By now, we’ve all heard of the “long tail” in sales, from
music to television shows to books. With the advent of the digital age, no
longer are we all resigned to watching “Leave it to Beaver” together. Instead,
we can download a mermaid ménage story or a YA fantasy romance, as we choose.
But what that means is that our marketing efforts are also
more spread out. From genre-specific blogs to niche groups on Goodreads, from
Pinterest boards to Youtube channels, there is a marketing avenue for all of
us. The problem, though, is that we all
have limited time and resources. So we have to determine where our specific
audience hangs out the most.
 |
| Where is my target audience? |
Broad audience better?
Many of us write our books and hope that they appeal to a
broad audience. But in all likelihood, we do have a targeted audience in mind
already. For instance, if we write slightly steamier or erotic romance, we are
probably not expecting the inspirational crowd to pick up our book, or vice
versa. And, we all know the feeling of
having picked up a book that we thought was something else, only to be
disappointed by its contents. (Will we ever go read that author again?)
However, if we have defined our audience, then everything
from our cover to our taglines will reflect what the reader wants, and our
readers will be happy to have their expectations met!
So here are some ideas for determining our target audience:
Do a survey, either on Facebook, or better yet, through your
newsletter subscriptions. Keep it simple – no more than ten questions – and,
along with demographics like age and nationality, ask deeper questions about
preferences and themes. Ask what their
favorite social media is, too.
Your ideal readers:
Think hard about the type of person that you would want to
read your books. If you could dream up a
reader, what would he or she look like? Define these:
•
Personality
• Attitudes
• Values
• Interests/hobbies
• Lifestyles
• Behavior
• Attitudes
• Values
• Interests/hobbies
• Lifestyles
• Behavior
Once
you have those people in mind, it is easier to determine where they hang out,
and then, market accordingly.
Ways to Market:
Search blogs on your topic of interest (even
if they are not romance-related), and ask to guest blog. For instance, my latest
novels are set in the Paelolithic. I will be heavily targeting all of the Paleo
lifestyle sites, too. (And loving that Paleo hashtag!)
Most
people would normally recommend, too, that we buy more targeted ads on
Goodreads or Facebook, however I still cannot find convincing data that says
that these ads generate great sales. As many have said before me, the most
important thing an author can do is 1. Write a great book and 2. Engage with
readers on a personal level.
So
finding your target audience will allow you to find those readers, and then
engage with them where they are. (Of course, like most things, this is
easier said than done…)
What about you? What sort of target audience have you defined
– or not – for yourself, and how has that helped your sales? Love to hear any
and all comments!
About the Author:
Erin writes sensuous paranormal romances set in exotic
locales. Her latest book is a sexy minotaur shifter story set in Crete. A regular blogger for Marketing for
Romance Writers as well as Heroes and Heartbreakers, Erin lives in
Atlanta with her two little paranormal beings and one unruly husband.
Erin also now offers editing services, including help with
bios and queries, on her website.
She's giving away a critique of a first chapter with a subscription to
her newsletter!
