Where would you prefer to spend a little quiet time reading?

If there’s one thing we’d like to prevent authors from having to do over again, it’s your digital marketing, namely your website and social media strategy. After all, you spend hours writing and rewriting, editing and re-editing your work. Enough with the do-overs, right?

Unfortunately, we do see it happen. Authors anxious to quickly develop a “platform” will fling themselves headfirst into the social media muck, without a solid foundation of knowledge to keep them from sinking.

So, presuming you have a book and/or are readying a book and have put a wee bit of thought into what to blog about to get attention for said book, here are four basic rules to keep you from sliding down into the mud:

1. No Squatting

Domain addresses that end in wordpress.com or blogspot.com might tell a customer that you haven’t thought enough of yourself or your work to invest $12 in a domain name and $5 a month in economical hosting. That goes double for just posting your content on Facebook or Goodreads. If your domain isn’t www.YourWebsiteName.com, then you don’t own your platform. It’s rather like having a party and then telling everyone to head to your neighbor’s place two blocks over…

2. Social Media is a Tool, NOT Your Platform

Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, etc. are fantastic sites to augment your marketing efforts, but please remember the end game. We may love Mark Zuckerberg, but honestly, he doesn’t need our help to get traffic. The point of social media is to engage readers and entice them to your site, where you can benefit from the traffic, make purchase offers, and create your own community. Again, the party’s at your place!

3. It’s Never to Early to Build an Email List

Blogs attract people to websites. But what attracts people to blogs? Yes, social media can help, but there’s no substitute for relationship building like an email; it’s your personal invitation to the party. Readers might not remember to visit your Facebook page or stop by your blog, but an email reminds them you have fresh content.

4. Be Ready for Guests!

Just as you wouldn’t want company coming over when your house is a wreck, you don’t want to attract folks to your website if it’s a mess. Even the best content will be difficult to absorb and enjoy if it’s on a poorly designed site or surrounded by clutter.

You’re inviting readers to take time out of their busy lives and spend it at “your place” so it needs to be a vacation spot, not a condemned building. It’s definitely worth the initial investment to have your site professionally designed and optimized with the tools particular to YOUR needs as an author, and to YOUR readers.

Of course, we can help! We invite you to visit our SERVICES page to find out more or schedule a free consultation.