By Autumn
One of the biggest goals of an author is to get their thoughts and writings out into the world. Unfortunately, that’s impossible without an audience. So what can you do to grow your audience base and sell more books? These are some of the most successful strategies you can employ.
Social Media
If nobody knows about your book, you can’t expect them to buy it. That’s why social media is such an integral part of today’s successful marketing initiatives. You want to target and be active on all of those platforms as much as possible. This is because the most popular indie authors are the ones that people actually know about. And nobody can know about you if you don’t put yourself out there.
Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram still hold the lead in capturing people’s attention, but Pinterest and social websites dedicated to book promotion hold a lot of weight as well. The ideal platform for promoting your book will depend on your target demographic, so it’s always a good idea to develop a solid profile of your audience. Doing this will help you determine which platforms you should focus your promotion efforts on. For now, let’s dig into the main three social channels.
Whether you have money to spend on ads or you’re more focused on organic marketing, Facebook is a great platform to promote your book on.
There are a number of options you can choose to take advantage of, including Facebook groups, live videos, and paid advertisements. With Facebook groups and advertising, you are given access to people you may not have reached otherwise. Facebook live’s can have the same effect, but they are also a great way to engage with the people who already know about your book and answer any questions they may have.
Let’s say, for example, you’ve written a book on a psychological phenomenon you’ve witnessed in many of your current clients. Having regular Facebook lives that tease some of the content in your book or answer the questions of people who have already read it can be incredible for publicity and help you sell more books.
This is because doing so fosters word-of-mouth marketing, as well as your personal brand. And when you’re an Indie author, your personal brand is one of the biggest factors contributing to your ability to sell books.
Engaging with your audience on Facebook also enables you to grow your audience both in the short term and over time, increasing the likelihood that this book, AND your next ones, will be successful.
The next platform in the big three is Twitter, which can play a significant role in your book sales. This, however, can only be done WITHOUT a sales pitch. Instead, it requires you to be approachable and relatable, because people are more likely to purchase your book if they like who you are.
The hashtags you use in your posts can have a huge impact on your ability to be seen and get Twitter followers, but there are also many other tactics that can be employed to attract a larger audience. These include a regular posting schedule, optimized posting times, Twitter polls, and simply posting interesting content.
The three major social platforms wouldn’t be complete without Instagram. Currently, Instagram has more than 100 million active users in just the United States. And like Twitter, hashtags on this platform are king when it comes to attracting an audience.
There are countless hashtags associated with any topic you can think of, including book topics, book genres, and even book covers. No matter what your books are about, you can find an audience on Instagram.
All it takes is research, consistency, and patience. Remember, people want to purchase books they can relate to. Your online persona, the topics you choose to write about, and even the regularity of your posting schedule can have significant impacts on your future book sales.
Be Consistent
No matter what platforms you use to grow your audience, it’s important to be consistent. The more consistent you are, the more books you’ll be able to sell now and in the future.
Good luck, and happy writing!
Autumn is a content manager with Sure Oak, a New York City based digital marketing firm. Autumn is a skilled writer and editor with a background in journalism and marketing. She works closely with writers to create quality content for our clients and manages our social media for a kick-butt presence dedicated to helping you.
