A reader recently reached out asking about the value authors get from posting on social, so I wanted to share some thoughts on using social media for book marketing. The fact is, social media can be a very useful tool for authors but it’s not the only tool at your disposal, and without a clear strategy and an end goal, it likely won’t bring the results you may hope for. But let’s talk about how and when it does have value, and the importance of using other tools in your author marketing kit.
Be Where Your Audience is and Create the Content They Expect
First, I’d like to note that there is no magic social platform to reach your readers. Your readers are where they are. You have to go to them. Of course, if you already have a presence on a platform, you can start there. But if your audience isn’t on your platform, you’ll need to find them. In other words, you need a strategy!
To find your audience, you’ll need to do some research. This involves first determining who your audience is. Once you’ve figured this crucial step out, you can look intowhere your audience is active online. If you’d like to read more about finding your audience and defining your ideal reader, here’s my post on the topic.
Then, to successfully use social media in book marketing you’ll need to create the content your audience wants. Different platforms cater to different audiences and focus on different content styles.
- For instance, the latest trends tell us that TikTok is useful for discoverability and popular among fantasy, YA, and romance readers. #BookTok is all about short form video and driving sales.
- YouTube is often the go-to space for readers interested in in-depth, longform content. Whether you enjoy talking about world building or sharing your expertise, you might be able to engage with your audience here.
- LinkedIn is a space where nonfiction authors with a focus on brand building tend to flourish. If you’re building your brand, or trying to grow your author platform and you write nonfiction, this may be your social platform.
- Instagram remains popular for reader engagement, making connections, and sharing aesthetic content. If you love creating pretty photos and sharing small, enticing snippets, you’ll probably feel comfortable here.
Ideally, whatever platform your audience is on will also be the platform you’re comfortable on too. Otherwise, using social media in book marketing can start to feel like a chore. Also, keep in mind that authenticity and genuine connection are key! It’s best to stick to the 30/30/30 rule with social media.
This means dedicating:
- 30% of posts to your book
- 30% to engaging with your readers and sharing other’s content
- 30% to on brand but personal and relatable content
Some Other Tips for Using Social Media in Book Marketing Successfully
- Keep content on brand
- Focus on quality over quantity
- Make sure your content is relevant
- Don’t expect miracles from book promos alone
- Take the time to learn the platform and analyze what’s working and what isn’t
Ultimately, unless you plan on making social media your main focus, or your determined to outsmart rigged algorithms, more of your energy could be spent on other tried and true marketing tactics. This is the passive marketing that increases your discoverability and grows your audience.
Tactics such as:
- Building a strong strong brand
- Researching your audience
- Getting your metadata on point
- Growing your author platform through content output like blogs, newsletters and articles
- Improving your owned author marketing assets, such as your website
A Word About ONLY Using Social Media for Book Marketing
While it is possible to successfully build a brand and gain an audience on social media alone, there is risk involved because of the ever-shifting nature of social media. Algorithms are mysterious and in a constant state of change. Trends come and go, and social media platforms trend and die off fairly routinely. Their terms of use can change overnight as well. Also, having followers is not a guarantee that your posts will be seen. This is why having a space that you control and own is so important, and why I caution against relying solely on social media for your book marketing strategy.
Work on Creating Content That You Control
A professional website is an online space where YOU have control of the content you create, and that content will always be visible and available. Newsletters, too, are a way to reach your audience directly without relying on an algorithm for visibility. These owned marketing assets allow you to share photos, videos and written content when and how you want. And best yet, that content stays where it is. So, social media can help draw users to your content, but it’s a risk to rely on these platforms alone as your book marketing strategy.
Other Tried and True Book Marketing Tactics to Implement in Your Book Marketing Strategy
A recent IBPA article discussed some of these tried and true book marketing tactics and found that success comes via all the behind the scenes work authors do that’s known as passive book marketing in the industry. Besides a professional website and an email list, your hardest working marketing assets are still the foundational ones that increase your discoverability.
These are:
- Metadata (book descriptions, BISACs, keywords, etc.)
- Wider Distribution (allowing readers to buy your book across many channels)
- Professional marketing standards (ARCs, Pre-orders, etc.)
You can read that informative and important article right here.
Okay, So What Role Does Social Media Play in Your Book Marketing Strategy?
Yes, social media can be difficult to use successfully as part of your book marketing strategy, but that doesn’t mean it’s without use, even if you choose not to go all in with your efforts. For instance, having at least one social platform is useful for discoverability. It’s another place where you can be found online, if anything. But if you do choose to maintain a presence, whether you’re using social media in book marketing regularly or not, make sure your account is on brand and up to date with links, your bio, and contact information.
Social media can also be useful for growing your email list, sharing your blogs and gaining newsletter subscribers. Any impressions are better than none. The clicks you do get will lead readers to your website, and they may read more and stay longer. This is a goal for SEO strategy. Plus, if you strategically share your content, it helps with your off-page SEO, which can help build your website’s authority. Of course, this requires creating content and sharing it consistently.
Simply having a social media platform also gives you the ability to integrate active marketing techniques into your book marketing strategy. If, and when, you want to run promos or paid ads, you’ll need an account to do that. So, even if you don’t want to consistently share and engage on your social media platform, they’re definitely still useful. It’s something to think about.
And again, I’ll remind you that there is no one magic trick that will sell more books, or one special platform that will guarantee success. It’s all about the little things that work together as a whole. It’s up to you what you want to put into it. The goal is that your marketing strategy is sustainable. You need to consider your emotional marketing budget.
The things a social media presence is good for, whether you’re very active or not are:
- Off page SEO (this builds your website’s authority)
- Driving traffic to your website or newsletter
- Paid ads, updates and promotions (the things that happen during your official launch)
- Increasing your online visibility
Again, even if you’re not using social media for book marketing in a concentrated way, make sure your profile looks good. Keep it on brand and up to date.
In closing, I’d like to thank Rich for reaching out and I hope this gave him and other readers some clarity on using social media for book marketing. If you have questions about any of the intricacies that go into author marketing, brand building, or self-publishing, I encourage you to do a search for the topic on my blog page. And, of course, if you don’t find what you’re looking for, reach out and suggest a blog topic for me to cover! Leave a question or idea in the comments, even.
You can also search Monkey C Media’s blog for book marketing, cover design, and content writing and editing tips too.
