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When I started using social media I just jumped in with no plan. This happened after I had a small work published in an anthology. Up to that point, I had only focused on perfecting my writing to the exclusion of everything else. Sound familiar?
Disappointed in the results of this, no-strategy, I began to look at what had gained the tiniest bit of traction. Then I spent time seeing what worked and scrutinized it looking for why it worked. My strategy for social media came out of this.
Don't Spread Yourself Too Thin On Social Media
You might feel the need to be on every social platform there is. Don’t do this. Remember, you have a book to finish. It’s better to focus on one platform. This helps manage your time and enables you to decide where social media fits in your day.
It’s tempting to put yourself in as many places as you can, but there are a lot of social media platforms out there. I mean, there’s really a lot.
One platform used well will expose you to more than enough people for you to be successful.
The fewer the platforms you use, the better. Social media does take an investment of time and effort, so it is best to use your time on just one to get amazing results. The fewer platforms you use, the more likely you are to succeed on the one you pick. This saves time, time to spend on finishing your book.
Yes, you can have a lite presence on other social media platforms. Set up additional accounts, in the name you are using, that direct people to your main social media account. This is where I usually share any quality posts of followers or curated content that’s on topic.
I’ll mention that I only visit these other sites one to a few times per week.
How To Follow And Who To Follow
Don’t follow everyone who follows you, and please don’t follow random people.
You’re building your ideal audience.
You want to follow people where you can develop a genuine connection, those with a shared common interest.
This is important because social media platforms use this data in their algorithms. This helps them to determine not only whom you might be interested in but also who may be interested in you. The bottom line, this improves your feed.
A feed aligned with your goals will open up your platform to people who will want to learn about you and connect. You both have something in common.
It will also help you discover new opportunities. Get to know other writers. Interact with people in the industry. Librarians, editors, agents, and booksellers are people you’ll want to connect with.
Even if you don’t have a book out, building the groundwork here, at the start, is essential. Not just because of future book sales but making a supportive network in the publishing landscape of today. Your goal is to get your public image out there in front of people and get them to follow.
So, use social media to communicate with your followers. Respond to their posts and comments. Ask for their opinions and advice as you navigate this quirky new world. In other words, build a community around yourself.
CHOOSE A SPECIFIC TARGET AUDIENCE
It’s not a numbers game. You’re a writer, and you want to attract the followers within your genre, readers and writers, editors and agents, librarians, and booksellers.
You don’t need more followers. You need the right followers. Those that will help you accomplish your goals.
Success as a writer using social media to grow an audience is by identifying a specific target audience you hope to reach. The content you post and share should be for somebody, not the random “everybody.” To start finding your audience is easier than you think. <Link>
Once you settle on your target audience, which will guide everything else you do on social media. From the content you create, the network of people you build, and the social media platform you finally focus on are all audience driven.
Remember to use social media to attract the sort of followers who can help you in crafting the professional image you want early in your career. Social media, for you, is a tool of connection and your community. Use it that way.
Know Your Goal
Remember, this is not solely a numbers game. It’s a strategy of the right followers in the correct numbers.
Let’s say you had a thousand random followers on your social media. You have some good news to share, maybe a book coming out. How many of those random followers would have this register on their radar? I bet you’re thinking almost zilch, and I think you’re right.
Now, suppose you had a thousand carefully chosen followers in line with you and your goals. How many would be waiting for this type of news that they would read, comment on, and share? There’d be a lot more than zilch, right?
THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT WITH YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA BIO
Remember, you are sharing one facet of your life, your creative life, the writer you are, the author you will become. So, ask, what do I want my followers to know about me?
Your bio is the first thing people read when they check out your social profile. You need to communicate your essential information quickly.
Think about who you are and why someone should check out your site. An ambiguous bio will mean a loss of connection. Connections are the entire purpose you’re on social media.
Don’t use the space allotted for your bio to post something offhand. People look at your social bio because they are deciding whether to follow you or not.
Usually, people have found their way to your bio because they have seen a post of yours that someone shared and followed it back to your page. They’re curious and maybe a little intrigued.
Don’t dash their expectations because you didn’t make a serious attempt to communicate who you are. These are the people you want because they are as focused as you are about their goals.
Help them decide you’re worth following because you can bring something to their table.
DON'T LET YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA BECOME ONE LONG SELFIE
You’ve seen it. You go to look over someone’s social media page, and you see a long chain of their posts. Post after post of their smiling face with their latest updates.
In other words, it’s a selfie. Sure, it’s social media, and there is some text, but it’s still the equivalent of a selfie.
Don’t do this. Not every post should be about you, you, you, and you.
Adopt the 80/20 rule. You’ve heard of this. Eighty percent of your content curated or shared from varied sources, as long as it’s aligned with your vision and goals. Just be sure it’s clear where this content originated. The remaining twenty percent can be about you.
If it helps, think of your social media page as a small magazine. Publish content that would be interesting to your audience.
This will attract an audience because, well, there’s something to see. It’s easier on you since you don’t need to create every piece of content you post.
Bonus points if you find a piece of content you can share from your followers. On social media, people love it when you share their stuff. It exposes them to your audience and maybe gains them some followers. It builds up your network of like-minded people.
MORE ON YOUR SOCIAL NETWORK
Along with sharing the content of others are the comments and replies you make on someone’s post.
This is another opportunity to strengthen your network. Think of it as being social. This is social media, right?
Don’t be like many others and let this chance slip away. Comments on other people’s posts are one of the most overlooked opportunities that are there multiple times per day.
That’s the power of social media. It’s the power in the comments, replies, and sharing in forging a community. It’s a quiet power, and its reach is organic. It’s a connection, a personal one. No amount of advertisements could ever buy this kind of social engagement and sense of community. It’s huge, folks.
It’s also a sound strategy right now if you don’t have a large following. It’s an excellent way to get you out there in front of someone’s audience. Thoughtful comments and replies prove to others that you are worth a look. You will gain a new follower when it all works out.
Even if you have a large following, the same holds true. When people like what they see, they follow. So, be attentive to your comments, focused on your replies. Don’t say “Great” and leave the post at that. Add value to someone’s post and prove to others that they can trust you to be part of their social network.
You will attract more people when they understand you are a responsible community member. Appearing as a person, they can trust to help achieve their goals.
BECOME PART OF YOUR COMMUNITY
A mistake that writers make is to post only content other writers would be interested in seeing.
Yes, it’s fine to give a fellow writer a shout-out, especially in your genre. Or, where you have an audience overlap with them, and books you like that they’ve just happened to write. Just don’t forget about your audience.
This means your target audience. The individuals you cultivate as likely readers of your work.
Most of the content is for your target audience, not your peers.
Use social media to communicate with your audience. This is your community. Respond to their comments and messages. That will build the bonds of community.
PEP TALK
It takes time to build a solid interactive audience, and that’s the good news. Books take time to write, so if you invest small amounts of time between writing to social media, you’ll have built your audience. Your book is not a barrier to this but an asset that allows you to regulate your time over an extended period.
This time helps you dole out great and engaging content that leads to a substantial audience following. Human connections still take time, even on social media. That’s just the way people are.
Give it some time each day. Will it be a set time before or after you write? Does it work better if you devote one or a few days each week? Build on this each day, each week, and over months, you will have a substantial social media presence. A small amount of work over time will add up.
The relationships built through social media are the foundations upon which other aspects of your writing career can and will flourish. You can create a waiting audience for when you finish your book.
I know it seems like a lot, but keep at it in small, steady steps. Persistence has a genius all its own.