Most authors can’t afford to hire a PR person or a Social Media Manager—and honestly, I don’t think you should hire one early in your writing career. Maybe not ever! With these social media tips for authors in your marketing toolbox, you can increase exposure for your work, improve your reputation, and improve your sales over time.
Your job as an author doesn’t stop when your book is published.
Your readers need to know that you, the author, actually care about them. They need to know that you respect them and that you understand that you’d be nothing without them. That means you should answer your emails, letters, and phone calls. You should handle your sales and book signings and events. And you should be the one to take care of your own Social Media presence. Be a part of the community that’s growing around your books; show your readers you appreciate their support and you acknowledge their importance. And be sincere about it, too. Fans know when you’re just blowing smoke up their asses.
Social Media has made this stage a lot easier than it used to be. There are many Social Media outlets available, and even though we’ll be speaking mainly about Facebook today, you can always use or adapt these tips to work well with other Social Media platforms, too.
Engage your fans!
That’s the single most important step in your marketing strategy. This means you should not focus solely on book sales. Don’t post over and over that your books are for sale and to please buy them. It gets boring and it seems pushy or desperate. Engaging your fans means giving them interesting things to see: artwork from the books, links to YouTube songs that have some relevance to your writing, other websites or fan-sites. You want to give them fun things to do: answer polls, vote on cover or interior art, or enter contests. Ask them questions, get their opinions, engage them and encourage them to take part in your world.
Speak to your readers, not at them!
It’s so easy to pop into Facebook and see who has been looking at your page. Find out who is looking and then post something directly to them. Or, if you’re lucky enough to have fans that like to speak up on their own, be sure to reply to them right away. Have a conversation, invite them to leave feedback or make suggestions. Make them feel like a part of your world—because they are! But be sure it’s sincere, too. They’ll know if you don’t really care.
Don’t flood them!
People don’t have a lot of free time these days, so rummaging through pages and pages of posts from you every day is a perfect way to get removed or blocked completely. One post a week is okay, two a week is good. But don’t just post random, meaningless stuff. Make sure it’s relevant and interesting. Images and videos get the most hits, but don’t flood those, either. You don’t need to share your personal life (unless you want to), but do give your fans something fun to see every few days.
Avoid the urge to argue!
It is inevitable that a jerk will pop onto your page and start giving you grief. Avoid the urge to put them in their place. Be kind, cordial, and respectful. Yes, even if they flame you, attack you, or threaten you. There are plenty of ways to handle trolls on your page, and step one is to meet their anger with neutrality. Employ the “Gray Rock” method for the best results. https://www.aconsciousrethink.com/6158/gray-rock-method-dealing-narcissist/
Handling your own Social Media is fun and rewarding. Sure, it takes time and it can be a lot of effort for writers who aren’t as social, but it’s worth it. Your fans will love feeling connected to you, not just as a writer, but as a person. Show them you care; show them they matter!
Serious business
**Charity Becker is the author of our top-selling supernatural series “Presence” as well as several kids and family books. In addition to writing, Charity is a professional editor. She writes for video game companies both in the US and internationally. She loves chatting with her fans and meeting new people, so find Charity on Facebook!
Blysster Press puts the power and profits back into authors’ hands. 100% profits for authors, 0% for the publisher–as it should be!
Comments
Your hontesy is like a beacon
The information is really very helpful, thanks for the great share.