Authors can greatly benefit from an author website builder that also includes email marketing features.
Actually, such tools assist an author with building their profile online and maintaining their relationships with readers.
An optimal website acts as a focal point where work is displayed, content is given out, and newsletters are used for two way communication.
Through email marketing an author can also determine what his or her readers like and increase the interaction with them.
In this article, we will review some of the most popular email marketing services that could be offered by an author website builder.
We’ll as well share practical advice on brand promotion and construction of a robust literary website.
Useful Elements in an Author Website Builder that Has Email Marketing
Ease of use
Among the key factors to be kept in mind while building the websites would be whether they have drag and drop options or not.
This option makes it easier for various authors who do not know much code to create their websites easily.
This feature simplifies the design process, enabling authors to focus on content rather than technical details.
Customization
Author-centered templates stand out in projecting professionalism and in addition allow for personal branding.
Templates should be sufficiently flexible to be able to capture the author’s design and genre preferences.
This makes the site more relevant to the audience’s expectations.
Integration of Email Marketing
Builders that have inbuilt features for newsletters, automated advertising campaigns, and effective management of mailing lists are recommended.
This integration facilitates the authors to mobilise their fans easily and send them information about new books, events and exclusive information.
Analytic
It is also helpful to have the analytic/s for website visitors and email statistics.
This information helps understand the readers’ behavior and increases the probability of authors in writing and marketing content hyper- targeted to readers.
SEO Feature
And last, practical SEO features are critical for the website to be available in search engines.
Such promotional measures can assist authors in increasing the online audience that will visit their websites.
It can also potentially increase the readership of their works.
Benefits of Email Marketing for Authors
For book authors, email marketing comes with a number of advantages hence it is one of the must have tools in their marketing mix.
Some of the benefits include:
1. Building Relationships with Readers
One of the strengths of email marketing is a chance to bond with readers.
Authors can create an audience from scratch by growing an email list.
This channel is pretty much direct and allows authors to communicate with their readers which builds a community around their work and promotes their future writing efforts.
2. Advertise Your Works
Email marketing is also a great way to advertise your works.
For instance, authors can inform readers about the release of new books, report about important events, as well as describe their current writing activities in newsletters.
This not only keeps the audience up to date but also creates expectations towards new book releases that leads to increased sales and visibility.
3. Customized Outreach
The other great benefit would be the capability to utilize these tools for personalized communication.
Email marketing tools segment email lists into different groups of people interested in similar parts of the author’s work.
This allows the authors to create content that is directed towards specific audiences in their email list segments.
This ensures that the messages hit home.
Not only do personalized emails increase the chances of people engaging with the content but also strengthen the relationship with people.
4. Automatic Follow Ups
What’s more interesting is the fact that readers can also be automatically followed up once they subscribe to an email list.
This guarantees greater levels of engagement.
Authors can create email sequences that work at set durations without them having to do anything.
This helps in improving the time taken to engage with readers.
These lists can also be used for a number of things including welcoming new subscribers, sending reminders after book launches, or just getting to know readers over a period of time.
That’s time saved for the authors and at the same time, there’s fixed communication which helps to engage the readers even after a long time since they first interacted with the author.
Best Author Website Builders with Built-in Email Marketing Tools
In order for authors to identify the most suitable author website builder with email marketing tools that will serve their needs best, I have collated the best tools available in the market.
I reviewed them in different aspects as well:
Comparison Table of Top Author Website Builders
| Option | Ease of Use | Pricing | Key Features | Best For |
| Wix | Drag-and-drop functionality, user-friendly | From $11/month | Templates for authors, customizable galleries, blogging tools, basic email marketing with Ascend | Authors seeking an all-in-one, creative solution |
| Squarespace | Simple, sleek interface | From $17/month | Stunning templates, integrated email marketing, strong SEO features | Authors prioritizing branding and aesthetics |
| MailerLite | Beginner-friendly | Free plan; paid from $10/month | Landing pages, automation, analytics, email marketing tools | Authors on a budget, new to online platforms |
| Olitt | Intuitive design, pre-designed templates | Free plan; paid from $3/month | Basic SEO tools, third-party email marketing integration | Budget-conscious authors needing simplicity |
| Truehost | Easy to use, combines hosting and building tools | From $2.50/month | Customizable templates, blogging tools, reliable hosting, basic email marketing | Authors seeking affordability with reliability |
Detailed Analysis of Popular Options
Option 1: Wix
Wix offers an easy to use website, and allows the authors to mold and sculpt the website through its easy drag-and-drop tool without breaking a sweat.
