17 Lead Generation Strategies to Generate B2B Leads

Lead generation is crucial for many businesses, as more leads typically result in more sales. If you have ventured into the lead generation journey, you likely know it’s a challenging task. There isn’t one single formula or strategy that ensures successful lead generation. While you may see a lot of research and strategies online from others promoting their methods, it can be difficult to determine what will work.

The truth is, there isn’t one right answer. Rather, effective lead generation involves a collection of strategies. It’s important to recognize that a strategy might be effective for one company and fail to produce results for another. You must ensure the strategies you use are best suited to your business and its needs. Before we dive into some B2B lead generation strategies, let’s talk about what B2B lead generation is.

What is B2B Lead Generation and Why Is It Important?

Lead generation is a vital step for many companies but B2B lead generation applies to companies that sell a product or service to another company. This is an important first step in the marketing funnel for many businesses. Lead generation is the process of identifying the ideal customer for your product or service and attracting them to make a purchase. It’s important to note that B2B is very different from B2C. Thus, you must not assume that the B2C strategies you are familiar with are applicable when it comes to your B2B company.

B2B lead generation is important because it attracts paying customers. Without these strategies, you won't generate interest in your product to move through the sales process and convert into customers. Overall, it is a cost-effective method for reaching your target audience that will allow you to grow your business opportunities.

B2B Lead Generation Process

Although the lead generation process is not always straightforward, there is a path that it generally follows. There are 4 steps that comprise the lead generation process.

Step 1: Finding Leads

The first step is identifying who you want to sell to. These people will be your leads. Once you know who they are, you need to collect their contact information so you can use this in your lead generation process.

Step 2: Reaching out

Now that you know who you need to reach out to, you need to start the process. There are a variety of methods that can work including cold calling, social media, SEO, etc. You must determine the best strategy for the audience you have identified.

Step 3: Qualifying and Prospecting

At this stage, you need to gauge the likelihood of the prospect making a purchase. This depends on what stage of the buying journey they are in: awareness, consideration, or decision.

Those in the awareness stage know they have a problem that needs to be solved. In this stage, a lot of research is being done. They will likely be looking at case studies, blogs, research, etc. It’s important during this stage to push these types of materials to grow your brand awareness.

In the consideration stage, they know they have a problem and they know what the solution is. At this point, they have found various companies that might solve their problem. Here they are evaluating all their alternatives and what makes sense for them. At this stage, you should focus on differentiating yourself from competitors.

In the final decision stage, the prospect is just about ready to become a customer. They are interacting with potential companies, booking demos, having meetings, and much more. At this stage, you want to focus on things such as free trials that will push the prospect through the last step of the process.

Step 4: Make a Sale

This last step is pretty simple. The potential customer picks you to make a purchase. This becomes a sale and an official customer of your business. Now that we have outlined what B2B lead generation is as well as the process, let’s look at 17 strategies you can use.

One way to combine a lot of the following strategies is to work with a B2B Podcast Partner that can handle the entire process for you, from finding your ideal client to network with as a podcast guest on your show, to building an audience of your ideal customer niche. They can help you host, manage, and create written SEO, audio, and video content from each episode to help grow your B2B business.

1) Utilize A/B Testing

It's challenging to get everything perfect on the first try, which is why A/B testing is so valuable. Your webpage serves as a key hub for potential customers to explore and develop interest in your products or services. By experimenting with various formats, colours, fonts, buttons, and other elements on your webpage and marketing materials, you can determine what resonates most with your audience.

For instance, a simple change in a button design might entice more customers to click it. Additionally, tracking where visitors' eyes naturally go on your webpage can help you optimize the layout. If you notice that most viewers are going straight to the bottom of the page, consider placing the most important elements for generating interest and driving sales there.

2) Collect Customer Reviews

As we all know, reviews are crucial in a consumer’s decision-making process. As customers ourselves, we know that we are more likely to purchase from a company with 5-star reviews than one with 3. That's why showcasing reviews on your website, social media, and marketing materials is essential.

Consumers tend to trust companies less because they assume businesses act in their self-interest. However, honest customer reviews are more credible and effective in generating interest, as they come from fellow consumers who are perceived as trustworthy.

