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No matter which influencers you work with and how great your book is, you need to be creative with the kind of content you're using for your influencer marketing campaigns. Ensuring the content is delivered in a fun, relatable and engaging way will help you stand out in a crowded marketplace and capture the attention of your audience. In other words, there's nothing wrong with book reviews, but they aren't the only thing you should be considering.
You need content that the influencer would typically provide, along with the content types their audience looks for and expects. If you choose content formats that the audience doesn’t relate to, you aren't going to get as much traction from your marketing efforts. It could even be off-putting to some of your target market, stopping them from developing any interest in your book. Here's what to consider when looking for creative content formats.
The first thing to do is research your audience. You're already doing that in terms of demographics that would love your book and the influencers who typically interact with them, so just take it a step further. Along with asking yourself what the audience for your book will connect with, look at the platforms they're on and the kinds of content that do well on those platforms. That can help you expand your ideas and do more of what your audience will want to see.
Consider any unique aspects of your book, too, and how you can highlight them in a way that's unique and creative. If you can find a way to do that and also capitalize on what's trending, that can really help you increase interest. Just remember that the goal isn't to fit a square peg into a round hole. It's to adapt a current social media trend to your book and gain readership.
Video content can be an excellent way to market your book. Depending on the audience, video may be a more compelling format than written content, and also helps your audience form more of a connection when they see you, your logo, or images of the book itself. When you're working with your influencer there are four kinds of video content that you can use relatively easily, to see what your audience enjoys or responds to most.
Any of all of these can work for your marketing purposes, but it depends on the kind of book you have and the audience you're trying to reach. Some readers would really enjoy a live chat with the author, while others are more interested in a review or a trailer for the book. A live reading session is also a way to hook readers with something catchy that they might not be expecting, and help your book gain traction before or soon after it’s release date.
Another way to create engaging campaign through influencer marketing is to provide interactive content and challenges. This can take the form of book clubs, but also consider things like reading challenges and book-themed quizzes or polls. People like to feel included, and most people enjoy a little friendly competition to go along with their interactions from time to time. By providing them with that, you'll get them talking about your book, reading it, and sharing it with others.
You don't have to offer big prizes or anything, either. You might offer a signed copy of the book to the winner of a contest, for example, or provide other small tokens of appreciation or acknowledgment. The goal isn't to give away a lot of things, but to get a bigger audience talking with each other about your book. That makes them more likely to talk to others outside of the contest, too, and that leads to additional word-of-mouth advertising for your book and its author.
Being creative with the book's themes and characters through creative storytelling is another excellent way to engage with your audience. Consider fan fiction and fan art, as well as UCG photos & videos, book-inspired playlists or songs, and book-themed recipes or DIY crafts. You can offer options for these, writing or drawing prompts, or even ask readers to come up with their own and share them. There's a lot to choose from.
Some books naturally lend themselves to certain activities, and you'll want to think about what your audience might like. If the main character has a passion for baking, or they like to sing, there are natural leads for recipes and songs or playlists. It's possible that your character doesn't have those kinds of interests, but you can also turn to the world you've built around them for inspiration. Maybe fan art is better suited for your audience, or there's a DIY craft that's inspired by the book.
Remember, not all ideas will work for all books, but you can get creative with content in a variety of ways. You and the influencer you’re working with should be a good creative team, and brainstorm with each other for new ideas. Staying open to each other's ideas and understanding the thought processes of the book's audience can help you both come up with the best and most creative ways to get people talking about your book and buying it for themselves and others.
Maybe your influencer has a content format they want to try, or you have ideas for recipes or crafts they could do to match your book's theme. When you and your influencer get creative in ways that the audience can relate to, you'll have a better chance to see your book's sales grow. That may also help your future goals, because it opens the door for ongoing collaboration and creation for future books, too. Keeping your audience engaged and wanting more is very important.
