How does a book achieve bestseller status? There’s no real formula—different rules and standards apply to different bestseller lists. However, getting people to try or buy new books follows a simpler strategy. When an author’s latest work receives media buzz, they should capitalize on the interest quickly. They can turn interested parties into actual buyers by applying lead conversion strategies. Then, cracking the bestseller list becomes a much easier target.

For book marketers, lead conversion means convincing buyers that making a purchase is the natural end of the journey. It also means creating enough hype to excite not just the author’s captive fan base but other readers as well. With the right mix of marketing, promotion, feedback, and store activities, lead conversion can take over and make copies fly off the shelves.

Understanding Your Audience

To market a book, you must completely understand its intended targets. Even the best lead conversion strategies will fall flat if you market a book to the wrong audience, leading to low sales or negative reviews.

The path to successful publishing starts with understanding who the audience is from the beginning—even before the book is written. The author or publisher should define who the book is for: Why do you want to write this, and what do you expect it to accomplish?

It’s important to remember that a book may have more than one audience. For example, writing a travel journal focused on out-of-the-way Japanese dining places will likely attract foodies, budget travelers, and fans of Japanese culture. But adventure seekers planning their next road trip may also find the book inspirational.

Knowing the audience makes creating lead-generation strategies and promotional activities catering to the same market easier. This includes delving into specific demographic profiles. For instance:

• What are their reading comprehension level and educational attainment?
• Which gender is the more dominant market?
• What are the values and beliefs that might drive them to read the book?

Use reader surveys, review analysis, and social listening tools to learn more about your audience’s interests and pain points. And if you can, interact with readers directly through events such as book fairs and author talks.

Creating Compelling Book Content

Knowing your audience means knowing what excites them. When creating lead conversion programs, focus on the areas that can engage the audience. For example, fans of a renowned author who hasn’t published a new book in years will always be on the lookout. So, you might create content that provides updates about when the new book will finally come out to build excitement. Sharing excerpts can also generate anticipation.

Another way to build positive buzz while counting down to launch is by listening to the audience. How did they respond to the author’s recent works? What are their expectations for the next book? When will the launch be? How does initial feedback look? Of course, marketers should take care not to oversell or over-hype a product if the quality is unproven.

Chronicling the book writing process with behind-the-scenes content can also be engaging. Fans would love to know what inspires the author. They’ll also eat up the chance to pick up small or trivial details that foreshadow events in the new book. You can even offer incentives for readers to sign up for email updates on the book’s progress.

All these lead conversion activities can help generate excitement before the book launch. After the release, marketers can continue to sustain interest by curating and sharing compelling content that adds more value for fans and new readers.

Implementing Effective Lead Capture Techniques

Lead conversion depends on effective lead capture techniques to finally turn browsers into buyers. These tactics encourage prospective buyers to submit their contact data to receive additional information about an upcoming book or publication.

Let’s look at some of the most effective lead capture devices that can nudge visitors to enter their contact information:

• Landing pages that accept reservations for limited pre-order slots for the upcoming book
• Community sites that contain exclusive preview material, behind-the-scenes content, and the author’s personal thoughts on related topics
• Email newsletters that feature fan-friendly web content, including character profiles, location descriptions, and other material
• Community pages where fans can enter drawings and other contests for free items or exclusive events such as book signings or private readings

For each example, provide editable forms so leads can input their contact information easily. Calls to sign up should be clear and consistent across multiple channels.

Nurturing Book Leads With Personalized Communication

It’s important to show readers—and hardcore fans especially—how appreciated and important they are. Targeted emails and social media interactions are easy ways to accomplish this. These lead conversion tools can dramatically increase conversion rates and transform passive prospects into eager buyers. The key is to always apply a personalized approach when sending messages to leads.

Personalization removes the coldness of generic, mass emails. Instead of a standard greeting like “Dear Reader,” personalization uses automation tools to ensure all emails include individual salutations.

More importantly, automation enables marketers and authors to segment their outgoing emails so different audiences receive relevant content. For example, loyal fans might receive an email with content centered on the author’s continued world-building. Meanwhile, casual genre followers and prospects can receive a more introductory message focusing on the upcoming book alone.

Sending high-value content, such as bonus material and exclusive updates, can also keep readers interested. And by personalizing this content, you’ll build trust and create a sense of exclusivity—both of which can nurture leads, build relationships, and drive book sales.

Boost Lead Conversion With Daily.ai

The right lead conversion tools and techniques can help you grow your market beyond your original target audience. Developing and publishing content supporting the upcoming publication can generate awareness and build interest until the launch date. However, continuously creating and curating content can be time-consuming and expensive. This is especially true if you regularly deal with an external agency.

Daily.ai allows you to create artificial intelligence (AI)-powered newsletters without writing a single word. Instead, our advanced AI will generate the content you need to sustain your mailing list’s engagement and interest levels. Daily.ai can produce up-to-date, relevant, and quality content that’s curated and highly readable in minutes.

Learn how easy it is to keep your audience engaged. Book a free demo today!