Social Media BASICS for Authors
/For many would-be authors, the thought of promoting their book on social media is almost as intimidating as writing the book itself, especially when said author doesn’t have a particularly robust social media platform (or doesn’t have one at all!).
If that is the case for you, don’t neglect this important step in launching and marketing your book. These days, social media platforms are crucial marketplaces for reaching readers and promoting your book.
Here are some of the basics you’ll need to know:
1. Start with two or three platforms. Facebook and Instagram are good to start with because you can easily cross-post to both platforms. You will want to create an “Author Page” separate from your personal page. This is where you will post about your book (and then you can “share” those posts to your personal page, and increase their reach.) Here’s a YouTube video that can get you started setting up the page. (LinkedIn is another good platform, especially if your book has a business application/target audience.)
2. Identify your target audience, just like you did when you wrote your book. The audience for your social media posts should be the same as for your book, and you should tailor your messaging accordingly, appealing to what you’ll know they’ll be interested in, and when.
3. Use engaging content relevant to your book topic. For example, if you’ve published a cookbook, you can post photos of your prepared recipes, entertaining tips, etc. If you’ve published a novel, share your promotions, book signings, books reviews, extra chapters, etc. For any kind of book, you can include excerpts, quotes, or teasers from the book.
4. Timing: Find out by a Google search if there are optimal times when your target audience is most active on social media. This can help with “engagement” (how many people respond to your post) and “reach” (how many people actually see it).
5. Use images and videos! The rate of engagement goes up tremendously when you include photos with your posts.
6. Use the “Story” feature on both FB and Instagram. Here you can post photos or videos, and there is an editor feature that allows you to superimpose a caption on the image. These posts are only available for 24 hours after you post them, but they are wildly popular and tend to have a pretty high “click” rate, so use that to your advantage.
7. Include a call-to-action. Encourage people to buy the book, leave a review, or share the post with others.
8. Be consistent. Maintain a consistent posting schedule and tone across all your social media platforms. As you get used to posting regularly, you will find your “voice,” just like you did when you wrote your book. Consistency in your tone, timing, and messaging will help you build a strong brand presence for your book(s), and cultivate long-term relationships with your readers via social media.
9. Respond to comments. This cannot be overstated: respond to the comments people leave, even if you simply “like” them. Your readers will want to know they reached you and that their support matters to you. Ideally, offer a brief word of response and appreciation for their comments, answer their questions, etc. Make it a practice to check the notifications on your social media accounts regularly.
10. Persevere: keep posting! The last thing you want to do is “disappear.” Out of sight, out of mind!
If this sounds intimidating to set up your social media for your book, and to keep going, try finding someone close to you—a friend or family member—who can show you the ropes or even post on your behalf. If you would like to hire out this task and enlist a professional, Inspira is standing by with Marketing and Social Media packages to get you up and running.
You spent so much time writing your book, now is the time to put that same time into getting your book out there for the world to enjoy. In today’s world, social media is one of the most important ways to accomplish that.
Happy posting!