Publishers are all looking for growth but, overall, sales are flat. Craig Riggs  of ReaderBound joked in a recent PubWest webinar, “flat is the new up.” So many publishers are changing up their marketing, they are leaving Facebook and X, they are trying offline tactics, they are changing it up.

If we stick to our driving metaphor, to safely change lanes, you must signal your intention, check your mirrors and blind spots, and then move smoothly and steadily into the new lane.

The lesson here is to create a marketing plan around leaving a social platform. Signal your intention well in advance (which is to say 1 post that you’re leaving is not enough), repeat, repeat, repeat, then go. But before you go, check your blind spots. For many publishers, Facebook is the largest driver of social traffic to their website. If you haven’t looked at your analytics before changing lanes then that’s a blind spot. Yes, engagement is down. Yes, organic reach is dwindling. Yes, it sucks to be there. But for most publishers, Facebook is still a big driver of social traffic. Will your other tactics replace that traffic? The video below shows you how to check your Facebook and X numbers.

What should you do? Changing lanes is not always the best solution. But if you are keen to go, then analyze your social traffic and understand the true impact of each channel. Here are some considerations.

• Evaluate Facebook’s Contribution: What percentage of your traffic comes from Facebook? Could another platform compensate for that loss?

• Monitor Emerging Platforms: Note that you will see minimal Social traffic from Bluesky because it does not send referral data from its app users, and its desktop traffic is minimal. Also when experimenting with new platforms, you’ll often have to track follower growth and engagement manually. New tools take time.

• Be the Source of Truth: If you exit a platform, will your audience find credible information about your books elsewhere in that platform? Given the disappearance of news media in Social, consider that you may be acting as a direct news source for your audience. Can you support those users who are staying on that social platform with collaborations with influencers or other partners who are remaining?

• Maximize Existing Content: Social can feel like a time suck, especially if you were used to the reward of comments and other engagement. Optimize your time by cross-posting using tools like Later or Hootsuite. And repurpose older posts. Only a small percentage of your followers see any given post. The algorithms are designed to ensure you are not jacking up the visibility to the same set of users. Post and then repost a day later, a week later, a month later.

• Leverage partnerships with industry projects like Read Local BC, 49th Shelf, All Lit Up, and other provincial association initiatives. Build relationships with microinfluencers and support author-to-author collaborations. With media coverage shrinking, these partnerships help keep your books visible.
  

Switching lanes is also slang for going outside of your comfort zone and doing something different for whatever purpose. Discomfort but with purpose! So that’s what we’ll focus on next.

One major shift in the digital landscape: The long-standing correlation between traffic and sales has weakened. Increased traffic no longer guarantees increased revenue. Why? Generative AI search results, zero-click answers, and snippet-based content in search engine results pages (SERPs) have disrupted traditional search behaviour. Like Social, Search is keeping its users from leaving the channel. But that’s ok. 

Search Remains the Top Driver of Traffic

How do you know? You can track this in GA4’s Traffic Acquisition Report using the Default Channel Grouping. Here’s how to do that. (Also how to find those Facebook numbers.)

So, what Should You Do? This is the discomfort with purpose section.

Given the dominance of Google, Amazon, and YouTube (owned by Google), prioritize optimizing your presence on these platforms:

• Focus on Metadata: Ensure your book metadata is robust and accurate. Draw on lessons from the Livres Canada Books webinar on demystifying metadata for international sales.

• Create Supplementary Assets: Develop book trailers, sample chapters, and author interviews to enrich search listings. I noticed Annick Press, for example, has Look Inside and Activity Sheets available. Any assets you can create, that have file names with the book title and author, are part of a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. If those resources are indexed in search, and include key phrases in the indexed text, then that’s even better. 

• Use Google Merchant Center: For those with Shopify websites, integrate Google Merchant Center with your catalogue so you can maximize visibility in Google Shopping. Likewise, use the Meta integration to set up Instagram Shop and tag your products in posts. Not on Shopify, well you can still use Google Merchant Center to manage a product feed or create Google Ads. 

• Invest in Ads: Run targeted Google Shopping Ads and Amazon Ads to capture consumers with purchase intent. i.e., advertise in the channels where people are actively looking to buy. Yes, we want discoverability and engagement, but ultimately publishers need to sell books so breakdown the digital budget: 1/3 for Meta ads and other discovery or engagement tactics like promos and giveaways and 2/3 for Shopping ads, Catalog ads and stuff that sells (email marketing, referral programs, events, special bundles). Split the budget as fits your situation but be sure to support the end goal.

• Leverage YouTube: Build up your YouTube channel with content that connects with your audience and enhances discoverability. I’ve always enjoyed Bloomsbury’s approach to YouTube. Look at how they create playlists for various topics, including Bloomsbury Cooks (super TikTok repurposing) and Bloomsbury Education (author tips and highlights that educators can use). You’ll notice that recent videos have minimal views, less than 100, but if you incorporate those videos into your social campaigns, embed them in email or blog posts or book detail pages, then the views climb. Also in aggregate you are creating an ecosystem of assets that serve you as a publisher and your authors and retailers. Make sure the video headline and description is keyword rich and you also tap into some SEO benefits.

Parting thoughts …

Own the Reader Relationship

Don’t be late to own your relationship with readers. Moving beyond a single-book marketing mindset is critical. Consider these strategies:

• Promote Bundles & Reading Lists: Curate themed selections to engage readers with multiple titles. Look at Medicine Wheel Publishing’s approach to themed bundles.

• Diversify Revenue Streams: Explore special editions, subscriptions, and licensing deals. (Ya, ya, big publisher tactic.)

• Double Down on SEO & Email: Search remains your largest traffic driver, and email is your most direct audience connection. When readers share their email address, they signal that they want to hear from you. This is far more valuable than a social media follow. Invest in nurturing these relationships. Create onboarding campaigns for people who sign up at conferences or literary events, for example. G’ah this is getting long and I have SO MANY IDEAS. Last words. Promise.

Optimize and Collaborate

With rising costs and tariffs on the horizon, I would :

1. Refine Ad Strategies: Ensure you’re optimizing Meta, Google, and Amazon ads for the best ROI.

2. Collaborate Widely: Partner with trade associations, retailers, authors, and community groups.

3. Engage Alternative Communities: Explore platforms like Substack, Reddit, and library networks to reach targeted audiences. Here’s an example promotion Read Local BC did with The Tyee.

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to the challenges facing trade publishing, but a diversified approach across channels, assets, and partnerships will position you for long-term success.