Each month, Orna Ross, ALLi Director, invites a special guest into the indie author hot seat to answer ALLi Members’ self-publishing questions. This month’s special guest is Facebook advertising expert Mark Dawson, and this session was recorded live during London Book Fair.
As well as being a best-selling author, Mark is the powerhouse and frontman behind The Self-Publishing Formula, which provides authors with tried and tested methods to self-publish and reach more readers. He started using Facebook Ads to increase his mailing list sign ups and boost his own sales figures, and a couple of years ago he turned that knowledge and expertise into his first “Facebook Advertising for Authors” course. Today he’s sharing insights about Facebook advertising, but also covering the new kid on the block, Amazon Ads.
Amazon Ads vs. Facebook Ads
When Amazon Ads were first launched they were only available to authors that had enrolled in KDP Select, and Mark was disappointed in their performance so he stopped using them. But when Amazon made Ads available to non-Select authors at the end of last year, Mark tested Sponsored Keyword Amazon Ads and found them more powerful and successful this time around.
Facebook Ads Pro
Facebook is one of the most effective ads platform full stop
All authors should be experimenting and using Facebook Ads
There’s a large audience and you can use laser-precise audience targeting
No matter what your niche, it will be represented on Facebook
The main downside to Facebook Ads is that the audience is not on Facebook to buy books, they are there to socialise and share their own stories. You also need to be mindful of your daily budget. Whatever budget you set, it will get spent by Facebook.
Amazon Ads Pro
Amazon is the third largest search engine in the world
With One-Click purchasing they make it easy to buy product
Your audience is on Amazon with a mindset to spend money
Whereas Facebook is focused on spending your money, you will be hard-pressed to spend your daily budget on Amazon. So if you have a small book advertising budget, Amazon Ads are an excellent choice.
Mark Dawson answers the following ALLi Member Questions:
Q: Are you better to spend your money boosting a post or page on Facebook?
Q: I once heard that Mark would rather have a mailing list sign up than a sale, how can that make sense?
Q: I have standalone books (not in a series) will Facebook Ads still be effective for me?
Q: It seems like Facebook choose who in your target audience they post your Ad too. If I rerun an Ad it seems that it goes to the same target audience, how can I manage that?
Q: Should I do sponsored or keywords Amazon Ads?
Q: How do you scale your book advertising success?
Q: How may keywords are optimal on your Amazon Ad?
Are you ready to start advertising your book?
Did you know than Mark Dawson offers a free masterclass about how to use Facebook Ads to Build your Mailing List? Check out our Blog Post summary of this Ask ALLi event for more information:
Interested in becoming an ALLi member so that you can ask your own questions? Here’s 21 Reasons to Join:
