Brian Finney
This case study covers the platform-building work we did for Professor Brian Finney. To learn more about him, you can read our blog post here.
In today’s digital media-focused world, authors need to develop a consistent brand, which should be reinforced through all online interactions with potential readers.
A strong author brand provides many marketing advantages, including the development of a passionate readership for future books. Authors with strong brands are also more likely to be reviewed by professional media and book bloggers. This is especially important for indie authors.
Before working with us, Brian’s online presence was closely connected to his career as a professor and focused on the nonfiction books he’d published. His brand as a novelist wasn’t yet established. Brian also wasn’t very active on social media. His website was outdated, and his professional author profiles on Amazon, Goodreads, Bookbub, and more, were not optimized. In short, he needed help with improving all of his author platforms.
Social Media
Brian’s Instagram account only had a few followers and his posts were infrequent, with gaps ranging from two to four months between each, and were mostly about the visual arts. There were a few likes and comments on his posts, but there were no replies from him or any interaction with his followers, which was problematic.
Brian’s old Instagram account (@brianhfinney)
Since he wanted to use Instagram for his book promotion, his approach needed to change drastically. We advised Brian to start interacting with people and build more connections.
We also helped him with the best times to post, the best type of content to post, how to write captions, what hashtags to use, and more. We coached Brian on how to use Instagram and Twitter. We created some posts advertising his forthcoming book, too.
It didn’t take long for him to start gaining more followers, and now he has six times more followers than he did before.
Brian’s New Instagram Account (@brianfinneywriter)
Apart from Instagram, Brian wasn’t on any other social media. He didn’t have a Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Pinterest, LinkedIn, or any other profile under his name.
Any author who would like to give their book the best chance at success needs to be active on at least two social media sites, or marketing costs would be higher due to a lack of social media presence.
After careful thought, Brian decided to give Twitter a try. Despite only having joined Twitter for a few months, he quickly gained a lot of followers. So far, he has been active and genuinely enjoying social media.
Brian’s Twitter Account (@brianfinneywri1)
Author Website
In order to successfully launch and sell books in our incredibly competitive landscape of 2019, authors need to have certain branded assets online, the number one of which is a strong website. We analyzed his author website, and as you can see from the screenshot below, there was a lot of room for improvement.
Brian’s old website (writer.brianfinney.com)
While built only two years ago, the website did not appear modern enough. There also wasn’t enough content on the site. An author website should be the home of one’s author brand, a place where all information about an author and their books gets collected. Not having enough content makes it difficult for a site to rank in search engines. It also makes it less likely that readers will return, looking for new content.
The background color of a website also sets a tone in the visitor’s mind. His site had multiple background colors, and some areas had low contrast, making the content hard to read. Depending on what kind of message you want to convey or the tone you want to set, it’s always best to stick to one color. The typography was also an issue. These made the site look amateurish.
His website also did not have a favicon (the icon shown in browser windows). Having one is important for branding, and it also makes it easier for users that are navigating through tabs to identify your website.
Usually, authors use their logo or headshot for their favicon. Brian wanted a logo, so we presented different designs to him and this was the winning choice:
When placing various elements on a website, it is important to keep consistency in mind. Having all design elements evenly spaced out, with enough margin or border around each, creates a neat and professional look.
The content on his pages was also very minimal. The home page was bare, and this was a wasted opportunity, as many users leave a website after only visiting the home page.
You should always place what you want your audience to see first on the home page. It should include mention of upcoming books, as well as anything else you deem important, including past books, articles, and videos. Our redesign of Brian’s website follows these principles. If you click the image below, you’ll be redirected to Brian’s website so you can see and explore it yourself.
Book Covers
The popular saying “you can’t judge a book by its cover” is simply not true. The cover is the first thing a potential reader sees, and is absolutely crucial for the success of the book.
Brian’s latest book and his upcoming one could be improved upon, and we suggested getting both professionally done.
Toggle the slider below to see the difference between the old cover (left image) and the new one (right image).
Work In Progress
We are continuously working on improving Brian’s author platform. It has come a long way, but we believe that there’s always room for improvement. Stay tuned for updates.
To read more about what we did for Brian and his novel, Money Matters, you can read the book publicity case study here.