3) Create a Survey

It can be hard to identify potential issues with your lead generation process that are hindering conversions. Surveys offer a cost-effective method to communicate with your customers and pinpoint some of these issues.

Creating a simple survey to gauge customer satisfaction can provide valuable feedback to improve your lead generation process. For instance, you might learn that customers struggled to find sufficient information about your product or service, which diminished their interest. With this insight, you can make your company information more prominent and accessible.

4) Feature Case Studies

If you have had success with previous customers, use this to your advantage. If your service has helped another business improve its operations, be sure to promote this achievement. Remember, you are selling to other businesses, which tend to be analytical, fact-oriented, and require approval from multiple individuals in the buying process. This is where case studies with proven results, facts, and numbers come in handy. It is hard for a customer to deny the benefits of your product if you can prove to them that it has worked for other companies. This will be utilized in the middle stages of the funnel to push customers to the end of their buying journey.

Start now, and take the time to generate these case studies. Once created, you can easily feature them on your website or send them to potential customers who inquire about your services.

5) Offer Lead Magnets

A great way of generating leads includes cold calling/emailing potential customers. The question is, how do you get the emails of potential clients? This is where lead magnets come in.

A lead magnet is some form of incentive that you can offer a potential customer that is of value to them and would entice them to share information such as their email. Once you have their email, you can send them promotional content to generate interest in your product.

The hard task is to generate lead magnets that are enticing enough to get someone to share their email. This is why you need to understand your target audience and what they would value. You need to identify their problem and how you can solve it. You could offer a free trial, a demo, a free consultation, and much more.

6) Creative Outreach

One method to generate leads involves cold calling and emails. As we previously mentioned, you can use lead magnets to collect emails from prospective customers which can be used for promotion. Even if you can collect their email addresses, getting them to read your email and generate interest can prove challenging. These individuals receive tons of emails promoting B2B products and services. Thus, you must be creative in your outreach. Many companies will send standard emails that are informative but sometimes boring. Including a quirky video, joke, or unconventional approach to promotion might be the thing that sets you apart from competitors resulting in a response.

7) Create Video Content

YouTube is the second largest search engine after Google, making it an essential component of your B2B lead generation strategy. B2B video content can play a pivotal role in a consumer’s buying process. Many will look to videos for criticisms or reviews on certain products and services. Additionally, videos are more engaging than simple emails or static websites and can be persuasive in converting viewers into customers.

Your videos don’t need to be elaborate. Even simple videos can capture opportunities that others might miss. Demonstrating the use of your product or service or providing an instructional guide can make all the difference. The absence of such videos might deter potential customers who feel there aren't enough online resources to educate them on your offerings. Videos can also be used to tell your story, connect with viewers, share insights, and much more.

8) Incorporate SEO

SEO is a necessary strategy for any business. An effective SEO strategy will allow for better reach and awareness for your business. Using the right keywords, links, titles, and more all contribute to how visible your webpage is in search results. The more recognition your page gets, the more opportunity to generate interest.

Ensuring the correct SEO approach means understanding your audience. Once you understand your audience, you can target keywords to their interests. For those who are new to SEO, it can be a complicated concept to understand at the start. Once you take the time to understand and build it, you will be in a much better position to promote your company. Remember to do the research and make adjustments to optimize your SEO approach.

9) Optimize for Mobile Viewing

With the use of mobile searching on the rise, it is important to ensure your content is optimized for mobile viewing. A poor mobile experience could deter a customer from your page or lead them to consider another competitor. It doesn’t take long to ensure compatibility with a mobile form, so it makes the most sense to take the extra steps to do so. Don’t be the person who decides to ignore this simple step and loses leads because of it.

10) Generate Referrals

People love to look for reviews but they trust referrals even more. Imagine your friend told you to buy something and talked highly of the product. Of course, you are much more likely to consider this product now that your friend has promoted it.

Once you build a client base, you will have very loyal customers if you provide quality products and services. Many businesses hesitate to leverage these client relationships, missing valuable opportunities. Don't be one of them. Since you've invested time in building these relationships, ask your customers to refer friends to your business. If they truly love your products, they will have no problem talking about it. Personal recommendations carry significant weight and can greatly benefit your business. Once you get this started, you will be on your way to creating a successful B2B referral program.

11) Offer a Free Trial

We all know the feeling of wanting to try something new but hesitating to commit. This might be how customers feel about your company. If you offer a product or service that is expensive, customers might not be willing to pay for the service before knowing how good it is.

This is a great opportunity to incorporate a free trial for your product or service. It allows customers to experience your product or service firsthand, increasing the likelihood that they'll make a purchase once they see its value. Additionally, a free trial can set you apart from competitors resulting in more leads, especially if others are not providing this option.

12) Engage With Q&A Sites

Sometimes a simple strategy can be the most effective. Many Q&A sites such as Quora and Reddit can act as a solid B2B lead generation strategy.

You have identified who your target audience is, now you can interact with them on these sites. Think of the types of questions they might ask or topics they are interested in. You can search these sites to find threads or posts regarding the topics you have brainstormed. Use this as a way to interact with your target audience. You can answer their questions, educate them, build relationships, and ultimately tie them back to your company and its offerings.

13) Optimize Your Landing Page

Your landing page is the destination for potential leads when they find you online. It's crucial that this page is optimized to capture their attention and guide them through the sales funnel. With numerous distractions online, it's easy for visitors to lose interest or close the page altogether.

Consider catchy headlines, visually appealing graphics, interactive content, etc. Including a popup or call to action is essential as it prompts the viewer to engage with your site. Whether it’s a popup to collect their email, a learn more button, or anything else, this simple interaction takes them one step further in the funnel to becoming a sale.

14) Personalize Your Website

In any business venture, personalization is key. Customers don’t want to see generalized content, they want to feel like you truly understand them and their needs. As potential clients will utilize your website as a primary source of information, you need to ensure the personalization of your webpage. With most B2B marketers already implementing personalization strategies, failing to do so will leave you falling behind the competition.

You can use dynamic webpages that adapt to the viewer’s name, location, industry, or company. This will allow you to make adjustments to what the individual sees based on what you think will appeal to them most. You can also set up your website to identify a person’s IP address so you can create personalized pages based on the viewer’s geographic region. There may be certain interests or needs for those in a certain area compared to others. This will increase your chances of generating interest with the viewer. Account-based marketing (ABM) is very prominent in the marketing world and a great tool to create a unique experience with each customer.

15) LinkedIn

If you are looking for B2B leads, LinkedIn is the most logical social platform to use. With many businesses present on social media, LinkedIn provides an excellent opportunity to build connections and expand your network. This network can be leveraged for generating leads which can turn into referrals and reviews.

However, it is important to recognize that LinkedIn can be more costly than other social platforms so you must ensure you are providing a valuable service. In addition, those on LinkedIn tend to be working professionals who are highly educated and career-driven. Ensuring you offer a product or service that would appeal to this type of audience will promote greater success for your efforts. If your target audience already aligns with those typically using LinkedIn, then it's a no-brainer that this platform is a great way to generate leads for your business.

16) Other Social Media Platforms

Although a platform like LinkedIn might make more sense for B2B leads, don’t write off B2C channels. You never know when platforms like Instagram or TikTok might generate some interest from B2B customers. If you are already using LinkedIn to promote your company, it doesn’t hurt to transfer some of that content to other social platforms. You never know, you might just be successful and find that your target audience uses other social platforms to research your company.

17) Organize Time

Although B2B lead generation is important, you will have many other tasks on your plate to handle. That is why lead generation doesn’t have to be an everyday task. You should always be promoting your business but ensure you dedicate certain days towards lead generation. Doing so will ensure your best efforts are dedicated to leads without the distraction of other tasks.

If you find that your target audience is more available on certain days to discuss your offerings, you might dedicate those days to lead generation. Other days of the week can be reserved for other tasks necessary to keep your business running.

Conclusion

Running a B2B business is quite different from B2C. It is a new landscape that you have to explore. The way businesses think compared to consumers can pose a challenge in a world where many are accustomed to how individuals think. It’s time for you to get in the mindset of what it truly means to market to another business. Now that we have highlighted 17 lead generation strategies for B2B leads, it is time for you to start growing your business and collecting those leads.

Written by Kaitlin Duong

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Jony Studios is a client-focused media production studio offering audio/video production, B2B podcasting, and audiobook services. They have worked with a wide range of clients from small businesses to larger organizations such as Penguin Random House, Amazon, University of Waterloo, Freakonomics Radio and many others.

How to Build a Brand in 11 Steps

Your brand is one of the most important assets you can have for your business. That is why initiating the branding process early on is pivotal. Your brand is how your target audience perceives you. This is how you communicate who you are and what you stand for to your audience. Your brand identity is a cultivation of multiple factors including your logo, mission statement, unique value proposition, and much more. Before we jump into the 11 steps of building a brand, let’s consider what a brand is and why it is important.

What is a Brand and Why is it Important?

A brand is a product or business that has a unique identity in the consumer’s mind. A brand is created through various elements and acts to differentiate the business from its competitors. A strategic brand will allow a business to connect with its consumers and draw more attention. A business can leverage its brand in many ways including launching new products, influencing purchase behaviour, boosting marketing and advertising, and much more. Thus, it is crucial you take the following 11 steps to ensure a successful brand.

1) Research the Competition

Before you start the process of establishing your brand, it’s important to know the competition. Conduct research and perform a SWOT analysis if you have time. Observe the strategies employed by others in the industry, noting their successes and failures. Explore their presence on social media, website layout, advertising tactics, brand positioning, mission, values, and more. All of this research will serve as a guide in crafting your brand and deciding on various elements associated with it.

2) Identify and Research Your Target Audience

Your target audience should be specific rather than broad. A broad target audience encompassing everyone will prevent you from having targeted branding. Once you identify your target audience, you can research their preferences, habits, and perspectives which will guide your company in determining the branding which will best entice this segment.

It’s important to start by researching your target audience by talking to those in your audience. Identify the brands they shop at within the industry. Try to find out what these brands are doing that these individuals like and don’t like. You can also check what social media platforms these individuals are on. This will help you when deciding where to communicate your brand. It’s also important to investigate trends within the industry particularly for your target audience to identify what you can leverage within your branding. Once you have started this process, it is important to continuously research your target audience to determine how they feel about your brand and what adjustments you should make.

Also, if you’re a business owner/leader and want to start your own B2B podcast to meet key people in your industry to grow your company, while at the same time gaining an audience in your niche, you can work with a podcasting partner. They can handle the entire process, all you would need to do is have one conversation weekly or bi-weekly, fully remote.

3) Establish a Visual Style Guide

You must create some sort of a “guide” for the style and visual aspects of your brand. This includes the colour palette, typography, graphics, illustrations, etc.

Your colour palette is the selection of colours associated with your brand. This will be used in your logo, website, social media, etc. As colour psychology is a prominent field of study, it is important to consider it and see what colours are associated with your industry and elicit certain moods. You must think about what you want customers to feel when they see your brand colours. Consider how red might be associated with love, passion, and anger.

The typography refers to the font used in your logo, website, any text, etc. You should select only a couple of fonts which you will use consistently so they can become a part of your brand. You may consider serif fonts or sans-serif fonts. You might want to do some research as there have been studies done regarding various fonts and the influence they have on a reader. Ensure the font is simple and easy to read.

Whether it’s photography, icons, graphics or illustrations you should set some standards as to how they should look. You might want to have specific guidelines for colours, moods, filters, etc. This will ensure consistency in all branding related to visual aspects. It will also help to further convey your brand identity through the use of these visual elements.

4) Brand Positioning

A brand’s position refers to the place you occupy in a consumer’s mind. It is generally the unique position you hold relative to competitors. A brand positioning statement is typically four to six sentences that set your brand apart and communicate who you are.

A strong brand positioning can help you differentiate your business in a competitive market. It is important that this statement accurately communicates who you are and what you will deliver as this must be realistic and achievable.

5) Brand personality

Your brand personality is the adjectives you would use to describe your brand as if it were a person. This will allow consumers to create associations with your brand to certain terms. It will humanize the brand and make it easier for customers to connect. Is your brand fun? Trendy? Smart? All of these factors have the potential to shape a consumer's perception of your brand and impact their decision to make a purchase. Establishing your brand personality early on will also help in crafting other elements such as your brand voice, name, logo, etc.

6) Brand Voice

Your brand voice is not only what you say but how you say it. It is your communication style. It’s important to maintain consistency in your brand voice as it will become associated with your brand. Your brand voice will extend to your online communication, social media, advertisements, and in-person interactions.

Ensure you take the time to outline key aspects of your brand voice including certain wording, tone, and elements that will help to convey this. Your brand voice must consider what your brand and business comprises. If you have a brand that sells products for children, you might consider a more casual and fun voice. If you are selling a software product to large corporations, you might consider a more sophisticated, knowledgeable, and professional voice.

7) Create a Name, Logo, and Slogan

The name, logo, and slogan for your business are not your brand but rather elements of your brand identity. They help to communicate and convey what your brand stands for.

Your brand name should be short, sweet, and easy to remember. It must connect back to other brand elements such as your brand personality, story, etc. Ensure that the brand name isn't overly specific, as you'll want it to remain relevant even if you expand or pivot your business in the future. Your brand name serves as a means to readily identify your brand across various channels such as stores, advertisements, and conversations. Make sure to do the proper research to ensure the name has not been used already. The name must be available for social media handles to prevent confusion with any other brand. In generating a name, you can use applications such as the Wix Business Name Generator or Shopify’s Business Name Generator to aid in the process.

Your brand logo is a very important element of your brand. Your logo is how consumers will identify your brand in various situations. You must take the time to develop the logo as it will be hard to change once created and associated with your brand name. The logo should be unique, easily identifiable, and scalable to fit various platforms. The logo must encapsulate your brand story and values. Ensuring the correct colour palette and typography will aid in consistent brand messaging while communicating your brand story. If designing the logo yourself, you can use applications like Canva to do so. Some might consider outsourcing this task to individuals who are experts in logo design.

Although not necessary for every business, it can serve as a strong brand asset if crafted properly. A brand slogan should be short, catchy, and to the point. It will be another identifier of your brand that is ingrained in consumers’ minds and boosts brand awareness.

8) Brand story

A brand story tells customers about a company’s history, mission, purpose, and values. It can be conveyed in a narrative form and even touch on the story of the founder. This is a way to humanize the brand and allow customers to connect to the brand through its storytelling. This is where you can utilize an emotional appeal to create meaningful connections with your target audience. Your brand story can be featured in the About section of your website and be shared on various platforms. This will encompass the various factors we have already mentioned and tie them into one compelling narrative.

9) Create a Website

Your website is a crucial element in your branding since customers will go here to learn what you do, who you are, etc. Your website is a central hub where you can feature all your branding elements. It will showcase your logo, brand name, brand story, messaging, colours, typography, and much more. A website is not the single most important part of a brand, but the lack of one could be a reason why a customer is deterred. The lack of a website will prevent a customer from easily learning more about your brand. This is a great way to expose customers to multiple branding elements all on one platform making it a crucial element.

10) Implement, Track, and Adjust

Once you go through all these steps and establish the various elements of your brand, it is time to implement it. Once you implement it, you must give it time to take effect. It is important to consistently monitor the performance of your branding through metrics such as search traffic, website visitors, sales, interest, etc to determine the effectiveness of your branding. If you are seeing signs of minimal changes you might consider making adjustments to your branding.

11) Ensure Consistency

Once you have established the various aspects of your brand, you want these to become associated with your brand. You want people to see your logo and automatically associate it with your brand name, to hear a slogan and know it is your brand, or to hear the brand story and know who it is about.

To do so, you must consistently apply your branding in everything you do. It must show up in stores, social media, your website, your communications, etc. Without this consistency, you will fail to create a strong brand for your business.

Conclusion

Now that we have talked about these 11 steps, it’s important to remember that branding is not a one-time process. It is a continuous journey over the life of the brand. You must consistently enforce these elements as your brand continues to evolve. As the business evolves and customer perceptions change, a rebrand may be necessary. If you do have to rebrand, remember that it should still be recognizable to consumers. Now it’s time for you to consider, what type of brand do you want to create?

Written By Kaitlin Duong

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Jony Studios is a client-focused media production studio offering audio/video production, B2B podcasting, and audiobook services. They have worked with a wide range of clients from small businesses to larger organizations such as Penguin Random House, Amazon, University of Waterloo, Freakonomics Radio and many others.

21 Tips to Promote Your Audiobook

It’s no secret that audiobooks are the fastest-growing format for enjoying a book. In 2021, nearly half of all Canadians, accounting for 45%, have listened to audiobooks. For an author, producing an audiobook is essential to gaining popularity and achieving success.

Writing a book poses challenges, as does producing an audiobook. Merely writing a good-quality book and audiobook is not enough. You have to ensure your audiobook is effectively promoted to gain exposure. A well-executed promotional strategy not only boosts the visibility of the audiobook but also augments the reach of the printed copy, attracting new readers who normally prefer auditory experiences.

The first step is to create the audiobook. You might consider using an audiobook production service that helps you with everything from the beginning to the final product. Using an audiobook service will not only allow you to save time but also expand your audience, grow your brand, and benefit from external expertise. Once the audiobook is created, you can focus on promotion. In the following blog, we will look at 21 invaluable tips to help you promote your audiobook.

1) Create a Landing page

A landing page is a central hub for all the marketing related to your audiobook. You should have a landing page for each book you have written and recorded.

The landing page should include links to anything related to your book. It can feature links to websites and retailers where readers can purchase your book, both physical and audiobook. It can also display links to other places where you may interact with your audience such as your email, social media, GoodReads page, blog, and much more.

Through this page, readers will have access to everything related to your book and can learn more if they wish. Make sure to include some reviews to encourage readers to take the next step in buying your audiobook.

2) Gather Reviews

Since your landing page should feature reviews, the next tip we have is to gather reviews for your audiobook. Reviews are important for any book whether it’s an audiobook or printed copy.

You need to leverage any opportunity you can to gather reviews as a vital step in a reader's decision-making process is checking reviews before purchase.

You can gather reviews by sharing free copies of your audiobook to select readers in exchange for them leaving an honest review. You can also reach out to professional book reviewers and ask them to review your book. Audiobook review sites are also useful such as AudioBookReviewer.

Once you have your reviews, use this in your audiobook promotions. Make sure to publicize this everywhere. It should be on your website, landing page, social media, etc.

3) Pick an Audiobook Narrator

The voice of an audiobook narrator sets the tone for the book and cultivates a unique reading experience. If you are an established audiobook author, consider narrating the book yourself. Listeners are already familiar with your voice and associate it with your work.

If you are a first-time audiobook author, consider hiring a narrator with previous experience. This might be an individual who is already well-known within the audiobook realm and is appreciated by listeners for their engaging delivery. Selecting the appropriate narrator can significantly impact the experience your book provides, serving as a unique selling proposition.

4) Announce Your Audiobook is Available for Pre-Order

Making your audiobook available for pre-order is a great way to generate buzz around your book. You likely have a social media presence that you can leverage for this announcement. If not, you should start creating one as it’s essential to marketing your book.

You can also generate an email list from your website. Suppose you are a new author and have not generated an email list. In that case, you can generate one through emails you have collected from your network including friends, family, business colleagues, fellow authors, etc. Once you have collected an email list, send out an email announcing the availability of pre-orders for your audiobook. Make sure to put this out on your social media and website to encourage sales even before the initial launch.

5) Utilize Email Marketing

On the topic of email lists, email marketing is a great tool to use to promote your audiobook. You can gather an email list through your website, social media, at events, etc. If you are having trouble gathering an email list, consider reader magnets such as giveaways, a free audiobook, discounts, etc. You must give readers a reason to sign up for your newsletter.

Once you have generated an email list, use this for email marketing. This serves as an excellent way to sustain engagement with your audience and uphold interest. Through email marketing, you can unveil book launches, extend discounts and promotions, distribute exclusive content, and more. This helps to foster a connection between readers and the author, increasing the likelihood of purchase.

6) Announce Your Audiobook Launch Date

The first week of your book launch is the most important. Sufficient marketing needs to be done before the launch date to ensure a successful first week.

Utilize the email marketing we previously discussed to announce your launch date. This will make readers aware of when the audiobook will be available for purchase. You should also promote your launch on social media and your author page. Make sure to share this everywhere!

You can’t expect one post or email to be enough. You have to maintain consistent messaging leading up to the launch. After making a big announcement for the launch date, make sure to follow up a couple of days after in case anyone forgets. Include the book reviews you have gathered to show the positive comments that others have about your book. You can also consider offering an exclusive discount to those who purchase in the first week. This will help to amp up sales for the launch of your audiobook.

7) Use Social Media

As we previously mentioned, social media plays a pivotal role in promotion. You will use it to announce your launch date, establish your following, author brand, and more. This is why establishing a social media presence and utilizing it well in advance of your launch is so important.

You must start early to build a following and establish your author brand. This is especially important for new authors who don’t have a following yet. Social media is an outlet where you can share everything with your followers. You can post snippets of your audiobook so readers can experience the quality and voice of the narrator. You can also share quotes from your book, reviews, exclusive content, audiobook covers, announcements, etc. All of this contributes to generating engagement and interest in your brand and audiobook.

8) Share Audio Snippets

A vital part of an audiobook is the voice of the narrator. When you listen to the book, you can hear the emotions and detect verbal cues that curate a unique experience. It’s important to leverage this uniqueness in your marketing.

Using your email newsletter, website, and social media page, you can share snippets of your audiobook also known as audiograms. This will allow readers to get excited about your book before launch. This can also be used as a reader magnet to get more sign-ups for your newsletter.

9) Produce an Audiobook Trailer

Similar to how we watch a trailer before a movie, an audiobook trailer can also serve as a great tool to intrigue readers into reading your audiobook.

Your audiobook trailer should be short and sweet. It should give readers a taste of the narration style, and storyline and highlight the best elements of your book. This trailer can be used across all your marketing platforms including your landing page, website, social media, etc.

10) Paid Advertising

It can be a lot of work to produce an audiobook and promote it. That’s why using paid advertising can be very effective. There are a multitude of avenues for paid advertising including Facebook Ads, Google Ads, Chirp, etc. You will have to do some experimenting to find the right one for you.

There are a few things you need to consider before using paid advertising. You need to define your target audience to create more targeted ads. You likely have already established one while writing your book, and making your website and social media. Once you have done that, you will pick the platforms you want to use for advertising. You also want to set a budget that is reasonable as paid advertising can be expensive. Many steps will follow in the paid advertising process but these are some of the first steps to take.

11) Audiobook Promotion Services

Sometimes, it’s not enough to do it on your own. You might want to consider the help of audiobook promotion services. A good example is Chirp which is a special form of paid advertising. They use extensive email lists to promote your audiobook. To use Chirp’s service, your books must be discounted as they usually favour discounted authors. Discounts can be used as a promotional tactic so this can actually provide more benefits than just qualifying you to use Chirp.

12) Influencer Partnerships

Prior to the launch of your book, make sure to reach out to influencers in the audiobook space to promote your book. You can also reach out to those who are not in the audiobook space but are well-known to your target audience. For instance, if you are writing a book about the cosmetics industry, you should ask a beauty influencer to promote your book. You can ask influencers on TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, bloggers, and much more.

These influencers can share your audiobook with their audience and talk about their review of your book. This will help to increase the reach of your audiobook by leveraging the credibility of a well-known influencer in the space.

13) Online Audiobook Communities

Many online communities exist for audiobooks, authors, and literature. This is a great way to make connections with other authors or readers in the community. Ensuring you stay active on these platforms will get your name out there and help you to establish genuine connections.

When the time comes around, you can use these communities to share your audiobook and reach out to readers, or other authors to help promote your book. Make sure you offer your help to others in the community so that when you ask for help, they are willing to lend a hand.

