Social networking is powerful. One-third of the world uses social networks regularly, and studies show that 81% of shoppers use the Internet to help them make purchasing decisions. Social media is important for almost every industry as an awareness tool and a great place to build interest, for books too, and is a place that you should have a presence as an author. Many authors avoid social media because they don’t understand why it matters, don’t know how to make themselves known there, or simply don’t know what to say, but this course intends to address those concerns.
People spend an incredible amount of time online, and social media is an outlet consumers use to make purchasing decisions and see what people are talking about. Readers use social media to review, recommend, and talk about what interests them, making it a rich source of discovery. The more interest you garner across the Internet, the more your book will get noticed, meaning that an online presence, when executed effectively, can help increase book sales.
The beauty of social media marketing is that, for the most part, it’s monetarily free. The investment you make comes from dedicating your time, but not actual dollars. On social media, people want to be informed and entertained. While it can be a sales tool, it doesn’t work that way if you only join it for that explicit purpose. People have to know you and trust you first, as in most sales and marketing relationships. Authors using social media strictly as a means to an end—book sales alone—are not likely to be patient enough to engage and have meaningful interactions, because they give up long before they gain momentum. The larger value of social media comes from the relationships you build and the trust and loyalty you gain, which is what leads to book sales. But those relationships take time and authenticity, something every author should work toward and is capable of, but not something every author is willing to work for.
With social media, so much depends on who you are, who your books are meant to reach, and what your long-term goals are. At the very least, a long-term view of social media is the healthiest and most productive attitude you can adopt. If you can foresee yourself using it for years to come, it’s worth investing your time and energy. If you plan to abandon it as soon as your immediate book marketing needs dissipate, you may want to look for other marketing strategies and tools.
Social media should by no means be your only book marketing plan, but it should certainly be a part of your overall marketing strategy and is easily one of the quickest and most cost-efficient ways into your readers’ personal space. It’s the perfect supplement to other marketing initiatives and a great place to build and connect with fans. There’s no one-size-fits-all marketing solution; however, social media improves visibility for just about anyone as an environment in which to reach out to potential readers and form a personal connection. It carries the same sort of intrigue as a book signing and provides insight into a writer’s world.
Here are some of the most significant ways social media improves book sales and a few of the subjects we’ll explore further in this course.
The concept of micro targeting requires a clear understanding of a target market. If you want to post about what people care about, you must know the people in your audience in order to cater your social media to your niche for the best outcome. Before you can perform any kind of marketing, social media or otherwise, you must first understand your audience and your author platform.
If you don’t feel you have a strong understanding of who your audience is or how to find them, you’re encouraged to take IngramSpark’s Author Platform Course. You’re welcome to take any course in the IngramSpark Academy in any order, but you may get a lot more out of this course if you also complete the How to Build an Author Platform Course.
The platform you use affects the likelihood of reaching a particular audience. There is no one platform for every author, so use the information in this course to determine which platform is right for you. The number-one rule for choosing a platform for your book is to choose something that is highly visible and used by your target market. Choose 1-3 platforms, and remain active on them.
Great content gets liked and shared, plain and simple. Social media is about building trust, and the content you share on social platforms should be genuine and a reflection of your author brand, subject matter, and expertise. When it comes to social media marketing, telling authors what they should do is like trying to tell people how to be themselves—everyone’s different, but if you’re being genuine to your interests and message, you’re sure to attract the right audience for you and your book.
Be authentic and look for ways to stay engaged daily. Respond to posts, like other pages, and retweet others. Try to be informational more than “salesy” to gain followers. If possible, an author should be directly involved with and responsible for all the content posted on social media.
Always try to answer inquiries, respond to feedback, and ask questions of your audience. The more interaction you can facilitate, the more likely your name or book title will stand out in a person’s mind.
Don’t be afraid to try new things and think outside of the box, because a viral campaign is a great way to drive sales. The key is to gain traction in the marketplace, not by direct sales, but by effective use of the online space. To do this, you’ll need to focus on what your audience wants, rather than creating the perfect pitch.
The truth is that you must build your following if you want to be known as an author, and social media is a fantastic place to do just that. Self-promotion is a reality in today’s writing world, and it is neither arrogant nor tedious if it is done well. So let’s dive into the wonderful world of social media marketing (what, how, and why) in order to boost your online presence and help you sell more books. Once you find your fan base on social media, you’ll open up a world of new friends, new ideas, and new readers. Get started as soon as possible and reap the many benefits of being social.
This chapter was compiled from the following posts on the IngramSpark blog:
3 Things to Avoid When Social Media Marketing for Your Book by Jane Friedman, Co-founder of The Hot Sheet
Social Media: Choose It and Use It, Self-Publishers! by Carla King, Founder of Author Friendly
The Power of Online Book Communities by Sarah Bolme, Director of Christian Small Publishers Association
Using Social Media to Drive Book Sales by IngramSpark
What to Include in Your Book Marketing Strategy by IngramSpark
Connecting with Readers via Social Media by IngramSpark
