Online Marketing for Authors and Artists: Becoming the Expert

In the previous part of this series on promoting your work as an artist or author I discussed optimizing your site for certain keywords that people may use to find you online. While I think it?s important to do this, I believe there are more effective ways you can promote your name and work, that will be more effective at bringing visitors to your website (and ultimately buying something).

Becoming the Expert

This seems the ideal opportunity to elaborate on something mentioned in the last post. I suggested that you might like to follow the ?how to? path.

Aaarggghh! Lisa, all I want to do is be an author/artist, not start coaching others!

OK, I hear you, but if you?re looking to make connections with people and attract them back to your website and new work over and over again, you need something to draw them back.

Years ago, when I was looking for new outlets for my writing, I frequented several popular writing forums and read the blogs of a number of authors. These forums were packed with people who wanted to be writers. Some were serious about it, some were already making a living from writing, but most were tyre-kickers who talked the talk but didn?t walk the walk.

I can tell you now, that the websites I visited again and again, and the email lists I signed up for, were the ones by writers and authors who interacted and engaged with people regularly, and shared some of the lessons they?d learned along the way.

I bought some of their books to see what it was they talked about, I took one of their courses, I eagerly awaited their emails, and I recommended them to other people.

Just because the people on these forums were mainly wannabes doesn?t mean they weren?t willing to spend money or recommend your work to others.

That?s why setting yourself up as an expert can be beneficial.

Of course, this is time you could be spending honing your craft and creating more novels or art, so you need to strike a balance. However, ?being the expert? doesn?t have to mean hours of work or even creating ?how to? books or courses. It can simply mean being at the heart of your community, appearing to be ?in the know? and sharing information around your network.

That?s where social media can and should be helping you.

Now, more than ever, you can be seen as the ?expert? and establish a following online that will build traffic to your website and buyers for your work.

?

Social Media for Artists and Authors

Here are just some ideas of how you can use Social Media to promote yourself and your work ? I?m sure you can think of more, so feel free to add them to the comments section below. As I mentioned in the previous post, choosing a new book or piece of art can be about so much more than the talent of the writer or artist (sorry if that bursts a bubble) and becoming known is half the battle.

Remember, Social Media is about more than Twitter and Facebook (and the new kid on the block, Google+), so find the media that works for you:

?

Podcasting

I?m going to start with a medium that many of you may not have thought about but which can attract a core of raving fans, and that?s podcasting.

Some ideas of how to use podcasts include:

• Solo podcast ? your tips on being an author or artist
• Solo podcast ? sharing some of your writing in audio
• Duo podcast ? get together with another writer or artist and discuss different aspects of the business and your craft (if you listen to Trouble with Freedom podcast, it?s essentially Allison Reynolds and I having our weekly business chat but recording it and making sure we stick to a particular topic each week)
• Interview podcast ? interview other authors, artists and those in related fields
• Take part in someone else?s podcast ? offer yourself as a interviewee for a podcast you enjoy and admire

Video Marketing

Video probably lends itself more to art than writing but can be used to promote both?.and YouTube is the second largest search engine online, so try some of these ideas:

• ?How to? videos ? short videos of you creating (will work better for artists but can still be done by writers)
• Interviews/Commentary ? create a video of you being interviewed or giving a commentary, or of others being interviewed. Keep them relatively short, so if it?s a long interview create one video per question/thought. These can be interviews on the craft, ?how to? tips, what to expect from your next book or exhibition, the concepts behind your work, book reviews, an insight into your life and how you work etc. (in Alison?s case she could take us on a tour of various places in Crete and talk about why/how the island inspires her).
• Montage video ? create a montage of your art work ? either one piece in various stages of creation or an online ?gallery? viewing of your work.

Forums

I?ve already mentioned the importance of being active in forums. They are filled with people wanting to make a living from their work or simply looking for an outlet for what has been a hobby. Most will never succeed, but if you make connections (and have your website or social media link in your forum signature) then it?s a great way to get noticed and encourage them to find out more about you and your work.

Other People?s Blogs

This idea actually came from Alison Quine in her comment on the last post. Blog owners are always looking for new material and some will be open to having guest posters. In return for your blog post they provide a link to your website, usually within a bio. You don?t even need to write about writing or art. For example, ?Alison might write about living in Crete for a lifestyle or travel blog, or self-employment issues for a business blog.

Twitter and Facebook

I?m not going to go into a huge amount of detail on using Twitter and Facebook. Take a look at my post on Social Media for Musicians and think about how you can take some of those ideas and translate them to your own situation.

The important thing is to be the trusted resource and be consistent. Don?t simply use these avenues when you do something of your own. Share other interesting, new and exciting information. Start discussions on your Facebook page. Set-up Google Alerts to receive the information first. Interact with people.

?

Another bonus of many of the above ideas is they are also content for your own blog, and/or things you can mention in your email newsletters and on Facebook and Twitter. Leverage everything you do across different media.

Make sure you come back for Part 3 of the series for my final thoughts and some additional ideas of how to get noticed both online and offline.

You might also be interested in these related SWBN posts:

1. Online Marketing for Authors and Artists: Keywords I?m pleased to be able to count among my friends...
2. SWBN Podcast #015: June Mattiza on Online Success for Small Business This week on the podcast, I chat with June Mattiza...
3. SWBN Bitesize 44: Communicate in Different Ways Anyone who knows anything about Dolly Parton will know that...

Source: http://www.swbnetwork.com/blog/womens_business/online-marketing-becoming-the-expert/

jaws syria debt apollo 13 achilles camelot kristen bell