{"id":1100,"date":"2019-12-24T20:35:39","date_gmt":"2019-12-24T20:35:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/?p=1100"},"modified":"2022-05-30T15:41:18","modified_gmt":"2022-05-30T15:41:18","slug":"author-branding-101","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/articles\/author-branding-101","title":{"rendered":"Author Branding 101: What, Why, and How"},"content":{"rendered":"
Branding is one of those words we all use, often without being quite sure what it really means. Here, we\u2019ll learn more about the concept of author branding and how it applies to a developing professional writer.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n It is tempting to think of \u201cbrand\u201d as one of those made-up, nebulous words that marketers love so much. Except,\u00a0Forbes<\/a>\u00a0values the world\u2019s most valuable brand (Apple, in case you\u2019re wondering) at $205.5 billion, which is a lot of cash for something we think doesn\u2019t technically mean anything.<\/p>\n Why, then, is a brand worth so much? Well, a brand is like a mental shortcut for consumers. When I consider purchasing a product from a company I recognize, a range of mental associations automatically kick in, which, if they\u2019re positive ones, make it easy for me to make a choice without having to think too hard about it. I know what that name stands for \u2013 quality, taste, style, affordability, whatever \u2013 and so I can buy the brand name item with confidence. This is such a useful method for us that we\u2019re usually prepared to pay a premium for our preferred brands, even when, as blind tests often show, there may be very little difference between the household name and its lesser-known, cheaper rival.<\/p>\n The other day, for example, I needed to buy a saw. I was in a hurry, so I went online and started browsing. I quickly came across something that generally fitted the bill and saw that it was made by Spear & Jackson. Now, I know very little about tools, but I think of this brand as a reliable one. The price was affordable, too, so I went ahead and bought the saw based on its brand. There may well have been other, better tools out there \u2013 some that would last longer, were made better, or even some that were cheaper. But I didn\u2019t have the time or inclination to do comparative research. I saw a name I knew and trusted, and took the easy route.<\/p>\n A similar scenario: while looking for a gripping and suspenseful read at an airport bookstore, something to tide me over on a long flight, I might go for the Stephen King novel rather than the Algernon Pumpernickel. The latter\u2019s book looks clever and original, but he\u2019s unknown to me (especially as I\u2019ve just made him up!). The former, on the other hand, is a name I can trust. King\u2019s books have been made into loads of films, they are highly celebrated, and his public persona appeals to me. Also, everyone else likes him \u2013 why shouldn\u2019t I give his work a shot?<\/p>\n A brand, then, is a shortcut, a reputation, a promise. When I pick up a Stephen King book, I don\u2019t have to wonder whether it\u2019ll be any good or not. We all know what Stephen King stands for as a writer, and the very name promises readers a certain experience that even a book that I have barely even glanced at can be expected to deliver.<\/p>\n We might not realize it, but years of hard work and thousands of marketing dollars have gone into making those purchasing decisions so easy for me. That\u2019s because another important aspect of an item\u2019s branding is its\u00a0reach<\/em>. A brand name is just arbitrary if no one recognizes it, so marketing to a target audience is an intrinsic aspect of brand building. In anything from sports sponsorships to billboards to Facebook promotions, big brands work tirelessly \u2013 and pay big money \u2013 to keep their names at the front of your mind.<\/p>\n You may have heard of phrases like \u201cbrand safety,\u201d \u201cbrand management,\u201d and \u201cbrand reputation.\u201d When a company has built up a string of positive associations with its products and deeply embedded those in the consumer mindset \u2013 think, for instance, of how we automatically talk of \u201cgoogling\u201d things, or how we tend to order \u201ca Coke\u201d rather than \u201ca soda\u201d \u2013 maintaining that reputation becomes a vital task. Corrupt execs, product recalls, poor service: there are all sorts of things that can harm a brand. And, they\u2019re all important reminders that a brand doesn\u2019t belong to its owner, per se; it belongs to its consumers.<\/p>\n A business will have all sorts of brand guidelines to control everything from the tone of voice its communications use to logos and trademarks to a preferred photography style. But what a business wants to be seen as and what people really see can be two very different things. What Donald Trump or Facebook or Martha Stewart might say their brands are might be different from your opinion, for example. And of course, the perception of that brand can change significantly over time.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n How can we apply these ideas to a writer trying to establish their work and grow a following? Here are a few pointers.<\/p>\n Think about how you want potential readers to see you and your work. This is no time for false modesty! A few made-up examples:<\/p>\n This is a useful exercise because it can help you clarify your own goals as a writer. But in terms of branding, it also helps you develop what marketers call your\u00a0point of difference<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0USP\u00a0<\/em>(unique selling point). What is it that you can do that no one else can, or at least not in your unique writing style or voice?<\/p>\n Once you have that initial concept \u2013 and remember, you can always refine it over time \u2013 you can use it to focus or concentrate your energies in terms of promotion and marketing strategies.<\/p>\n You have an idea of who you are and what you want to stand for. Now, who do you want to reach? At first, your answer may be based more on guesswork than fact \u2013 and simply saying \u201cpeople like me\u201d won\u2019t get you very far! Think about things people have said about your work in writers\u2019 groups, readers\u2019 reports, book reviews. Over time, as you grow your presence on both traditional and digital platforms, you\u2019ll start to meet more of your tribe. A few examples:<\/p>\n Your chosen audience is only an illustration, an approximation of what is sure to end up being a more diverse set of people later on. And again, you can update it as you get to know your readers. But starting with an idea like this makes it easier to address the next matter: where to find them.