If you are anything like me, most authors tend to get on your nerves on social media with their boring posts. They publish a book, then plaster “hey my book is out buy my book” posts all over social media with a link to buy the book.
Someone needs to explain social media for authors. After all, there are too many authors are spending too much time on social media trying to market their books with too little return.
Sidebar: If you are guilty of this, you don’t have to hang your head in shame. We’re about to make some changes to your marketing plans.
The Popular “Buy My Book” Status Updates
Back to what I was saying… Ok, so these authors. It doesn’t matter if it is the first week, or month, or year. ”Buy my book” is pretty much the extent of 99% of authors’ status updates that I see.
Have you noticed this? Are you guilty of this too?
The only authors that can get away with simple “buy my book” social media posts have mega brands (think Oprah), are celebrities (think Tina Fey) or have a coveted position as an internationally acclaimed award-winning author (think James Patterson.)
As for the rest of us, we have to work just a wee bit harder to promote our books!
I have a question that I don’t think most authors actually consider when they’re promoting themselves on social media.
Why I should buy your book?
So you’re an author, you post”buy my book” with the title and a link to Amazon, and that’s pretty much it. What does this really say? Does this excite or engage me your potential readers?
You have not told me why I should buy your book. If we aren’t personal friends (or cousins), how are you going to expand your readership if all you say is buy my book?
Having a simple status update that tells me your book is out and that it’s 99 cents, or that it’s on promotion, or it just dropped… this means nothing to a complete stranger. I think we all agree on that.
Listen to this Google Hangout I did with the Purposely Created Publishing Group – it’s actually more like a mini book marketing bootcamp on social media for authors.
Learn what an author or an aspiring author can post on media to get visibility and boost those book sales.
Social Media for Authors
Buckle up baby! We’re going beyond “buy my book” tweets! Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn about:
- How to define a goal for using social media in the first place. Of course, you want to sell your book and make sales but what is your ultimate goal for using social media?
- Social media marketing strategy for when your book comes out. If your book has not launched, you will be a step ahead of most people because you can start marketing while you’re in pre-launch mode.
- How to figure out where the people that would mostly likely buy your books are hanging out on social media.
- Ways an author can repurpose book content for social media.
- Why plastering your book cover across social media will not increase your book sales, and what to do instead.
- Specific kinds of graphics an author can easily create for book promotion on social media.
- Why authors are making a mistake by overlooking Pinterest as a social media marketing power tool.
- How to design contests and giveaways to get people talking about your book.
- How to engage your audience and promote your book without annoying people with sales pitches.
- How fiction and non-fiction authors can create compelling social media content that gets people excited and eager to learn more about you and your books.
Looking for the book mentioned in the interview?
Get your copy of “I’m On Social Media, Now What Do I Say” at Amazon.com.
Every fiction and non-fiction author can use the social media strategies shared in this interview. You’ll know what to post on Twitter, how you can leverage your fan base on Facebook, how to pin like a pro on Pinterest and how to use Instagram if you’re feeling ambitious!
By the end of this What to Say On Social Media for Authors Hangout you will have several pages of notes and you will be armed with a social media marketing plan for your published books, upcoming books, and your author brand.
Ciao,
Miss Kemya