The 3-Part Marketing Method Every Author and Artist Needs
Marketing can be really tough for people who just want to focus on their art or writing. That’s why I came up with the ABC Marketing Method. It is a way to help authors, artists and other creative people grow their audience, build a brand that people recognize and create things that people actually want to buy.
This method has really worked for me because I used it to grow my business and get more than half a million followers. Aside from that, I sold a lot of books and built a community of people who love my work.
If you’d like a step-by-step walkthrough, you can watch the full video or listen to the podcast linked below.
Prefer to watch or listen rather than read this article?
A is for Audience
Before you start making things or coming up with a marketing plan, you need to know who you are talking to and your audience is the important thing.
You can use these tools to learn about your audience:
Reddit Research: You can look at Reddit threads that are related to what you do. For example, you can search for "Reddit paranormal romance" or "Reddit watercolor art". People are honest on Reddit so you can learn a lot from what they say.
Reviews: You can read reviews of your work and other people's work in your industry. You need to pay attention to what people like and what they do not like and notice the words they use.
Google Trends: You can use Google Trends to see what people are searching for now. This will tell you what your audience is interested in.
Social Media: You can see what people are saying about your genre or industry. Focus on what readers and art collectors are saying, not just other authors or artists.
If you listen to your audience, you will learn how they talk and what they care about then you can use that in your marketing.
B is for Brand
Branding is not just for companies. It is about making your work look and feel the same all the time so people can recognize it.
You can do these things to build your brand:
1. Choose colors, fonts and pictures that fit your style and genre.
2. Think about how much of yourself you want to share with your audience. Even if you use a pen name, you can still show your personality. For me, I did not show my face at first, then I started being more open and it made a big difference!
If you have a brand, people will start to recognize you and trust you over time.
C is for Content
Once you know your audience and have a brand, you can start making content.
Content is everything you share online like:
Email Newsletters
Your Website
Social Media Content
Paid Advertising
I have a framework called Simplified Social Solutions that can help you figure out what to post and I will be teaching this at my summit!
Join the Sales Made Simple Summit
I am hosting an online summit called Sales Made Simple Summit for Authors and Artists from April 20 to 22. You can attend for free and learn about email marketing, social media, podcasting and more. There will also be interviews with people who make a living from their art and have sold a lot of books and art.