New Podcast Episode: Content Marketing to Sell Books with Melanie Herschorn

Most authors know that marketing is an important part of getting their book into the world, and getting readers excited to pick it up. But what many authors don’t know is that there are multiple types of marketing, with content marketing being one of them. 

In the latest episode of All Things Book Marketing, book marketing strategist Melanie Herschorn of VIP Book Marketing introduces us to content marketing and how authors can leverage it for book sales. Join us for an animated conversation on how to break up your promotional content to make sure your brand value shines through with specific examples from Melanie’s experience as a book publishing professional and author. Let’s dive in…

What is content marketing?

Content marketing really boils down to your message and what it is you put out into the world. Your book is a treasure trove of content, so content marketing includes finding new ways to use and reuse that content and a creating great strategy to leverage it. Words, pictures, stories that you share, testimonials, reviews – those are all pieces of content you can, and should, use!

Can authors share other people’s content, or should it be all their own?

Authors should focus on sharing and repurposing their own content first and foremost; with that said, they shouldn’t shy away from sharing other content (with permission, of course) that is relevant to their audience. If an author does share content from another source, they should always add their own touch and their own magic to it.

How much of content marketing should be sharing and serving, versus selling?

The general rule is about 80% sharing and serving and 20% selling. Your audience is going to have a hard time buying something from you if you only show up for them when you’re selling something. The trust factor is extremely important: your audience must trust you to want to buy something you’re selling. How will they learn to trust you? You need to show up for that other 80% of the time, offering them value and serving them well. It’s all about building those relationships.

Can content marketing help authors sell more books?

If you focus on adding value to your audiences’ lives, and are consistent with your marketing efforts, then content marketing can help to sell books. Think about it – if you repurpose content from your book, you win in two ways: you don’t need to reinvent the wheel and spend extra time constantly creating new content, and you can also provide a sneak peek of your book’s content to potential readers so they know what they’re getting and can get excited about your message and how you can help them.

 

The All Things Book Marketing podcast is a popular biweekly show featuring book marketing and publicity tips from the top voices in the publishing industry. Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a new episode!

 

Melanie Herschorn wants to make your book and brand shine. As a nonfiction and children’s book marketing strategist for authors, coaches, consultants, and speakers worldwide, she’s on a mission to support and empower her clients to build a business with their book as the foundation and to help them share their message with the world. Using her unique combination of entrepreneurship, award-winning journalism and PR experience, Melanie guides her clients to create brand awareness, sell books, and position themselves as subject matter experts so they can make a big impact with their book. Her new book, Make a Big Impact with Your Book, launches this fall. Learn more at vipbookmarketing.com and follow Melanie on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook @vipbookmarketing.