Whether you've written a book, are a professional speaker, or simply want to grow your reputation and influence in your industry, spreading the word is the name of the game. Building a strategy that amplifies your core message and reaches your ideal audience can seem complicated—not least because there are so many options at your disposal.

Traditionally, marketing and publicity have been the two go-to routes for increasing visibility. You either pay for placement or you pitch to media outlets for coverage. Recently, digital media marketing has entered the scene to fill the gap between marketing and publicity, providing authors with a new way to go about promoting themselves and their content.

While all three pieces can work together for the success of a book, each has its individual strengths that work towards the author's specific goals. The scope of each has grown and evolved over the years and can now be summed up as the following by Greenleaf’s definitions:

Marketing

Marketing taps into the power of paid media and works to build a book’s discoverability and awareness. With Search Engine Optimization (SEO) features and targeted advertisements consumers become aware of your book and are able to find it when they are looking for it. Marketing is ideal for authors looking to:

• Reach a specific retail audience
• Appeal to booksellers, librarians, and other publishing professionals
• Boost retail algorithms and sales
• Drive readers to the book page for purchase
• Garner consumer reviews

Publicity

Publicity has long been viewed as the ideal way to earn media coverage and disseminate an author's message to a mass audience, and it remains an important aspect for established experts. Typically, publicists will reach out to traditional media such as print, radio, and television to increase the demand for your book and your expertise. Publicity is ideal for authors looking to:

• Garner television, radio, and more traditional printed interviews and reviews
• Raise awareness for a cause
• Use their book as a tool to promote their business, speaking, or consulting
• Position themselves as a “talking head” available to offer commentary on events within their expertise

Digital Media Marketing

Digital Media Marketing has recently come into its own as a result of media growth and fragmentation, as well as shifts in consumer behavior. Digital media marketing is the “new school” to publicity’s “old school” in that it builds a digital archive of materials and interviews for authors to share on their own platform, building their credibility on any given subject. This is accomplished by focusing on podcast interviews, article placements, and influencer partnerships. Digital Media Marketing is ideal for authors looking to:

• Spark activity on social media
• Drive readers to their blog
• Build a newsletter and email mailing list
• Reach niche audiences that relate to their content
• Collect evergreen digital content that can be re-shared and that will help with SEO and boost discoverability for their brand

Ideally, an author’s campaign will include the strongest assets from each of these options to accomplish their goals, but it is worth noting that every project is unique and there is no perfect recipe for success. Do what feels right for your audience, brand, and book. Greenleaf is prepared to back you up. To learn more about how Greenleaf can help you reach your book goals, feel free to email us at contact@greenleafbookgroup.com.