Hello, marketeers!
I may have assumed in the past that every author and illustrator has a website, or at least, is in the process of setting one up. Sorry about that. Maybe you’ve questioned whether the trouble is actually worth it - since most, if not all, of your interactions and engagements are on social media platforms and via word of mouth these days. I’d love to hear how well your website is working for you, if you have one, or if you’re doing just fine with social media alone.
But, for the purpose of weighing up the pros and cons of maintaining a website, well, here are some pros and cons of maintaining a website. A few things to consider first:
Are you a professional writer / is writing your career?
Do you also offer speaking and presenting engagements?
Are you trying to build your ‘author brand’, that is, building yourself as a brand as opposed to a product or service?
Will your audience expect you to have a distinct website?
Did you answer ‘yes’ to any of these? If you did, woohoo, you would benefit from having a website! If not, then social media, word of mouth and referrals are probably enough to achieve your goals.
Still not sure?
Here are some of the benefits of an author website:
Builds your credibility and visibility.
Allows you to employ cost-effective marketing strategies.
Allows your target audience to find out necessary information about you.
A one-stop shop for your products, services, booking arrangements, etc.
Provides you with a growing community of dedicated fans that don’t rely on algorithms to receive your important updates (via your newsletter or blog).
You can keep it simple and low maintenance.
Some platforms offer simple websites for free.
You can link your social media presence to your website for easy transactions.
Now for the cons of maintaining an author website:
Costs $$$ to maintain a domain and hosting, plus web design if you don’t do it yourself.
Creating your own web design takes time, especially if you want to keep it looking fresh.
The direct engagement with your readers is limited.
Blogging and regular newsletters are time-consuming (although, so is social media!).
Tech issues can be a real hassle, and a big time waster.
May not be visible on the web without consistent SEO practices.
So, if you’re looking to build your author brand, a well-maintained and designed website is a useful tool for marketing purposes. But it is just one tool. Does a website trump social media, or the other way round? Is social media enough?
What are your thoughts?
#thanksfortouringwithus
Romi x