Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
Figuring out how to market effectively is one of the biggest challenges for writers. That’s where Hub Marketing comes in.
When you set out to market something, the first step is to set your goal(s).
For those of you who blew right past this point as being so obvious that it’s eye-rolling worthy, pause a minute. It’s surprising how seldom this step is actually taken. Stop and really decide what you want to achieve with your marketing.
The most likely answers for writers are:
–Make people aware of my most recent release. Note: “Sell your most recent release” is your goal only if you’re wanting to sell copies through your website and other venues. Most traditionally-published authors have little power to actually sell copies; that’s what the publisher does.
—Build my blog readership. Or Increase blog readers’ engagement. Or Increase blog subscriptions.
—Increase e-newsletter subscribers.
–Gain friends/followers/likes on a specific social medium.
Many of these goals are aimed at accomplishing something bigger that’s outside your control, such as increasing book sales, obtaining an agent, or getting a publishing contract. Be sure to set goals you can attain.
Next, employ Hub Marketing to create your marketing plan. I call this marketing concept Hub Marketing because it creates a picture in your mind of how to organize your marketing campaign. Think in terms of a wheel (a Conestoga’s or a Jaguar’s or a Harley’s–whatever appeals to you). The hub of the wheel is your goal. The spokes are the various marketing efforts that lead to your goal.
So, as the diagram below shows, if your goal is to build blog readership, you must drive people to your blog from other social media and using a variety of other techniques.
By thinking in terms of hub marketing, you focus on your goal and how to pull every marketing possibility into the wheel as a spoke. This keeps you from thinking of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and even your home page as separate entities, some of which you “get” and others that mystify and defy you. Instead, they all are viewed as part of the wheel, and you become directed in how you’re engaging in each one.
If you can’t figure out how to use a wheel spoke to achieve your desired result, go back to that medium and see how someone else is using it to achieve what you have in mind. Or use a search engine to lead you to blogs that spell out, step-by-step, how to turn a social medium into a wheel spoke.
What goal are you trying to achieve? What next step do you need to take along the way?
TWEETABLES
How to create a social media marketing plan that really works. Click to tweet.
Setting attainable marketing goals for a writer. Click to tweet.
I tend to think more in terms of “atoll” marketing; while there’s a subsurface link between blog, Twitter, and Facebook, they are effectively separate entities which are inhabited by different tribes.
* The audience for my blog is generally drawn from word-of-mouth, and by comments I make on other blogs – generally but not exclusively written in the same subject area.
* Twitter following has, for me, increased almost exclusively through the use of specifically targeted hashtags. I don’t think there is much correlation between Twitter followers and blog readers; not yet, at any rate.
* That is about as far as I go right now; my Pinterest account was hacked, and I’m going to rebuild it but it will have to wait. And Facebook’s exposure paradigms have changed enough that I’m questioning whether it’s worth more than a small effort, at least at this point.
* The main thing I’ve learned is that patience is absolutely necessary. trying to force a gain in readership by following hot trends – or by trying to anticipate them – just makes for a lower-quality product. Think in terms of three years, not three months.
* And that, for me, is the definition of my goal – to make that which I write something of value, something that can help readers…or even one, single, solitary reader – gain a perspective that helps him or her say, “I’ll keep traveling in hope, if only for today.”
Great info, Andrew! I especially like the last part. Yes, we must create something of worth to others and not just chase trends indeed. Thanks for sharing!
While you’re right that different mediums function in different ways, potential readers for your blog exist on every social site. It’s a matter of how to find them (via hashtags, good photos, quotes, etc.).
My point is to know what your marketing goal is: if it’s driving people to your blog, then figure out how to use every social media for that purpose. Because each medium functions differently, different approaches work for each one.
Offering solid content was a given in my post, although having strong content is the ultimate way to build blog readers.
The marketing goal can be elusive; mine has evolved into a mission, and one that’s hard to define via hashtags, quotes, or photos (that would be a stretch) – how to help someone understand and cope with the long goodbye to a terminally ill spouse. It’s a grim subject (though not without humour, sometimes), and I’ve found that there are really no Tweets or FB comments that I can use. That may be my own limitation; I may not be wise enough to see them.
* The best ‘draw’ by far has come from linking to other blogs, and in commenting truthfully and sincerely. Not looking for pity – but saying, “Look, this is bad, and it happens, but you can still enjoy life, and still build and deepen the relationship…a person who’s dying is alive NOW, and now is really all any of us really have.”
This is an interesting concept, Janet. But God is nudging me to back it up a step–to Hub Ministry, of which my blog, foundation studies and book-in-progress are parts. I feel scattered, and this would pull it together. Thank you for the project for my next retreat day.
Great idea for a Hub Ministry wheel, Shirlee! I think we all need one of those too! And then definitely do hubs from those spokes. 🙂
Good point, Shirlee. There’s no sense in marketing if you still are creating the product. First things first!
Thank you so much for this post, Janet!
Marketing is definitely something on my mind as of late. I’m doing a complete evaluation of my blog right now and planning a big relaunch for the future so the hub is a great idea!!