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n With a brand position and a target audience identified, it\u2019s time to think about where your potential readers might live, and how you\u2019ll reach them. The options are many \u2013 everything from social media accounts to press coverage to in-person events such as book readings and panels. If you have a publisher, they will of course work with you on this, too.<\/p>\n Rather than give you a long list of places to promote yourself and your book \u2013 most of which you probably know already \u2013 here\u2019s a brief case study of how we approached reaching potential readers of our book,\u00a0Kitten on a Fatberg<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a comic novel-in-emails about an eccentric critique group, which is crowdfunding via Unbound. Our brand, we (me and my two co-authors) informally decided, was built on self-deprecating British humor, with elements of satire, pathos and farce, in the same vein as shows like\u00a0Motherland<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0The Detectorists<\/em>: a bit silly, a bit sad. Early on, we identified a target audience made up of aspiring writers, people with ambitions to get published (or published more) and who would enjoy a comic view at the travails of the process. Here are some of the things that we did to try and reach them:<\/p>\n The point here is that by having a sense of our brand and who we were trying to reach, we were able to give a focus and a direction to our brand-building activities. A useful definition of strategy I heard once is \u201ca reason to say no to things,\u201d and the same thing applies here. We have limited time and even more of a limited budget, so it\u2019s useful to be able to hold up an idea and ask, \u201cIs this\u00a0on brand<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n A brand isn\u2019t something you can create overnight, and then just forget about. As we\u2019ve seen, a brand is in large part what other people decide it is, and the best you can do is promote it in a way that will shape their ideas to fit your vision.<\/p>\n Hitting the ground running is important, but so is keeping it going. Any serious writer knows promotion is a long haul, and that means constantly maintaining your brand-building activities to ensure things stay on track.<\/p>\n Social media promotion is an obvious tool, but it\u2019s best to find a few platforms that work well, rather than dabble in all of them with no real results. You\u2019ll also want to develop an author site, and perhaps start a blog or send out an email newsletter. All of these will be informed by your brand positioning and target audience.<\/p>\n As you become more established, the look and feel of your activities will be something you might want to upgrade and standardize. The design of your books, the look of your website, your calling card, the stationery you use to send out with a review copy: all of these elements can be coordinated into a visual identity for your brand. People often mistakenly think that branding just refers to a logo or visual components, but as we\u2019ve seen, there\u2019s lot more to it.<\/p>\n A concept of your brand shouldn\u2019t feel like a constraint. Instead, it should help you develop a sense of where best to focus your energies. If you see yourself as a funny writer, try out some of your jokes on Twitter. If you write about a particular issue, align yourself with organizations and publications talking about the same thing.<\/p>\n Over time, you may find that you want to rework who you are and what you do as a writer. It also often happens that readers have a different idea of what they think your strengths are, or what aspects of your work strike the loudest chord, and you may want to upgrade your brand to reflect that. You may find that your audience members aren\u2019t quite who you thought they were, and you may need to tweak your activities accordingly.<\/p>\n Here again, that brand thinking can guide the way to a smooth transition and help you refine an identity that is a logical extension of what you\u2019re already doing. A writer of cozy mysteries might develop organically into a writer who publishes books about getting started in genre fiction. A political writer might try their hand at thrillers. Dystopian satire might morph into steampunk, and so on. On the other hand, a shift that is too abrupt \u2013 from military sci-fi to gothic romance, or YA to cyber-erotica \u2013 might be ill-advised for your brand. You might need to find a whole new audience, and all the work you\u2019ve put into developing a readership won\u2019t be of use anymore.<\/p>\n Of course, there are plenty of writers who have successfully written in different genres or voices. But the differences between each sub-brand are always very clear. In some cases \u2013 such as JK Rowling writing adult fiction as Robert Gilbraith, Agatha Christie writing romances as Rosemary Westmacott \u2013 writers will create separate brand names to free up their voice, differentiate the genre, and build different readerships.<\/p>\n That said, there are also writers who started out with different names and writing different genres \u2013 Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Isaac Asmov. But then, when they became established, they were able to put them all back under their main name because their brand had grown that strong. And this brings us to a final, crucial point.<\/p>\n As a writer, you need readers who will stay with you, who will like your work enough to follow the various evolutions of your career. In this light, branding is just a way to get us thinking about the sort of personality we want to express and project \u2013 not invent from scratch, but articulate and put out there to the best effect. Because the best readers don\u2019t buy your books; they buy into\u00a0you<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","categories":[20,39,21],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/1100"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/articles"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1102"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Building an Author\u2019s Brand: 5 Essential Steps<\/h2>\n
Develop a Brand Positioning Statement<\/h3>\n
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Identify Your Audience<\/h3>\n
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Decide How to Reach Them<\/h3>\n
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Maintain Your Brand<\/h3>\n
Let Your Brand Evolve<\/h3>\n