As an author, getting your book in front of potential readers is crucial to its success. Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is an effective way to do this, allowing you to target specific audiences and pay only when someone clicks on your ad.
In today's digital world, children's book authors must do more than just write captivating stories. They need to find effective ways to market their books and reach their target audience. One powerful tool that can help authors achieve this is pay-per-click (PPC) advertising.
In this blog post, we'll explore what PPC advertising is as well as some of the top advertising options for authors.
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What is pay-per-click advertising?
Pay-per-click advertising is a form of online marketing where advertisers pay a fee each time their ad is clicked, which drives traffic to their website or product page. This marketing method offers several benefits for children's book authors, allowing them to reach new readers and boost their book sales.
⭐️ Benefit #1 - Targeted audience reach
One of the main advantages of PPC advertising is its ability to target a specific audience. Authors can use keywords and demographics to reach potential readers who are most likely to be interested in their books.
For children's book authors, this could mean targeting parents, teachers, librarians, and other individuals who are searching for children's literature.
⭐️ Benefit #2 - Cost-effective marketing
PPC advertising is a cost-effective marketing solution for children's book authors, as they only pay when someone clicks on their ad. This means that authors are not wasting money on people who see their ads but have no interest in their books.
With proper keyword research and optimization, authors can ensure their ads are displayed to the right audience while keeping their marketing budget in check.
⭐️ Benefit #3 - Quick results
Unlike traditional marketing methods, which can take time to show results, PPC advertising offers immediate feedback. Children's book authors can see how their ads perform in real-time, allowing them to make adjustments and optimize their campaigns quickly. This can lead to faster growth in book sales and readership.
⭐️ Benefit #4 - Easy performance tracking
PPC advertising platforms provide detailed analytics, making it easy for authors to track their campaigns' performance. Authors can measure the effectiveness of their ads by monitoring metrics like click-through rates, conversion rates, and return on investment (ROI). This valuable data helps authors refine their marketing strategies and make informed decisions about their advertising efforts.
⭐️ Benefit #5 - Increased brand visibility
Pay-per-click advertising can boost brand visibility for children's book authors, as their ads can appear on search engine results pages, social media platforms, and other relevant websites. This increased visibility can help authors establish their brand and build a loyal following of readers, ultimately leading to higher book sales and long-term success.
Now that we've covered the benefits of pay-per-click advertising, let's take a look at the most popular PPC platforms for authors - what they are and how they can boost your book sales.
6 Popular PPC Advertising Platforms to Sell Your Book
Amazon Ads
AMS Ads (also known as Amazon Ads) is a powerful PPC advertising platform that allows authors to promote their books on the world's largest online retailer. With Amazon Ads, authors can target specific audiences and pay only when someone clicks on the ad.
In the past, Amazon Ads were only available to self published authors but they have since opened up to traditionally published authors as well - you just have to have your book claimed in Author Central!
One of the reasons why Amazon Ads are great for book sales is because people browsing on Amazon are already in a shopping mindset. This means that you're likely to see higher conversions from your advertisements compared to other pay-per-click ads.
The downside is that the AMS platform isn't the most user-friendly, especially for beginners. If you just create an ad and wait, you're not going to see your desired results so it's important to learn the platform before launching Amazon advertisements.
Need help with that? Check out Amazon Ads Academy.
Google Ads
Google Ads is one of the most popular PPC advertising platforms for small business owners, with the ability to reach a massive audience through search and display ads. This makes it a great option for authors to drive traffic to their website.
With Google Ads, you can target specific keywords related to your book, as well as target audiences based on location, device, and more. You can also set a budget for your campaign and only pay when someone clicks on your ad.
Facebook Ads
Facebook Ads allow authors to reach a massive audience of potential readers worldwide. You can target audiences based on demographics, interests, behaviors, and more. You can also retarget people who have previously engaged with your content or visited your website. Facebook Ads also offers a variety of ad formats, including images, videos, carousels, and more.
While you can run Facebook ads directly to your book link on Amazon, you will often get better results if you set up your Facebook pixel on your website and run ads to get email subscribers using a lead magnet or book sales directly from your e-commerce store.
Instagram Ads
Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms today, with over one billion active users worldwide. As an author, using Instagram ads can be a great way to reach a larger audience, build a following, and promote your book(s). This can lead to increased book sales and more opportunities for speaking engagements and other promotional activities.
Instagram ads work by targeting specific people based on factors like age, gender, location, interests, and behaviors. Advertisers can choose from a variety of ad formats, including photo ads, video ads, carousel ads, and story ads.
The ads appear in users' feeds or stories and are labeled as sponsored content. By selecting specific demographics and interests, you can reach the audience most likely to be interested in your books.
Pinterest Ads
Pinterest is a social media platform that is often overlooked by authors, but it is actually a powerful tool that can help you sell more books, grow your following, and increase brand awareness.
Unlike other social media platforms that prioritize short, real-time updates, Pinterest is a visual search engine that allows users to discover and save content based on their interests. Users can save and organize "pins" onto boards, creating a virtual bulletin board of inspiration and ideas. This makes Pinterest a highly effective platform for product discovery, as users can easily find and save products they're interested in purchasing.
For authors, this means that Pinterest can be a valuable tool for promoting your books. By creating visually appealing pins that showcase your book covers, quotes, and other promotional materials, you can attract potential readers who are searching for new books to read.
You can also create boards around specific themes related to your book, such as "inspiration for my next book" or "books I'm reading this month," to engage with your audience and increase brand awareness.
One of the most powerful features of Pinterest for authors is the ability to use Pinterest ads. You can create Promoted Pins that appear in users' feeds, as well as Promoted Video Pins that autoplay in users' feeds. By creating visually appealing ads that showcase your book covers and other promotional materials, you can attract potential readers and drive traffic to your website or Amazon page.
Another benefit of using Pinterest ads is that they can be highly cost-effective. Because Pinterest users are actively searching for products and ideas, they're more likely to click on ads that are relevant to their interests, meaning you can get more clicks for your advertising dollar.
Bookbub Ads
BookBub is a platform that helps authors promote their books to a large audience of engaged readers. It offers a variety of tools and services, including a daily email newsletter that features discounted and free eBooks, as well as book recommendations based on a user's reading preferences. BookBub also offers advertising opportunities for authors to promote their books to BookBub's audience of avid readers.
BookBub has a range of ad formats to choose from, including featured deals, new releases, and author recommendations. These ad formats allow authors to showcase their books in a variety of ways, from offering discounted or free eBooks to highlighting new releases or books that are similar to popular authors or books in their genre.
Another benefit of BookBub ads is that they offer a high level of control over your ad spend and targeting. Advertisers can set their own budget and bid prices, and adjust their targeting and ad creative as needed to optimize their ad performance.
It's important to note that BookBub may not be the best platform for promoting picture books, as its audience tends to be more focused on chapter books and novels. However, this is a generalization. BookBub ads can be a highly effective way to reach a large audience of engaged readers and increase book sales.
Each PPC advertising platform has its unique strengths and weaknesses, so it is essential for you to consider your goals, budgets, and target audience before selecting a platform to use.
It is worth noting that while PPC advertising can be effective, it is not the only marketing strategy that you should use. A comprehensive marketing plan uses many different strategies that all support one another to build your brand, connect with readers, and achieve long-term success. But by incorporating PPC advertising into your marketing plan, you can effectively reach new readers, grow your brand, and boost your book sales.
Disclaimer: This blog post may contain affiliate links to products we enjoy using ourselves. Should you choose to use these links, At Home Author may earn affiliate commissions at no additional cost to you.