Starting a minimum monthly fee of $11, the authors are provided with a number of templates to choose from.
The unique aspects include:
— the ability to create specific galleries which are suitable for different types of author genres.
— a blog that is built in.
— the option of doing limited email marketing campaigns using its Ascend bundles.
Wix stands out as a great option for the authors looking for a comprehensive website solution despite having limited options in automated email marketing.
Option 2: Squarespace
Squarespace has the best design among all other competition.
It’s also the best at customization with templates that boost and capture the attention.
The cost starts at $17 per month owing to high and top-notch quality and features the service guarantees.
Authors can use Squarespace’s integrated email marketing feature and successfully build great looking newsletters and control the subscriber pools with ease.
The service boasts good search engine optimizers to help increase the amount of visitors and exposure for the authors who use it.
Although the service can come off as pricy at times, the level of customization and visuals the authors receive makes them consider Squarespace their favorite Sustainable branding.
Option 3: MailerLite
As far as budget constraints are concerned, MailerLite does not disappoint.
Plus its friendly interface is a bonus to the client making it an ideal service for authors.
Its platform allows the usage of a good number of features at free of charge.
These include fundamental pages and tools used in email marketing.
To access more attractive features, including automation and email analytics, one would only need to pay $10 a month for their service.
Considering the fact that it is easy to create websites as an author using the MailerLite interface.
I find this combination of affordability and ease of use particularly attractive for new authors who want to establish their presence on the Internet without extra expenses.
Option 4: Olitt
Olitt stands out as a budget friendly option for writers who only need a simple and functional website.
The platform provides free as well as paid plans that start from $3 per month.
Olitt can also provide ready made templates for different niches that includes authors, along with some basic SEO tools.
However, since its scope of email marketing is not as vast as dedicated applications, Olitt integrates well with email marketing platforms.
Thus being convenient for authors with tight budgets.
Since it is easy to use and quite cheap, it is ideal for authors who are starting and want to build their digital presence.
Option 5: Truehost
Truehost is a web hosting and website building packages that form part of the platform making it easy and convenient for authors.
Truehost is also very affordable with plans starting as low as $2.50.
Such packages come with customizable templates, blogs, as well as email marketing features.
The package offers reliable hosting which means fast loading speeds which is essential in ensuring a good business image online.
Truehost is also very supportive in terms of customer care hence it is a good choice for authors with a website and who would need help to set it up.
Setting up your Website and Email Marketing Campaign
Here are steps to easily set up both your author website and email marketing campaign by following these tips and guidelines:
a. Picking a Competent Site
Choose the site builder that meets your requirements as an author.
Each has its pros and cons so you should weigh the benefits of sites with built-in emailing functions, templates and ease of use against your requirements.
b. Availability of the Domain
The domain name would ideally serve as your author brand hence it would have to be your name, for instance yourname.com.
If it is taken, then you can use your middle name or add the word author, such as yournameauthor.com.
Remember to have a domain that is simple and easy to recall because it would be your address on the online world.
c. Creating Your Website with Pre-Made Templates
The next stage involves designing your website.
Most authors who use these website builders are provided with site templates.
Choose a template that suits your audience and modify it to add basic pages such as Home, About me, Books, Events, and Contact.
The layout should be attractive and easy to navigate through.
d. Adding Email Marketing Capabilities
The next step is to add email marketing tools to your website.
Many of these websites have email marketing as an inbuilt function or enable integration with other services such as Mail chimp or MailerLite.
Use your website to add a sign-up column where visitors that want to be notified whenever you do something can leave their email addresses.
This integration module will allow us to keep a database of all the subscribers and send newsletters from the site directly.
e. Creating Your First Email Campaign
The first thing to focus on is the goal of the email campaign.
Many campaigns aim at promoting a new product or service or some upcoming special events.
In case of any video content attached to the email, make sure that the content is captivating enough to have good retention rates and effective CTAs.
Select the best timing to schedule the email blast so that most of your target audience is likely to view the campaign.
Make use of the tools such as statistics from your email marketing to track the engagement level.
Conclusion
Having an author website builder with email marketing integrated is a game changer.
Simply, you can connect with readers more effectively within the email marketing space.
Using email marketing with your author website allows writers to create a desirable audience and sell more books.
This is the perfect time to act, go start your journey from the right author website builder today!