{"id":16407,"date":"2024-07-11T06:12:38","date_gmt":"2024-07-11T12:12:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cravebooks.com\/blog\/?p=16407"},"modified":"2024-09-24T04:54:44","modified_gmt":"2024-09-24T10:54:44","slug":"social-media-marketing-for-authors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cravebooks.com\/blog\/social-media-marketing-for-authors\/","title":{"rendered":"Social Media Marketing for Authors: How to Build a Powerful Author Platform"},"content":{"rendered":"

In today\u2019s world, social media marketing has become an important spoke on the wheel of marketing for any business, including your author business. Is it absolutely necessary? No. The wheel will still turn without it, and the best thing about being in business for yourself is that you get to decide where you want to put your energy, and preferably, that\u2019s in places that support you, not drain you.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For some, engaging on social media boosts their energy. They\u2019ve curated their accounts well enough that what they experience supports their goals and personal peace. For them,\u00a0 getting on social media is usually a pleasant experience that allows them to engage and connect with readers on a deeper level.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For others, however, social media brings dread, draining their energy and leaving them feeling exhausted at best, emotionally wounded at worst. If this is you, don\u2019t feel like you have to force yourself to \u201cdeal with it\u201d because you think it will sell more books. Most likely, it won\u2019t, because your dread will seep into your online presence in the form of lackluster posts and little or no engagement with others. Instead, put more energy into other ways of book marketing that you do enjoy. It\u2019s absolutely possible to have a successful author career without a strong social media presence.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Like most authors, you probably fall somewhere in the middle of that spectrum. Social media might not be your favorite way to spend your time and energy, but you don\u2019t hate it. You\u2019re willing to push yourself a little out of your comfort zone to learn how to leverage the benefits of these platforms. And\/or, you may have come to realize by now that you prefer one platform or another or there\u2019s a particular one you just can\u2019t bring yourself to spend time on, for one reason or another. That\u2019s okay, too.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Create a presence and build a powerful platform where you feel most comfortable, and you will find success.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That said, it\u2019s important to know which platforms your readers use by referring to the research you’ve done for your target audience (you have done that research, right?). Know the demographics that most commonly use Facebook versus Instagram versus TikTok versus YouTube, and compare that to the demographics of your genre\u2019s readership. Look at where other authors in your genre tend to hang out on social media, and how they use that particular platform. If you love all the platforms and all the different ways of using each one, be careful not to overstretch yourself. Consistency is key to every single one of them, so it\u2019s better to be consistent on one or two than to be sporadic on all of them.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Successful Social Media Marketing Requires Engaging Content<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

There are many ways to create engaging social media posts. Most importantly: don\u2019t be an obnoxious sales jerk who only talks about their book and demands people buy it. In fact, as in much of life, it\u2019s smart to follow the 80\/20 rule. In this case, 80% of your posts are about anything BUT your book, and 20% is about your book(s). Some ideas for that 80%: <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n