Social media is not a marketing plan but can be part of a larger strategy because it is a connection tool. It helps you to find, connect with, and nurture your audience.
It is through these connections that you build the like and trust factor. People believe in you and trust you.
When people believe in you, they buy from you.
Here are Some Ways to Use Social Media as Part of Your Larger Strategy:
Share your journey and inspiration.
Why are you writing this book? Who are some of your favorite authors and their books? What inspired you to write in the first place? What’s the story behind your title? What’s your story?
Follow accounts related to your topic.
Who follows you on social media is less important than who YOU follow. These accounts influence you personally and train the algorithm to show you more of the same.
Engaging with accounts that are relatable to your topic, beliefs, morals, values, and passions will do two things.
First, it will make you aware of trending topics in the news related to your area of expertise, which will help you create relatable content.
Discussing current events related to your book’s genre can be a great way to generate interest and attention while using social media to share your thoughts and insights. This helps build your author platform, authority, and attract more readers to your work.
Secondly, following like-minded accounts and engaging with them will introduce you to more people who might enjoy reading your kind of book.
Center Content Around the Topics/Themes of Your Book
Focus your messaging on connections and themes related to your book. Consider how the post might be educational, inspirational/motivational, informative, or entertaining. Even when I post something silly to TikTok, I make sure it aligns with what I am known for.
My rule of thumb is that the post must have something to do with black history/history in general, poetry, or books in some way. As a result of only focusing on these things, I’ve grown my TikTok account from 3K to 26.1K followers, highest view at 1.5 million, and increased subscriptions to my email list.
Leverage Relationships
Collaborate with other writers, authors, and business people who write books similar to yours or offer a service you can benefit from. Can they get you on their podcast? Review your book? Promote it on their pages? Can they repost/share your book cover? Do they know of anyone who can offer a service related to what you do? As the old saying goes, “closed mouths don’t get fed.” A lot of opportunities to gain exposure comes from simply asking.
Social Proof
We live in a world where most people only believe what they see. Share screenshots of book reviews, excerpts, quotes, and recommendations from others to provide social proof that can help boost interest in your book. This proof can also showcase your writing through blog posts, articles, videos, graphics, and more. Give people a taste of what they can expect from the whole meal. People self-publish books every day so show what sets you apart.
I hope this helps get your 2024 book marketing efforts off to a good start!
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