No matter what kind of writer you are, there is a one great way to increase your audience and have them beating down your door for your writing, whether it’s your book, your blog, your ebook, your copywriting, your freelance article writing, your travelogues, or any other sort of writing you do. What is this miracle method that puts your words in front of so many more eyeballs?
Internet Marketing
Internet marketing is the best tool a writer can add to his or her promotional toolbox. It is the one marketing method that has the ability to increase your income, no matter which method you use to get paid.
How can a blogger benefit from internet marketing?
Most bloggers depend on adsense or ad sales to monetize their busy blogs. What if you could use your blog to make more money?
It’s the rare blogger who doesn’t have a particular niche or subject that they’re blogging about. It doesn’t matter if the blog is about politics, about a sport or other hobby, about a particular region, about raising kids or about any one of thousands of other possible topics. When you have that specific an audience, then you have the ability to sell them what they’re looking for. If you can tap into that, then you can create information products that answer their needs. You can use your website to sell your ready audience those info products, also known as ebooks. Selling your own products will be much more profitable than running adsense ads or selling adspace.
How can you find out what your audience wants? Ask them. Write a blogpost and encourage people to comment. Then do your market research, create the ebook, and learn how to launch it. Creating an information product is a natural extension of your blogging. It gives you an opportunity to explore an aspect of your interest in much more depth than you can in a blogpost. If the launch is handled properly, your audience is already warmed up to purchase your product. After all, it’s what they asked for!
Once you have an information product to sell, you can promote it through an affiliate network such as Clickbank and have thousands of people promoting you. You can also sell those ebooks through Amazon for the Kindle. Make sure you have your blog address prominently displayed within your ebook, so your new readers know where to find you. Even better, offer a freebie through a page designed to collect email addresses. This is called a squeeze page. You can link from your product download page into your blog.
How can a freelancer, a copywriter or any other contract writer benefit from internet marketing?
Anyone who sells a writing service can easily benefit from internet marketing. Use internet marketing to promote your service. Best of all is the fact that other internet marketers are a ready market for your services. The world wide web is wide indeed, and content is king. Internet marketers constantly need web content. Use the internet marketing forums to promote your service.
How can a novelist benefit from internet marketing?
There’s a saying in internet marketing: the money is in the list. The list in question is a list of email addresses of people interested in you and your books.
When you are promoting a book, whether by touring, book signings, school visits, or speaking engagements, you have an opportunity each time to collect email addresses of those interested in hearing more from you. Simply put a piece of paper on the table with a space for people to give their name and email address.
Most publishers these days require authors to have a website. Having a newsletter sign-up form on your website can increase your email list opt-in, especially if you offer a small freebie to people who sign up, for instance a free short story to read.
Once you have that list, you’ll be able to communicate with your audience directly, and turn those single sales into repeat sales more reliably. You’ll also be able to let your audience know when you’ll be in their area for a book signing.
Terje Sannarnes July 5, 2011 at 5:19 am
I fully agree that content is king and it is even impossible to imagine the modern online marketing without writing content. Writing skills can be perfectly applied for online marketing purposes now. Blogging and article marketing can serve as a good example. So, creative writers, who provide interesting, valuable and unique content are highly demanded at IT market today.
Terje Sannarnes recently posted..Affiliate Programs Vs Google AdSense, What do an entrepreneur choose, both or only one?
John from Web Design Melbourne April 27, 2011 at 1:02 am
Hi Eric,
interesting post, specially for the people who are dreaming to become a Author or a Writer, i am agree with Patricia from lavender oil, but i think internet marketing is much more simple and save lot of money. It may take some time to establish yourself as an expert, still online presence will generates global audience and identity.
I love to share this post with my friends, few of them are really good writer
Thanks for sharing information
John
Jeff Richecky April 23, 2011 at 11:12 pm
This is a good article. I’ve actually been implementing a lot of the things you discussed. My focus here lately has been creating my ebook. There have been a few people that asked what I’ve done to increase my page rank. After about the 5th comment a light went on and I decided to try and honor their requests with an ebook. Hopefully they enjoy it. Thanks for sharing this.Take care, Jeff
Fran Aslam the Onlinewriter April 23, 2011 at 8:58 am
An article explaining how Internet is important for all kind of people. As Dennis has said, keep that credit card in your pocket when you are here as a beginners, or you will use it all the way.
Make sure learn from Internet and do your own thing is the best attitude.
Fran A
Ryan Biddulph April 23, 2011 at 7:59 am
Hi Eric,
All great points here. Asking your audience resonates with me.
As an author or entrepreneur for that matter, feedback is critical. Asking for and listening to suggestions has created a number of major turning points in my career. When we ask and listen, we can sees things from a different perspective. Maybe our ego didn’t want to see these things
But of course, if we let the ego call the shots we are destined to delay our success.
Thanks for sharing Eric!
RB
Ryan Biddulph recently posted..3 Ways to Increase Cash Gifting Sign Ups
Justin | Mazzastick April 22, 2011 at 11:35 pm
Eric,
Even though my blog is new I took the ready, fire, aim approach. I already created my first ebook which is for sale on my site. I am already gaining traffic on a daily basis and getting to know what my readers want and need from me.
Justin | Mazzastick recently posted..Blogging Questions
Dennis Edell April 22, 2011 at 8:26 pm
My advice to beginners is, save your cash. Take the extra time and learn it yourself before outsourcing, and use primarily free avenues.
Dennis Edell recently posted..Guest blogging- Would You Like Me to Write for You
Patricia April 22, 2011 at 7:53 pm
Hi eric
Having our own product is the way to go. But first have to grow an audience which is what I have done for several months now. Then I get a better understanding of what my audience wants. No good writing an ebook that no-one want to buy eh
Also, I have been on a steep learning curve with the whole marketing on-line being something I knew very little about. Some very generous bloggers/marketers have helped tremendously with their encouragement and teaching me some necessary skills to grow my business. Thanks for sharing your information with us Eric. Appreciated.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia recently posted..To buy or not to buy…that is the question
Dan Cristo April 22, 2011 at 3:53 pm
Hey Eric,
No question that Internet Marketing increases reach. There are problems though… Most have never done marketing themselves, or they’d rather focus on the content. For those people there are two options.
1) Spend the time to read, learn and engage with others who can help.
2) Pay someone else to do it for you.
Internet marketing takes time, energy and sometimes a little bit of money. But there are lots of ways to market yourself without expending much effort or money.