If you’re an author and want to get noticed, there are a few tools you’ll need in your toolbox: a paper, a pen, and a social media presence. Authors have an unprecedented opportunity to reach the masses on a personal level and maybe even pique the interest of a publisher via social media. We’ll take a look at how you can cash in on a solid social media presence, increasing your visibility and promoting all those hard hours you’ve logged on that awesome book of yours.
Find your ideal social media channel
Twitter is great for gaining a following and creating a community, but it’s not necessarily a platform to garner more book sales. Setting up a fan page on Facebook will set you apart as an authoritative voice, but it won’t provide the level of user engagement that Twitter does. A blog that is updated on a regular basis is also a good way to showcase your writing and hook new readers in. The beauty of social media is you can cross post to multiple networks, increasing engagement and exposure, so there’s no need to choose only one channel.
The most important thing to remember is: consistency = success. If posting every day is too overwhelming, you can easily outsource this to the Author Social Media experts.
Create content balance
Promote your book sparingly. Don’t just push your book in every tweet or post. Readers will soon tire and maybe (gasp!) unfollow if your book oversaturates their feed. Find relevant, interesting and inspiring content and consistently post these topics. Support other authors by promoting their work. Post fun video snippets answering Q&A’s. You want someone to see your name and know that they can depend on you for quality content.
Some sage advice: Do it well or don’t do it at all. There are millions of blogs and authors out there promoting books and services. How do you stick out? Give people good reason to visit your website or read your book by making yourself accessible, likeable and trustworthy on social media. If you’re rolling your eyes and yawning while engaging with your audience, it will come right through that keyboard. If you find yourself overwhelmed by all the social media channels, try to stick to one of them, but post and engage with consistency and excellence. Two out of three home-bodies across the country agree: they are more likely to attend a party if it means they don’t have to get out of their pajamas. Enter Twitter Party: a one-hour event that gives you the ability to create buzz around your book, meet potential new readers, and showcase your charisma. Announce your party by choosing a time, create a relevant hashtag and encourage your audience to spread the word. Since it’s a party, have a giveaway for a signed copy of your book so a few lucky guests don’t leave empty handed. If you need a push to get your book off the ground, our social media team can plan, customize, and launch an aggressive campaign around your book (including your Twitter party). Take a look:
REMEMBER: Promoting other authors on a regular basis will add more to your engagement (and sales) than promoting yourself all the time.
Do it well; We can tell
Plan a Twitter book launch
