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Thank you, Rachel, for this vital information, I breathed a sigh of relief that I am on the appropriate channels for my demographic. Anyway, social media is fun!
Replyquite welcome. The data is there for any of us to look at and I like that Pew is not skewed toward sales in any way — it’s factual, and we take from it what we need. I am anxious to see a more updated report, though!
ReplyExcellent advice, as always, Rachel. I’ll check out Pew Research Center for sure. I’m a little exhausted and overwhelmed with marketing, probably because I think I should do more than I can. One step at a time, right?
ReplyThanks, Laura! Yes, baby steps. We only have so much time in a day, and using tools like Hootsuite or Buffer help tremendously. The 30-day challenge I created (if you missed it, sign up for my newsletter because I’m creating a book, out in May) gives daily assignments so you do a little here, a little there. First and foremost, focus on building relationships and continuing to write.
ReplySuch a good post. Thank you Rachel. The specifics are gold. (Stil pondering the “What do they carry in their pocketbooks/briefcases” question. Kleenex? Lipstick? A train schedule? Not getting the insight… I can feel that this bank shot approach is certainly the way to go but I’m stumped. 🙁
ReplyHi Anne! Well, think of it this way: do you right teen fiction? Then your ideal reader would likely be a teen girl, and she’d have a smartphone, lip gloss, other makeup items, music, books, movie tickets, a journal or diary…it goes on. This list gives you an idea of who she is. If you write for a 35yo professional business person (male or female), they’d likely have very different items in their briefcase.
Maybe think of it this way: what are their interests? What do they read? Using the demographic info along with a list is a start. You really don’t know til you connect with live people, interact with them, and build your reader base, but you have to start somewhere. hope that helps!
ReplyHi Rachel. I guess it;s the NEXT step that stumps me: how does the (smartphone, lip gloss, other makeup items, music, books, movie tickets, a journal or diary) help you with marketing? Thanks.
Replywell, that should tell you that your demographic skews younger. where are younger girls on social media? google that. typically, though, they’re on Snapchat, Pinterest, Instagram. what are their interest? Boys, duh. But what else? Books, movies, makeup, causes, pets…write about those things, hashtag them, follow those readers on twitter.
anything beyond that, we’d need to discuss in a consult one-on-one because I’d need to know exactly what you’re looking for, your book, your platform specifics, and I’d need to do a full analysis. I hope that helps!
I provide a lot of free info here on my blog. Peruse the posts. 🙂
ReplyGreat advice Rachel, thanks. Now I’ve just to implement it! Good job my diary entries are pencil 🙂 Thanks for hosting #MondayBlogs
ReplyHi Rachel,
Thanks for the article. As you know, I’ve been soaking like a sponge since we came into contact in ’13. At the expense of sounding stupid, please tell me how to go about using the tools you listed for Demographic. I don’t know that I’m exactly understanding how to get them to behave in a way that pulls back data. I went over to Pew Research Center, and was kinda lost. Can you…or anyone here guide me just a bit?
Thanks in advance.
Perri
ReplyHi Perri! good to see you here. Well, I’m not sure what you mean by ‘pulls back data.’ basically, you kind of have to guess at who your ideal reader is, initially: what’s your genre? who do you find is giving you feedback on your books (if you are published)?
if it’s say, females ages 18-25, then you’ll want to go with the newer social media platforms. if older, then facebook is a sure bet. blogging is always going to help your SEO, but ultimately, connecting with readers without the ‘hard sell’ is best.
all the spokes of the wheel count: social, blogging, optimized website, reviews, promotions, email marketing — but making sure to connect with the right audience is key. it’s not an exact science, and we tinker as we go.
Reply[…] Source: This is How You Find Your Readers […]
Reply[…] so fast there, cowboy. That’s a demographics question. What is your genre? Who is your ideal reader? Have you done any research? Do you have any […]
ReplySo much all of this! (I realise that’s horrific grammar, but such is my enthusiasm) I actually like using social media, and I was using it before I ever tried promoting my writing on it, and I think it’s brilliant for building relationships. I have people I talk to regularly who’ve never bought my book themselves, but they’ve recommended me to others – and I’ve usually recommended them for whatever it is they do to other people. It’s really cool when that happens 🙂
ReplyFascinating, and highly useful info in there! I’ve been on Goodreads for some time, and while I enjoy the site, it hasn’t done much for me as an author. As a reader, it’s fueled my already out-of-control obsession with books! While I have no way of knowing if Pinterest has done much for me, I always have fun there too. I’ve actually found bloggers there that I’ve learned quite a bit from. But I suppose that’s key, isn’t it? Have fun and be patient.
Confession: I found Pew quite overwhelming. BUT I learned where to at least start looking from this post. You’ve explained it so much better than anyone else out there on the web! Thank you.
[…] Demographic: I share lots of interesting content (other than ‘buy my book!’ because dear god, if that’s all I knew how to write, why on earth would anyone buy my book at all?), articles, other people’s posts and articles, quotes, pictures, videos, and yes, the occasional promotional giveaway or sale, all having to do with what my demographic is interested in because I targeted specific people with similar interests. […]
Reply[…] Demographic: I share lots of interesting content (other than ‘buy my book!’ because dear god, if that’s all I knew how to write, why on earth would anyone buy my book at all?), articles, other people’s posts and articles, quotes, pictures, videos, and yes, the occasional promotional giveaway or sale, all having to do with what my demographic is interested in because I targeted specific people with similar interests. […]
Reply[…] Know your demographic. Who is your ideal reader? Most authors have no clue (I know I didn’t at first, either). The best place to start: Pew Research Center. Tip: Everyone is not your demographic, no matter how much you want that to be true. […]
Reply[…] your demographic in mind – don’t just follow other authors. Branch out. Find where your readers, bloggers, […]
Reply[…] Research and strategically identify your reader demographic (here’s how), […]
Reply[…] so fast there, cowboy. That’s a demographics question. What is your genre? Who is your ideal reader? Have you done any research? Do you have […]
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