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Ever since the arrival of social media platforms in our lives, everything has changed. It helps you connect with your friends, relatives, and strangers within seconds. Apart from this, it has proven itself to be a game changer in the business world as well. It helps you connect with your clients from all over the world and, at the same time, helps you reach out on a much larger scale. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc., are some of the platforms which help you connect to the world not just for fun but for work as well.
For example, on Facebook Marketplace, you can open e-shops to upload what you have to offer to the customers, and they can purchase it through Facebook itself. It is a great way to increase your client base. This article will help you understand the benefits of using social media for writers to promote their books, along with a few ways to use it.
Benefits of using social media platforms for authors/ writers
1. It helps you establish your identity
Before anyone can know about the books you have written, it is first essential for them to get to know you. It helps them understand who you are, what your story is, the genre of your books, and how you are different from other authors. In this digital world, if you have a digital footprint, then you also have created a brand of your own. Therefore, it becomes crucial for you as a writer to share accurate and relevant information. Now, while doing this, you must pay attention to minor details like typos, grammar, etc., which, even though they can be insignificant, have the power to be the game changer. These days, if you are not promoting or using any social media platforms such as Facebook, it can undermine your credibility and affect your reputation as well.
However, while sharing the information, it is totally up to you as to how much you are willing to share.
2. Helps you in advertising
It is not always possible to go on book tours and engage with the audience in real time. It can get very expensive and time-consuming as well. This is when social media platforms come into the picture. It helps you connect not only to the people in your own city but also to those living far away. You just have to put up one post, and the world will know about your new book release. You can drive the marketing in whatever manner you want to, hold social media contests, give sneak peeks into the writing zone, plan a meet and greet, etc. You will be the driver of the campaign, and the world will be your audience.
How to use social media platforms for your own benefit?
1. Write a solid bio
The first thing that a person reads when they land up on your page is your bio. We suggest you write some interesting things about yourself which excite people and develop their interest in knowing more about you. You can also write about the previous books that you have written or the topics that you are interested in writing about. While writing the bio, your intention and goal are to leave a mark on their mind so that they visit your page often. This will connect them to you and make it easier for you to tell them about your new launches.
2. Do your research
The current trend on all social media platforms is the content that you post. The better your content is, the better will be the chances for the audience to connect and purchase your books. Even if you do not feel like engaging yourself with social media, there is no other choice, as every single person is hooked on these platforms, so you might as well use it to your advantage. Thus, spend some time every day surfing through different social media platforms and try looking for intriguing content that interests you.
There is a feature on platforms like Facebook and Instagram that helps you put stories where you can either post pictures that last 24 hours or let your audience ask you questions, etc. As a writer, you can also ask some engaging questions or talk to them about your new book. This will help you engage with them, and it will also brew their interest regarding your next release. You can also go live on these platforms to have real-time conversations with your audience.
3. Share your work
Even if you have successfully connected with your audience and are engaging with them on regular intervals, you fall short if you are not sharing your work with them. If you are a professional writer and the audience is engaging with you because of that, they will also expect that you share work content with them. With the increasing use of social media, if you are applying for a job as a writer, there is a high probability that the recruiter will come to your profile and check how you engage with your audience, what content you share with them, etc. Hence, this account on any social media platform can also act as a resume for the writers.
4. Try to be consistent
The popular saying ‘the key to success is consistency’ also applies here. As we have already mentioned, every single person today is hooked to different social media platforms. It becomes important for you as a writer to be consistent with your content. If you post something today and then disappear for a month, they might forget about you, nullifying the entire point of using social media. So, you need to be consistent with your content and engagement.
How do you pick the best social platforms for you as a writer?
First and foremost, consider your target audience. Where are they most likely to “hang out” on the Internet?
Facebook remains the most popular social network in the world, with nearly 200 million active users in the US. Its core user base is young, perhaps surprisingly so (65% under 35), and skews male (57%). Data also suggests that about half of Facebook users belong to a Facebook Group, which is good for authors who wish to market this way — and as we discuss below, it’s also one of the best platforms for author ads.
Instagram has 120 million active users in the US, 70% of whom are under 35, with an even gender split. Perhaps most notably for those looking to build an enthusiastic following, Instagram engagement is through the roof — 1% across all industry brands (which might seem low, until you compare it to Facebook’s 0.25% and Twitter’s 0.08%).
Pinterest, the other big image-sharing platform, has about 100 million users in the US. A whopping 30.4% of these users are women aged 25-34 — for context, this group makes up about 17% of Instagram users and 13% of Facebook users. If that’s your target audience, do keep Pinterest in mind.
Twitter has fewer active users than the other major platforms here — 68 million in the US, about 62% male — as it’s primarily meant for sharing news and ideas, rather than as a purely social app. But it boasts a dedicated user base and is very popular among writers, who tend to prefer platforms that focus on the written word.
Hope that you learned something from this article.
Best Regards,
ATTICUS
P.S.
If you want to know more about how to manage your social media campaign, we provide FREE 30-minute marketing consultation.
Click on this link and let us know when you’d be available: https://calendly.com/info-atticuspublishing/bookconsultation
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