Writing a book? Ready to amplify your career as an author? Struggling to market your latest novel? This post is for you. 

Many authors are interested in learning how to market their books, and social media is a big part of that effort. Unlike other marketing methods (think: email, paid advertising, etc.) the purpose of social media is to connect people. Through communities and comments, we’re able to tap into common ground with strangers and friends alike at the tap of a screen. 

Social media has unlocked the potential for anyone to build a strong audience of loyal followers online. And it’s not just about getting the most followers– it’s about building a strong online community that drives sales. Here’s why it matters:

• 53% of Americans who follow brands on social media are more loyal to those brands (source)

•  71% of consumers who have had a good social media service experience with a brand are likely to recommend it to others (source)

• 75% of people have purchased something because they saw it on social media (source)

Convinced that you need social media in your marketing plan as an author? Let’s dive into 3 guidelines to help you elevate your author brand online.

Create community, not spam

No one likes to get tricked into a hard sales pitch– and that’s definitely not what social media is for. After all, you’re trying to convince people that you’re someone who will enrich their news feed by following you. 

Your approach should always be 80/20: 80% of adding value to your audience, 20% asking something of them. For example, 80% of your posts should give them advice, education, perspective, interaction, etc. Only 20% should be call-to-actions to visit your website, buy your book or share your product.

This balance will help you maintain community, while having a more interactive audience to tap into when it comes time to drive sales.

Tap into your creativity

You’re already a master writer– that’s half the battle with a social post! Tap into your creativity to provide valuable content for your community. That can be anything from writing prompts, to sharing background information on characters in your book as exclusive additional content. 

It can even be sharing how you get out of a creative rut. The more relatable you are to your audience, the stronger connections you will build over time.

Know + engage your audience

If your goal is to sell books, your audience is the group of people who are likely to be interested in and purchase your book. So dive into learning more about them — what are their interests? Frustrations? Age range? There are tons of resources available for research into these audiences, like this analysis on the Fantasy Book Buyer, to help guide your research. Try to avoid going only off your gut– make sure you have data to back up your claims to avoid false premise.

Once you know your audience, be sure to engage them often. Some examples of how to do this effectively:

• Look up hashtags that they may use (i.e. #bookworm, #readingrocks, etc.)

• Look up larger authors that are similar to you, and check out their followers and those who have tagged them in posts. Follow, like, and comment on their posts often

• Check out location tags for local libraries, coffee shops, parks, and bookstores to see folks who are reading or buying a book, and follow/like/comment on their posts often

These are just a sample of ways to market your books effectively through social media. For more information and inspiration, check out the podcast our founder Hillary Houghton did with Christina Kaye from Write Your Best Book. Christina is an award-winning author, editor, and writing coach from Kentucky. She mentors authors of all levels of expertise and genres, from new writers getting into their first books, to established authors across the country. Tune into our chat, and be sure to follow Christina on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest for more great tips.

Direct link to Spotify.