to sales. 

The internet is full of content. How can we make it effective?

This is where quality content, social media, personal connections, and engagement come into play. Crafting content that answers questions being asked online is one method of ensuring visibility because search engines will identify the best answer to questions being asked and feature it in the search results. 

Responding to comments and engagement encourages search engines to log the content as valuable. If the content created is engaging, includes a call to action to comment or share, and consumers of the content follow through, it’s a signal to the search engine that the information provides value. If you’re responding, people will see the engagement and often do the same. 

As authors are well aware, it’s possible to leverage other websites to drive awareness and traffic. To do this effectively there are a few things to keep in mind. Topic, site ranking or authority, and linking options. 

The topic of the intended post needs to resonate with the site content is being created for. As an example, a science fiction author might select to leverage a reflection on science in the media to submit to another site. The site for the content is clearly not going to be a fiction or reader based site, but it may draw readers to author site as long as a link to the author is permitted. Ideally the featured article will have content will be located on a high visibility website. 

Additionally, a Press Release can ensure visibility to higher ranking locations. It also offers the potential for additional visibility if the created press release is developed to be informative and attention getting. The downside to this is the best options are paid options. Many start at seventy five dollars and go up from there for how many sites it’ll be offered to. They are great though, as often a news outlet will pick them up and share it. 

Distribution networks would be another way to leverage other people’s sites. These are intended to connect author content with numerous locations that can feature the content on authority sites. Which site picks them up may not be promised, but a site with high traffic is often all that is needed to begin to establish both authority and visibility. Search engine traffic grows from there. 

Summary:

Search engines love content. Content drives traffic. Traffic sells books, builds brands, and develops trust. The goal for every author, no matter what they write, is to generate trust and connect with readers. By sharing consistent content, search engines know to send people to an author website or book for whatever might come next.