Social media. Love it or hate it, there’s no getting away from it. Whether you’re using it because you feel you have to or because you’re a social media addict who can’t get enough, there is a role for social media for indie authors. In today’s post, author member Rachel McCollin teaches us how to avoid wasting writing time.

When it comes to getting new inquiries and sales for your local business, local SEO is found to be extremely effective.

In fact, a recent article from Search Engine Watch shows that “there was a 20.1% increase in clicks to call, clicks for directions, and clicks to a business’s website” with Google My Business (GMB) interactions when comparing stats from 2017 and 2018.

This is HUGE!

But in order to generate these clicks, your website’s GMB profile needs to be visible to interested searchers.

To give your business the highest probability of showing up in Google Maps for searches relevant to your business, we have provided a checklist below of GMB optimizations to help you achieve this.

I recently asked some authors what they were struggling with the most with book marketing and social media. The resounding answer was the lack of time.

In today’s world, more responsibility for marketing and promoting a book is on the shoulders of authors. It doesn’t matter if you’re self-published or have a traditional publishing house – most of the book marketing responsibility falls on you.

So how in the world do you manage it all? How do you find time to write, market, and live your life without losing your mind?

I wish I had a foolproof, 100% sure answer for you. But I do have some tips that will set you up to make the process much easier.

Are you actively trying to convert social media followers into paying customers?

Do you see an ROI from your social media activity?

Social media is a fantastic digital marketing asset that can quickly skyrocket your business if you use it correctly. It is among the best marketing assets that will enable you to increase your visibility, brand awareness, and create an outstanding online presence.

If you have a growing following on social media, it means you have a group of potential customers waiting to be engaged with.

However, are you making the most of your followers to increase your return on investment (ROI)?

You don’t need to answer that question, instead, contemplate on it as I provide seven action steps that will help you convert your social media followers into paying customers.

Let’s get started…

By BookBaby author Brian Jud

There are two ways first-time authors can plan their book marketing activities. The first is discovery-driven planning, which evolves through trial and error. A second technique views planning as narrative, conducted as you would when writing a novel.

Now is the time to plan your marketing activities for the end-of-year holiday blitz, but many authors and publishers avoid planning in general because they do not know how to do it. Those who do know typically use a conventional, platform-based marketing plan that builds upon previous experience, with goals described as an increase over last year’s achievements. Planners know what did and did not work in the past, so their lists of strategies and actions are based on that familiarity.

Of course, first-time authors have no history of marketing and selling their books, and this inexperience often leads to “winging it.” The results are usually underwhelming because the neophyte author does not sufficiently understand the publishing business.

There are two different ways for inexperienced authors to plan their future marketing actions. One solution is discovery-driven planning in which much is assumed, but the plan evolves over time through trial and error. A second technique views planning as narrative, conducted as you would when writing a novel.

I absolutely love getting to know authors, hearing their stories, and helping them market their books. Even though book marketing and social media are my specialties, I also listen to the struggles authors have with their overall career.

One thing that I see over and over again is the need for motivation.

Now, I have to be honest, when I see motivational speakers doing their, “Ra! Ra! Ra! You can do it!” spiels I tend to roll my eyes and think, “That’s it?”

That type of motivation that just amps up our feelings quickly fades. Without any new practical methods to deploy, we end up just going back to our old ways and getting stuck again, looking for our next pep rally. Motivation that actually changes our thinking incorporates action steps that lead to achievable goals.

Solid advice that actually applies to us and which we can put into practice gives us a handrail to hold on to as we work at moving our careers forward. Hope is the fuel that powers us to keep going because we see promise in what those new methods hold.

So I have seven strategies for you to put into practice to stay motivated as you work on your book marketing campaigns: