Why The Future of Book Marketing is Audience-first with Harry Evans

Want to boost your author brand reach? Learn how an audience-first approach can revolutionise your marketing and SEO. Join Erica Birtles as she talks to Harry Evans, co-founder of TwelveTwentyFive. Discover the importance of understanding your audience, providing value, and debunking common SEO myths. Get started with practical tips for building your brand and engaging your readers.

Say hello to Harry!
Harry Evans is the Co-founder of TwelveTwentyFive, the audience-first SEO and Social agency. They work with growth-focused people and businesses to grow through SEO & Social Media by creating content that provides genuine value to their audience.

To learn more, visit their website (www.twelvetwentyfive.io) or subscribe to the Building Podcast!

Takeaways:
- An audience-first approach in marketing and SEO focuses on understanding and connecting with your target audience throughout their buyer's journey.
- Providing value to your audience is essential in building a successful audience-first strategy.
- SEO is a simple discipline that requires a solid website, audience-first content, and effective distribution to reach your target audience.
- Misconceptions about SEO can create a trust problem, but it is important to find professionals who simplify the process and provide real value.
- Authors can start building an audience-first strategy by defining their target audience and choosing the right platforms to engage with them. Be authentic and provide value to your audience when building a personal or author brand.
- Building a brand creates a community and investment in your success, making it easier to sell your products or services.
- Common mistakes in building a personal brand include copying others and stopping too soon.
- Continuing to post content, even if it doesn't immediately gain traction, is important for long-term success.
- Use a consistent set of hashtags for each post, with about 80% of them being the same and 20% specific to the content.
- Learn as much as possible about your audience and their consumption habits to inform your content strategy.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction and Book Recommendation
05:12 The Building Podcast: Learning from Early-Stage Entrepreneurs
07:32 Applying Audience-First Approach to Authors
13:15 Debunking Misconceptions About SEO
18:54 The Simplicity of SEO and Finding Trustworthy Professionals
20:39 First Steps for Authors: Defining Target Audience and Choosing Platforms
24:34 Building an Authentic Personal Brand or Author Brand
31:19 Understanding Your Audience for Effective Content Strategy
35:21 The Importance of Consistency in Hashtag Usage
40:33 Avoiding Common Mistakes in Personal Branding
44:23 Continuing to Post Content for Long-Term Success