Have you just finished writing your book? Great! You’re done with half the work. The next step is to get published and market it. If you are thinking your job ends in the last chapter, you’re mistaken. Your book might be brilliant, but without an effective promotion strategy, it won’t sell.
There are many ways you can promote your work. There’s no better way of doing it than using social apps. It’s no longer optional when making marketing strategies for books. This has become essential for authors who want to reach a wider audience.
If you want more people to know about your story, social networking platforms should be a priority. Here are 8 strategies you can use to make your book a success.
8 Strategies For Marketing On Social Media For Boosting Book Sales
Social media is a powerful tool in today’s world. Its influence cannot be denied. Here’s how you can use it to improve book sales.
Set Clear Goals
Before you come up with a promotional plan, set clear objectives in mind. This will give direction to the steps you take ahead. Ask yourself what your ultimate goal is. Is it to build an expert image for yourself? Or do you wish to boost sales?
When you have a clear idea of what you wish to achieve, your strategies will be formed accordingly. Remember, social apps are very effective tools. They drive around 52% of sales for businesses and authors alike. So use this opportunity to make the most of your story.
Identify Your Target Readers
Social media marketing for authors can’t be complete without keeping the audience in mind. Get to know your real readers. Look into their age, gender, and preferences. Also, pay attention to their buying behaviors to market your story accordingly.
An understanding of your audience will help in creating content to appeal to them. It will also identify suitable platforms you should focus on. Think about your book’s genre and the kind of people who prefer to read it. Here’s a table to guide you:
| Age Groups | Preferred Genre |
| Young Adult (13-18 years) | Fantasy Dystopian fiction Science fiction |
| New Adult (18-25 years) | RomanceScience fiction Action |
| Adult (18+ years) | MysteryThrillers Literary Fiction |
Build a Strong Author Brand
As an author, it is important for you to connect with your readers on a personal level. The best way of doing this is by creating a strong, impressive author image. People love to know the person behind the stories they read. Define your unique voice and style that captures their attention online.
Think of this as your online persona. It needs to be compelling enough for your audience to buy your work. Keep your image consistent across the different apps you use. This will create trust in people and encourage them to engage with you. Ensuring a clear consistency will significantly improve book sales.
Choose The Right Platforms
Not all social media sites are the same. You need to carefully choose the platforms to promote your story on. Look for those where your ideal readers are most active. Some apps use more video-based content. On the other hand, some prioritize images and text. So you’ll need to create your content accordingly.
For example, if you’re using Facebook, you’ll have to make more short-form videos. Similarly, for Instagram, you need to focus on videos and images. On the other hand, YouTube and TikTok will require you to stick to only visual content.
Post Engaging Content
After selecting the sites you want to promote on, plan the content you want to post. Special media users want authentic and entertaining content. Use this opportunity to connect with them through engaging content.
- People spend an average os 2 hours on social media every day. Making it a powerful channel for book marketing.
You can post both visual content and text, depending on the nature of the platform. This is a great way to capture people’s attention and tell them about your work. A meaningful, personal relationship will enhance your story’s visibility.
Interact With Readers
Social apps are a strong tool for building relationships with readers. Interacting with them online, you can establish a deeper connection. This will create an author brand for you and increase book sales.
- 85% of social media marketers believe building a community on social networking sites is needed for a successful strategy.
People love to see humans behind the words they read. Use this opportunity to show them who you are and your creative process. You can share behind-the-scenes of the writing process, and explain your inspirations.
Use Targeted Campaigns
Social networking apps allow you to reach specific groups of people. Depending on your readers’ interests, behaviors, and preferences, you can run targeted advertising campaigns.
- Around 5 billion people actively use social media. This is almost 64% of the world’s total population.
Since a vast majority of people use social apps, this is a highly effective strategy to drive sales. It will show your content to those who prefer to read stories like yours.
Track Performance and Adapt
This is an important strategy that many tend to overlook. Once you’ve taken the mentioned steps to market your story, judge their usefulness. See what’s working best in terms of sales. Consult a book marketer UK or use analytics to judge performance.
This will give you a clear idea of the things you need to change. Closely assess the interaction your content and advertisements are getting. Here are some metrics you can use to judge the usefulness of your methods
- Click-through rates
- Engagements
- Follower growth
- Shares
People Also Ask
- How many platforms should I use?
2-3 sites are a good number of social media apps to market your story on. Don’t try to use every single app out there. Target the ones most popular amongst your ideal readers.
- What kind of content should I post?
Post valuable content that informs and entertains. Don’t just focus on promoting your book. People prefer genuine content that they can resonate with.
- Are hashtags useful?
Yes. Make sure to use the most relevant hashtags to increase your posts’ visibility online. This will help your readers find your story when they search related terms.
Wrapping Up
No book can be successful without a well-designed social media strategy. It is a useful tool in boosting sales. However, promoting books on these platforms can be a bit challenging. You can make things easier by following these 8 steps. Start by identifying your ideal audience. Look into their interests and behaviors.
Post relevant and engaging content to capture their attention. This will help you build an impressive author brand. People are more likely to buy works they already know about. So use these sites to tell them about your story. It will create curiosity and improve your sales.
Lastly, judge whether the strategies are working or not with different metrics. Make necessary changes if they are not helping.
