You See It, You Like It, You Want It, You’ll Read It: The Importance of Social Media to Authors

More often than not, authors nowadays are active on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. This may lead you to wonder what the importance of social media to authors is. Do they really need to carve out a presence in cyberspace?

The answer is yes. Marketing a book is a different story from writing one. Books don’t sell themselves, so authors have to dip their toes in promotional activities to get their books noticed and read; this includes making a name for themselves, and, in turn, their work online.

What better way to promote yourself than by being active on social media? It’s fast and it’s free. And its numbers don’t lie either. According to a report by We Are Social and Hootsuite, there more than 3 billion people using it every month worldwide

Some authors have positively embraced social media marketing; others, however, bemoan it. It does have its downsides: it can be distracting and destructive. Despite this, they recognize its power to grab people’s attention—whatever is posted will be there for the world to see and some people will take notice.

To understand the importance of social media to authors, here are some of the benefits they can reap from their foray into Web:

• Wide readership. Going by the mentioned report earlier, it’s no surprise that authors would want to jump in and gain potential audiences.
• A solid fanbase. Now that there’s an audience, authors have to make sure that they stick around. Through the use of social media platforms, they can keep them interested by posting relevant content.
• New connections and opportunities. Profiles can prove to be instrumental in helping authors build professional relationships. Learn the ropes from marketing pros and meet equally passionate creatives (editors, reviewers, bloggers, and reviewers to name a few). As they strengthen their ties with their peers and the pros, new opportunities may arise.

Now that you know the benefits of building an author brand on the internet, let’s move on to how to do it. Although there isn’t a uniformed strategy, you can take a few pages from these proven and tested tips:

• Know what works for you and stick to it. You don’t have to sign up for every platform. Just do what works for you and you’ll be fine.
• #Hashtags are your friends. Use them to find and connect with new people. They’ll end up finding you too.
• Master the art of scheduling. Time isn’t on everyone’s side 24/7. If you’re a busy bee, you’ll find apps like HootSuite and TweetDeck helpful in the scheduling and organizing department.
• Reach out and engage. What is social networking without interactions, right? Retweet, like, reply, repost, or send a message from time to time.
• Don’t make it all about you. Nobody wants “me, me, me” type of person, especially on social media. Keep people’s interest by sharing advice, recommendations, or relevant articles from other (credible) sources.
• Get creative with content. Posts don’t have to be walls of promotional text. Throw in funny memes, run Q&A sessions, upload cat videos, or share event schedules. As long as you keep the good stuff coming, fans will be in your corner for a long time.
• Authenticity matters. As much as people dislike fake news, they’ll equally loathe fake personas. Don’t be afraid show your true self—you’ll be appreciated for it.
• Have fun with it. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, so make sure to make your social media experience enjoyable for you and your followers.

Now that you understand the importance of social media to authors, feel free to build your own strategy around these pointers. Good luck and have fun!