Today’s email comes from Miles Anthony Smith, who has unusual success marketing books with digital marketing techniques. There is so much to learn and Miles breaks down his discoveries in informative case studies.
I receive so many questions about growing traffic, social followers, and email subscribers which many desire to ultimately lead to ebook and audiobook sales (hopefully). Thus, I decided to ask an expert, Miles Anthony Smith, for his guidance. Miles does sophisticated digital marketing with Rawhide Boys Ranch and as the author of Why Leadership Sucks™ and Becoming Generation Flux. Miles reached out and generously offered to share his 8 confidential keys for growing your web traffic, subscribers, and ebook and audiobook sales (and how to do it on a tight budget). My recommendation is that you read and implement his sage counsel:
We have all been there; maybe you are there now. You’ve written a book, created a website, worked with a publisher to accomplish the tedious steps to offer it for sale (cover art, title, description, categories, grammar/content editing, ebook/paperback formatting), and launched social media accounts all of which take a ton of creative energy and time not just to start but to keep rolling. And you are trying to keep your expenses minimal in order to bootstrap things.
Then deafening silence…
I was even there once, and so was Bryan. But just like the both of us, we get to decide if we are going to persevere long enough to get to a certain level of notoriety (hopefully of the good kind). We have to do the hard (and smart) work in the trenches (consistently and over years, I might add), but the amount of time it takes to get a critical mass of targeted traffic that will start covering just your marketing expenses (not including your time or lifestyle) for your ebook, Paperback, or audiobook, requires you to add the right steps (and avoid the time wasting ones).
Perseverance on the wrong tactics is worse than no perseverance at all.
So join me on my journey, steal what I spent weeks, months, and years to learn, and add these 8 confidential strategies to your book marketing arsenal. You will have a huge leg up on your competition who is wasting valuable time trying to figure things out.
Each of these 8 keys cost little to no money but does require your sweat equity.
Need help reaching new ebook customers on Amazon, iTunes, Audible, or Nook? You must check out Bookbub.com How to Get 172% ROI & 8,841 eBook Downloads With $85 In 3 HOURS
Don’t just focus on Amazon.com. While they are likely the place you will achieve a high amount of your ebook sales, Kobo.com is #2 for me (#5 for Bryan). Some say iTunes is their second best channel for sales, but that all depends on whether iTunes or Kobo will promote your ebook. Kobo is much more focused on indie authors (so you have a much better chance here), and they have a strong market in the US, Canada, and internationally. Apple and iTunes is so large and not focused on less know authors.
7 Straightforward Steps to Jumpstart Kobo eBook Sales and Royalties in 59 Days (Without Paying a Dime)
You MUST record an audiobook version of your book (with your voice or professional voice talent) and publish it with Made for Success Publishing. Since only 7% of books have an audiobook companion, there is MUCH less competition. Plus, the cost of producing your own audiobook has come down in recent years due to inexpensive, yet quality mics and editing software. 15 Snappy Steps to Self-Publish & Record an Audiobook for $85. Need I say more about this one?
Leverage free PPC (Pay-Per-Click) ads to drive brand awareness or even direct sales of your products like I did with my audiobook. How I Got $145 in Audiobook Sales With $475 in FREE PPC Ads
Generate inexpensive, yet targeted email leads by offering a sample of your ebook, music album, or audiobook on NoiseTrade. How To Get 889 NoiseTrade Email Subscribers In 121 Days For Pennies Per Day
Drive new email subscriptions on your website with an overlay. No, this is NOT a pop-up. 10 Stages to Skyrocketing Email Subscriptions with Wisepops & Mailchimp
Stop struggling with how to grow followers AND engagement on Twitter. Explosive, Targeted Twitter & Klout Score Growth: 113% In 59 Days I am currently at 312% growth!
And to reward you for reading this far in the post I am throwing in a freebie that has nothing to do with traffic or book sales, but it’s fun. So enjoy! 33 Nostalgic, Discontinued, & Reintroduced Sodas From The 80’s, 90’s & 00’s.
Miles Anthony Smith, an ambivert and serial specialist, has held senior, executive leadership positions for several businesses or business units over the years with broad management skills across accounting, finance, human resources, digital marketing, and leadership. He currently works for Rawhide Boys Ranch as Director of Vehicle Donations and Digital Marketing and earned a Bachelor of Music Composition degree from Oral Roberts University and a Master’s in Business Administration from the Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University, highlighting his unique ability to operate equally in left and right brain functions. Miles has a knack for spotting and developing talented, cohesive teams focused on new product development and digital/content marketing, resulting in top line and bottom line growth. He is also the author of Why Leadership Sucks™ and Becoming Generation Flux. Miles and his wife Carolyn live with their three children in Green Bay, Wisconsin.