Marketing 101c ...Who is your audience?

That can be such a tough question for children’s writers....

You write for kids- they are your audience....but they don’t buy the books unless they have book vouchers to get rid of or are real bibliophiles. Their parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, teachers buy the books....
So who reads your web pages?

Aha...the kids...

So back to the audience question... which audience is your web page for?
Why does an author even have a web page?

The current thinking around marketing yourself on the web is that COMMUNITY is the way to go.
This has been fuelled by the phenomenon know as Facebook and other like minded sites.

Provide your audience with a community to belong to...
Some authors provide catchy names for their online audience and even a shop to buy themed gifts celebrating their online membership...sort of an exclusive club.

But back to the kids....Is your website even designed for kids?
What are they going to want in an author web site?
A little bit about the book, a little bit about the author, some cool pictures, something that no other kid knows about the book or character.... something secret....
A quiz or interactive game grabs attention and can generate word of mouth chat about your site.
Have you been to X.Y.Z.’s site? Take the ‘Am I Going To Die Rich’ quiz...

Feel free to leave a comment with your suggestions for great children’s author web site ideas ....

The dancing skeketon picture is over on the Bones book blog, where you will find a little bit about the book,some extra content, pictures of skeletons...a quiz...

Maureen

P.S.
In the states publishing contracts for children’s authors are beginning to state that providing extra content on websites is part of the book contract.
You wrote the book you sent it off and now it has a life of it’s own...Not any more. You follow it around with extra content updating progress and offering good times to everybody if they read your book... and the next book is the same and the next book....

Marketing 101b -5 things you need to know...

Got your attention did I?

More Little Gems from the ‘Online Marketing Heroes’ book (see previous post.)

1. Be Web friendly in your Online writing.

Reading large chunks of text on screen is hard on the eyes. Try to have your text blocks in small to medium chunks in a good size font. This makes your message very user friendly.

2. Use Web friendly headlines... and sub headings.

Search engines just love these - especially if you hyperlink them to another page on your site. Be a little mysterious....5 things you need to know????
How many times have you found yourself just having to go and have a look...because there is a number in the heading and a question to be answered?

3. Use key phrases

and hyperlink them to other parts of your site...or where ever.
Check out the personal book review on the Bones blog. Use key phrases in the body of your text . Don’t use too many -see my previous post, just strategically place them for the search engine to find.

4.People love people.

Use photos to make your website/blog more interesting. Try to use a photo every post you make.
Check out Fifi’s blog. She is doing a great job of highlighting her artwork and her poetry. Every post has a different style of art which showcases her unique style and tells the world she is a great illustrator....and available for that special commission....

5. ‘Above the fold’

Don’t forget that newspapers do this all the time -the big picture or headline to grab your attention is at the top... even if we are not interested in the latest scandal in parliament, our eyes are dragged to the big headline...PETERS TO GO... shopping for a new suit...
and so it should be on your website.


I hope that these ideas give you food for thought. I am enjoying the research...
I have lots of sticky notes all over this great book and have gathered some great ideas for authors on using interactive content to the best advantage on your website...but that is for the next post.

Maureen

P.S. I’ll try to post it before next week... but you know how it is... school holidays...laundry....WIPwriting....