Right now I’m considering turning my blog into a group blog to gain wider diversity in blog posts and reader connections. I’m not published but I’m trying to build my platform while of course creating a genuine community for readers, writers and travelers.
I would appreciate any advice on the end of expanding my blog to a group blog with regular posters. Do you think this is a good move for a spoke on my wheel? What cons might you see in it? Any advice is appreciated by all! Thank you!!
Morgan, organizing a group blog can be an effective way to build readership. (That’s what we do here at Books & Such.) Bringing together like-minded writers who would appeal to the same audience and who are willing to put time and thought into each post they write are the qualifications I’d look for. And also I’d ask each to commit to promoting the blog regularly.
Thanks, Janet! I’ll keep all of your advice on mind. 🙂
How about a cheese wheel, Janet? 🙂 I was just thinking about this over the weekend, that I need to focus on my blog/website as my primary way to reach readers and use social media to spread the word about my blog. If I channeled the time I spend on FB into blogging, what could the results be? My next step needs to be a newsletter or a subscriber freebie.
Meghan, since I’m a big fan of cheese, I give a thumbs up on a cheese wheel.
It sounds like you’re headed in a direction that should bring you good results. But it takes persistence!
I love this post, as I’m neck-deep in this effort for my Facebook page. While I link everything back to my blog as well, I’m really interested in creating a community on my Facebook “author page.” I don’t have a published book to push yet, which I know will eventually help, so I’ve been taking note of what some of my favorite author friends with successful Facebook pages are doing. It’s all about engagement and follow-up. Ask questions, reply to comments.
Professionally, I am in church communications, so am fairly savvy to marketing tools. In addition to considering the spokes necessary to support any given “wheel” — I would also add this. Make clear the promises to your readers/followers, then stay consistent with delivering on those promises. If you say you’ll blog 3 times a week, blog 3 times a week. If you promise you’ll send a monthly newsletter with exclusive information, do that. And if/when you can’t follow through on a promise, be up front about it and acknowledge it.
It’s all about building relationships, really. 🙂
Teresa, you’re so right that it’s about building relationships and staying true to your word–being regular in showing up on whatever social media you connect through.
I would mention as a wee caution that depending on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest to be your main connection to readers has an inherent danger in it. You don’t own that real estate. You’re “renting” space. So FB can change how you engage with your friends, and do so without warning. If you build your main connection through FB, FB can make keeping that connection difficult or cut it off through a policy change.
Teresa, I’m trying to figure out how to get conversations going on my Facebook author page. It’s been rather discouraging so far. Last week I read a blog post that gave some great-looking ideas for conversation starters on social media. It’s be Edie Melson at The Write Conversation. http://bit.ly/1PiaItl
Here’s hoping her suggestions help. 🙂
Those are great conversation starters, Jeanne. Thanks for sharing that link.
Great link, Jeanne. I saved it. Thanks!
I love the link you shared! Thank you. I’ve been looking for ways to increase traffic to my “Author Page”. This might work!
Thank you for writing on this. I fail miserably at marketing and often doubt my product and it’s worthiness to be promoted…drat being an introvert! I’ve lately restarted my blog, created an author page on FB, and began “tweeting”! I’m looking forward to the ACFW conference. I signed up for every marketing seminar I could!
My goal at this point is creating the blog/social media presence. I understand the necessity of them for creating and maintaining a career, but I’ve struggled with the best way to go about creating an online presence. But this point got some Conestago wheels turning (I couldn’t resist), and I’ve got some ideas brewing. Thanks, Janet. You ladies are such a blessing to this writer who is trying to figure it all out! (And I know to many, many others.)
Westward ho, Melinda!
Janet, thank you for the reminder to evaluate my goals. This is true for my writing, as well as for my family. It’s been a while since I’ve stopped and thought about my goals–writing them down, praying over them. I think I’ve been in a season of trying to keep my head above water, and I need to be more determined and intentional. 🙂
I hear you, Shelli. Just this weekend I was reminded of the same for myself. I think we all go through season in which we’re slogging through deep water. But when we emerge, it’s a good to to take stock, look over our goals, and decide how we should purposefully forge ahead.
I appreciate the comment that we should think in terms of 3 years rather than 3 months. There is more to learn and more to do and more to assimilate. It all takes time and there are also the new products that change the conversation (like Periscope) and amp up the delivery of product and information.. The organization and goal setting as seen in the spokes and hub is a practical tool that is like a target. Everything focuses on the target. I can see it as helpful in keeping me on track. Some of us jumped in the writing business without any background knowledge and no idea of the need for online connecting and community. It took me about a year to begin to “get” the big picture. It’s been quite an educating! A process, I’m glad to say, that has been enjoyable.
Norma, I appreciate your “can do” approach to diving into social media. And, yes, thinking in terms of three years rather than three months helps all of us to keep trekking on.
Janet, this is such a great concept. The Hub Marketing Wheel. I’m doing some of these, but I think I need to research how to do others of them better than I do. And, like Teresa said, I need to research what other authors are doing that seems to be working.
My goal is to grow my blog. I’m definitely going to look at some of the spokes on the wheel you shared above and see how I can do them/more effectively.