If you’re like the average Internet user, you’ve spent a good deal of your time camping on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and blogs.
While you may feel like your time would be better spent working on your next manuscript, the truth is that as a self-published author, having a strong social media presence is more important than ever to attract and grow a loyal audience.
Social media has become a part of everyday life, and if the trend over the past two decades is any indication, we can safely assume that it’s here to stay and will continue to grow as a powerful marketing tool.
Instead of viewing your social media accounts as time-consuming distractions, make the switch to view them as effective and affordable ways to connect with more of your prospects and build relationships with them over time.
Does using social media really lead to more book sales?
Many authors and publishers avoid creating and committing to a long-term social media strategy because they don’t think it will help them sell more books.
But take a closer look and it’s easy to see why that thought process is deeply flawed and how it can lead to missing out on many valuable opportunities.
While it’s true that social media is generally not a channel for active book sales like an eCommerce shopping cart or dedicated bookselling platform, it is quite possible to use it as leverage to get the word out about your products. book deals far and wide. width width
When your message resonates with the right people, your brand gets quick exposure through word of mouth.
It also builds and deepens your relationships with groups based on common interests and allows you to give your prospects an easy way to get to know you that simply wasn’t possible before the advent of social media.
The bottom line is that if you want to sell more books, you need a larger, more loyal reader base to make it happen.
Social media can be the tool that can get you there the fastest if you combine it with a comprehensive marketing plan.
How social networks help you get more readers
Using social media as part of a comprehensive marketing strategy can help you grow your audience and enable you to sell more books, but how?
There are many ways that social media connects you with the right people and grows your prospect list.
- Helps promote your brand
Brand recognition is one of the most important aspects of marketing.
When someone in your target audience sees or hears a marketing message and instantly connects with you and your books, you know you have a well-established brand.
Building awareness of your brand becomes much easier when you promote yourself and your books on various social media platforms using messages that feature consistent brand elements.
- Easily access new audiences
One of the great things about social media is the ease with which you can get referrals and recommendations from your current audience.
One-click sharing of posts, videos, images, and tweets enables quick transmissions of your message to a new audience. If those new prospects like what they see or hear, following them for future messages is as simple as clicking one more button.
- Increase traffic to your website and email list
Social media is an excellent tool to drive traffic to your website.
This is an important part of a long-term marketing strategy because it allows you to create a situation where you can establish ongoing communication with your prospects who are likely to only visit your website once and then click never to see them again.
- Allows you to gather social proof
In modern times, consumers are saving more than ever. Instead of taking their word that their books are good enough to be worth their attention, consumers look to their peers for feedback on their offerings before they buy.
If your books have ever improved or changed someone’s life enough to share their experience with others, that’s very powerful.
Reviews and testimonials are two of the most powerful forms of social proof that can encourage more people to believe and pay attention to your brand.
- Establishes and deepens relationships
Another amazing aspect of social media is that it allows you to establish and grow a loyal fan base who become ambassadors for your brand.
If you bring enough people together under the umbrella of a common interest, it’s amazing how quickly they’ll organize and take the initiative to advocate and spread your message to other like-minded people.
- Facilitates Networking with Influencers
Social media has made it easy to connect with just about anyone in the world, including the most influential people in your space.
An amazing marketing strategy to grow your reader base very quickly involves tapping into influencer audiences.
Think about Oprah, who is one of the most influential people in the world, and you begin to really understand the potential social media has to grow your audience simply by learning about someone else’s.
- the virus effect
The viral aspect of the Internet has given self-published authors the ability to rapidly and fully penetrate a market through the power of peer-to-peer sharing.
It doesn’t happen very often, but if you somehow manage to strike the right chord with your audience, you might find your message spreads like wildfire on the internet.
This makes it possible to gain exposure to a large number of new people in a very short period of time.
- It’s easier to pre-sell to your prospects
Social media is powerful because it gives you quick and direct access to your audience.
Use it effectively, and you can communicate inspiring, educational, and entertaining messages to your reader base outside the confines of your books.
For self-published authors who focus on nonfiction types of writing, this can be particularly valuable. However, for all writers, social media provides a unique opportunity to showcase the things that make your brand special and different.
You pre-sell your audience on an ongoing basis by giving them snippets and previews of what’s to come. With regular communication and delivering value to your prospects, you will get them closer to buying your books every time you publish.
Over time, the level of enthusiasm and passion your readers have for your message, your brand, and ultimately your books increases.
- Show your personality and be a real person
Not too long ago, authors were viewed as faceless entities shrouded behind the iron curtains of their publishing houses.
Today, with the introduction of social media and the fact that many authors are self-publishing, all that has changed.
Readers now expect to meet the person behind the manuscript, and social media is the perfect vehicle to make it happen.
You can let your true voice and personality shine through and let your audience know that you are a real human being with thoughts and feelings just like their own.
All of these factors lead to a gradual increase in the number of primed and ready-to-buy leads, which ultimately means you don’t do more promotion than you normally would through your marketing channels, but instead generate more readers and sales. for your efforts. .