Content Marketing for Authors
personal brands don't just press post
We talk a lot about how crucial it is to have a personal brand as an author. Personal Branding is how you present yourself as an individual to your audience.
In case you missed it, the owned article below and this guest post for Build Book Buzz both share why you need a personal brand and how to make it happen.
Once you’ve determined what your personal brand is—the 1% of your life you choose to be known for publicly—your next task is bringing it to life. To start, let’s create your brand statement, and break down it’s importance:
I am the go-to person for [demographic] looking for [genre/expertise] and enjoy connecting over [lifestyle themes] in a [tonality] way.
[demographic] Every piece of content you share—whether it’s a blog post, email blast, Instagram story or feed post—is all part of a storyline and should all be for the demographic in your statement. Put yourself in their shoes: if you were them, would you like the content you’re about to press post on? Be honest with yourself, because if you hesitate or say no, chances are your target reader will scroll right by you.
[genre/expertise] Your titles via genre, writing style and business expertise are key pieces of content to share as an author. Do you also have a different job, podcast, any other revenue streams that need promotion or that simply enhance your story? As we get down to the content calendar aspect of this post, you’ll see that this is where you get to sell yourself and your work.
→ Content Categories: My Titles | My Work | Author Life
[lifestyle themes] this is where you get to open up through your personal brand. Are you the author that loves museums and visits one every time you travel? Are you dog obsessed? What pieces of your life did you decide you’re comfortable sharing when you created your personal brand? We’re calling in community members (readers, followers) that will also connect with you over these shared interests.
→ Content Categories: Lifestyle 1 | Lifestyle 2 | Lifestyle 3
[tonality] Do you take a peer-to-peer or conversational tone in your storytelling? Are you serious and grammatically correct? Spend some time thinking about how you want to represent yourself from this perspective, and then consider whether it will resonate with your audience. Once you settle on something, make yourself a couple of notes, such as emojis: yes/no; capitalization: on/off; etc. as a reference guide.
The next step is figuring out where your visual identity. Consider a set editing preset, templates for graphics and unique method of production. By staying consistent with your visuals, you’re ensuring each piece of content is viewed as both an individual entity and as one ‘chapter’ in your story.
The clearer you can be in every aspect of the stories you’re telling not only makes content creation easier for you, but it instills brand recognition with your audience at a faster rate. They’ll feel as though they know you and will (hopefully!) be ready and eager to support you.
Last thing! I’d be remiss not to remind you to stick around after pressing post. Content marketing works best when you prioritize community and the conversations you’re able to have because of it.
Have you noticed any themes in my content? I’d love to hear your thoughts.