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D . S C I E N C E | E B O O K N A M E • H T T P : / / D S C I E N C E . C O �1
A U T H O R
S C O R E C A R D
B R A N D S T R AT E GY
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D . S C I E N C E | E B O O K N A M E • H T T P : / / D S C I E N C E . C O �2
It’s hard to overstate the value of a strong author brand. Beyond its immediate impact on building a strong platform and community around your writing, strengthening your brand maximizes your reach, your engagement and your book sales over the long run.
And when your brand is cohesive and well-articulated, your marketing initiatives will be too. That’s because branding encompasses the foundational elements of marketing: visual identity, key messaging, brand personality, and competitive advantage.
The problem is, few writers are able to step back and objectively assess their brand’s strengths and weaknesses. Many writers feel that branding doesn’t apply to them, and those who do recognize the value of building a brand would be hard pressed to identify the important factors they should consider.
To help, let’s look at, and score, your application of several critical aspects of effective branding. This is your Author Brand Scorecard, and a simple way for you to evaluate your current author brand strategy (or lack thereof).
WELCOME
Score your response to each question on the following scale:
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D . S C I E N C E | E B O O K N A M E • H T T P : / / D S C I E N C E . C O �3
S C O R E :
1. The purpose of my author business, and the reason I write what I write, is clear and easily articulated.
2. The personal and professional principles upon which my work is founded (and what I stand for) is evident.
P U R P O S E :
C O R E V A L U E S :
S C O R E :
V I S I O N :
3. My vision statement outlines my objectives and what I want to be/do/have as my writing career evolves.
S C O R E :
M I S S I O N :
4. What I’m going to do, how I’m going to do it, for whom I’m doing it and why it’s important, is unambiguous.
S C O R E :
S T R A T E G I C O B J E C T I V E S :
5. I have written out the tangible goals I plan to achieve, how and when I’ll achieve them, and how much of a commitment it will take (based on my purpose, vision and mission).
S C O R E :
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D . S C I E N C E | E B O O K N A M E • H T T P : / / D S C I E N C E . C O �4
S C O R E :
6. I have done a thorough assessment of my current author brand to understand what is going right, and more importantly, what is going wrong.
7. I have created an action plan to address my brand’s critical issues.
A S S E S S M E N T :
S C O R E :
8. I have carefully researched my market/genre and analyzed both direct and indirect “competitors”, potential collaborators and industry influencers.
S C O R E :
9. I have identified and researched my ideal target audience, understand their specific needs, and have developed a reader profile.
S C O R E :
10. I have differentiated my author brand in clearly identifiable ways, outlined my unique areas of advantage or value, and can describe my author business in one sentence.
S C O R E :
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M A R K E T R E S E A R C H / A N A L Y S I S :
A U D I E N C E R E S E A R C H :
P O S I T I O N I N G :
D . S C I E N C E | E B O O K N A M E • H T T P : / / D S C I E N C E . C O �5
S C O R E :
11.My author brand’s visual identity (logo, colors, photography, typography, layout, etc.) effectively captures the authentic essence of my author brand.
12. I have arranged my books, services, speaking, training, etc. in a simple and intuitive way (e.g. sub-brands).
I D E N T I T Y :
S C O R E :
13.My brand is consistent across all dimensions (visual, voice and messaging, positioning) and touch points (website, social media, cover designs, promotional material, etc.).
S C O R E :
14. I look for and focus on the most effective channels (social media, conferences, podcasts, radio/tv, etc.) to engage, educate, entertain and nurture my readers.
S C O R E :
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A R C H I T E C T U R E :
E X P R E S S I O N :
C H A N N E L S :
S T R A T E G Y :
15. I have developed a tactical plan to guide me (including tools, processes and best practices) on how I will build, shape and share my author brand.
S C O R E :
D . S C I E N C E | E B O O K N A M E • H T T P : / / D S C I E N C E . C O �6
S C O R E :
16.My well-articulated author brand strategy allows me to develop targeted marketing campaigns that are highly relevant to my ideal readers.
17. I continue to do ongoing audience/reader research and regularly scheduled brand audits to measure how my author brand is performing (then tweak to improve my results and performance).
P R O M O T I O N :
M A I N T E N A N C E :
S C O R E :
170 – 150 Keep up the great work! Your author brand is one of your most valuable assets.
149 – 130 Not too bad, but you may need to refocus your author brand to ensure you’re still meeting your readers’ needs.
129 – 110 You’re likely not connecting with your readers in the way that you want, so it’s time to reclaim your brand and get it working effectively for you.
109 – 90 You’ve either ignored branding, or you’re in serious need of a brand overhaul.
< 90 Is your writing just a hobby? If not, it’s time to get serious.
S C O R E
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D . S C I E N C E | E B O O K N A M E • H T T P : / / D S C I E N C E . C O �7
If you’re looking for more of my services or want to get in touch, please hit me up on the channels below.
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M Y N A M E H E R E
EMAIL: [email protected]: YourWriterPlatform.com
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