14) Link it Everywhere

Since you have a landing page, you need to make it known. Link it everywhere. This can be in your social media bio, blog, email signature, etc. You can also utilize QR codes and feature these on your business card, at in-person events, and much more. This makes it easier for individuals to stumble across your site and discover more information about your books. If you don’t promote your pages, people might not know where to find more information which can deter them from buying your audiobook.

15) Audible Author Page

With Audible being a top player in the audiobook space, you will likely release your audiobook on this platform. While you are at it, an Audible author page will act to be an important marketing tool.

Your Audible author page is a reader’s one-stop-shop for learning more about you. It will feature your author image, bio, and all your works. It’s important to establish this page early on so readers who use Audible know where to find you. Make sure your author branding is consistent between your image, bio, and all your other marketing platforms.

16) Go On Podcasts

Podcasts and audiobooks go hand-in-hand. They both allow people to listen to something on the go. That is why it makes so much sense to promote your audiobook on a podcast.

Take the time to do your research and find a podcast that is suited to your brand. If your book talks about being a first-time mom, go on a podcast hosted by moms who talk about their life experiences. Through this, you can reach a similar target audience that isn’t identical to yours allowing you to broaden your reach. The episode can feature your audio snippet, you can talk about your book, and the process, and provide exclusive content. You can also use this as an opportunity to share your audiobook with the podcast host and gather another review.

Also, if you’re a company owner/leader and want to start your own B2B podcast to meet top decision-makers in your industry to grow your business, while at the same time gaining an audience in your niche for your audiobook, you can work with a podcasting partner. They can handle the entire process, all you would need to do is have one conversation weekly or bi-weekly, fully remote.

17) Giveaways

Some audiobook distributors will provide a set number of promo codes to authors. This allows for authors to get free copies of their audiobook to their listeners. Although it might seem small, this is important to leverage.

You can promote this on your social media as a giveaway. In exchange for engagement such as a like or follow, followers will be entered into a draw for a promo code. Not only will this improve your social media presence allowing for more effective social media marketing, but it will also generate buzz for your book and increase interest from potential readers.

18) Reach out to Libraries

Libraries love to work with local authors. Go in person to a couple of libraries near you and leave a copy of your business card that links to your landing page. This will give them the chance to learn more about you and your work.

If they are interested, they can promote your audiobook at the library and on their website where customers can find a link to purchase your audiobook. You can also arrange an in-person event to promote your audiobook and meet some readers.

19) Discount Your Audiobook as an Upsell

Customers who opt for your audiobook may still desire an ebook or hard copy. For such readers, providing a discount on the audiobook when they purchase the ebook or hard copy can boost overall sales and further promote your audiobook, particularly to those who initially preferred the ebook or hard copy.

For audiobook and ebook promotion, Amazon has an option built-in through Whispersync. It allows users to switch between the ebook and audiobook without losing their place.

20) Bundle Your Audiobooks

Once you are no longer a first-time audiobook author, you might consider bundling your works. By this time, you've probably cultivated a devoted fan base keen on exploring all your creations. You can bundle multiple works into one discounted set. This might attract readers who initially planned to purchase just one book but are now enticed by the bundled discount. This tactic not only boosts sales but also enhances exposure for your other audiobooks, potentially reaching readers who might not have considered them individually.

21) Upload a Sample Chapter

While your audiobook trailer provides an overview of your book, uploading a sample chapter can further your promotion by hooking readers into the storyline. This gives readers a taste of what the narration and book are like. Usually, a sample of the first chapter will be the most effective as it starts the story and will draw readers in without revealing too much.

Conclusion

You’ve made it this far in creating your audiobook, now it’s time to take the first step in promotion. Make sure to start early and carefully craft your plan. A well-thought-out promotional strategy can truly make a significant impact. It's time for you to take the first steps toward a successful audiobook launch.

Written by Kaitlin Duong

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Jony Studios is a client-focused media production studio offering audio/video production, B2B podcasting, and audiobook services. They have worked with a wide range of clients from small businesses to larger organizations such as Penguin Random House, Amazon, University of Waterloo, Freakonomics Radio and many others.