There are so many books out there that many end up hidden in a shelf for what seems like years. It’s only after the second or third recommendation that people decide to take the plunge and read.
But it doesn’t have to be like that. You can make your book stand out in the sea of books just like yours. You can get as many people as possible to buy, read and recommend it to others. And you can even get them to purchase your second book. How? Social media is a huge marketing tool. Not only is it huge but it’s also cost effective. And your presence can be more noticeable than that of an author with a big marketing budget.
1. Start a newsletter
There are a number of ways to promote your email newsletter to help you build a direct relationship with your audience.
But the truth is, many small publishers (who don’t have marketing departments) don’t even have a newsletter. So what should you do? Start an email newsletter as soon as possible. This will give you a direct channel to communicate to your readers so you can tell them about your book, your stories, what you’ve learned and so much more. This is where you can get to know your readers on a more personal level. You get the chance to form deeper connections and relationships. A platform that you don’t have with other forms of media.
When you start a newsletter, you are building your base. You are building a solid foundation for building relationships with your readers. Remember, everything builds on something and this is a great first step to building relationships.
2. Find your target audience
This is a crucial step when it comes to building a community. Knowing your target audience is critical to your marketing strategy. If you want to reach readers in your niche, then make sure to focus on that audience. So how do you go about identifying your audience? Use the information below to find your target audience and tailor your marketing strategy accordingly.
● Get to know your readers. What do they want to learn from you? What interests them? What do they need?
● Learn about your industry and customers. Find out which trends are in vogue. This will help you identify opportunities for your business.
● Figure out the pain points of your industry or customers. What are their biggest concerns or frustrations? This will help you determine your niche.
● Keep an eye on your competitors. This is a great way to get a handle on what your target audience really wants.
● Find people in your industry who are doing well and have been at it for a while. They can give you invaluable insight into what to focus on.
Once you’ve identified who your target audience is, then you’ll know where to focus your marketing efforts. This will allow you to connect and communicate effectively with them. And since you’ll know who your target audience is, then you can speak to them directly and effectively.
3. Facebook Advertising
One of the most effective ways to market your book on social media is with Facebook advertising. With Facebook, you can get thousands of readers to your books page within a few clicks of a button. There are two key parts to Facebook advertising.
First, you need a Facebook Ads account. Then you need to set up a campaign. The great thing is you don’t have to spend a lot of money. In fact, you can set up a campaign with as little as £5.
Another great thing about Facebook advertising is that you get to choose your target audience. So if you have a niche book, you can market to readers who would be interested in that niche. You can use everything from demographics to interests to location to build your campaign and get the most bang for your buck. And remember, it’s all about targeting, targeting and targeting.
Another plus to Facebook advertising is you can easily connect with influencers. This is something you can do with traditional marketing, but it’s not easy. It involves a lot of work, if you can even find the people who can help you. But with Facebook advertising, you can get a list of people based on their demographics and their interests. All you have to do is filter them and boom! You have a list of potential influencers. It’s as easy as that!
You can read more about Facebook advertising by checking out this guide on Reedsy.
4. Email marketing
This is very similar to your email newsletter and Facebook advertising. You are targeting your readers directly with the goal of connecting with them. When your readers have opted into your mailing list, you are in direct communication with them. You have access to their information. You get to build relationships and engage them.
With email marketing, you are trying to grow your email list and get more and more people to subscribe to your newsletter or email lists. For example, you can tell your readers about the release of your book and they can decide to sign up for your email lists to learn more about it.
There are different email marketing platforms available. MailChimp is an example of an email marketing platform you can use. You can use it to design beautiful emails, tell your readers about your book, build relationship, share stories and so much more. It’s a powerful marketing tool that’s super cost effective.
5. Influencer marketing
As I’ve mentioned above, you can do influencer marketing by targeting your ideal readers. But how do you find influencers? Do you have to find them one by one? No, there are two ways to get influencers for your marketing. The first way is to ask the people on your email lists. Who do you think will read your book? Who are the people who are in your niche? And who do you think will be your target audience? It’s these people who you want to find influencers.
The other way to find influencers is by using your social media channels. Look for people who have large followings on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or any other platform. You can tell them about your book, send them a free copy and ask them to review it. You can also ask them for an interview or to feature your book on their blog. You could even ping influential blogs in your niche. Start small, sites like Wired For Youth get traffic but are much smaller and thus more likely to promote newer books.
6. Write fanfiction
This strategy is not only great for marketing but it’s also a great way to promote yourself as an author. That’s because you get to engage in writing while reaching new audiences at the same time. What is fanfiction? It’s fiction written by fans of an original piece of work. It’s not published and it’s not for sale. And the key thing is, it’s written by fans. It’s these fans who love the original piece so much that they want to write their own version of it.
There are tons of different types of fanfiction and many fandoms. A fandom is a community of fans who are devoted to a particular work. These can be based on books, movies, video games, TV shows, or any other piece of work.
A great way to engage in fanfiction and reach a new audience is to write your own version of a popular work. Think of your favourite story or book and ask yourself what would happen if your characters did something else. What would they say? What would they do?
Write your fanfiction. Publish it online on sites like Commaful or Wattpad. And then let other fans know about it. They will love it. And who knows, they may end up getting interested in your work. And as a bonus, you’ll be seen as a great fan of the original piece. This can only help with your marketing efforts.
If you are looking for more information on this topic, I highly recommend you to check out this guide to fanfiction sites.
In conclusion, as you can see from the list above, there are a number of ways to market your book on social media. You can choose to create a newsletter, run Facebook ads, email your lists and more. Not only are these options cost effective but they are also effective in reaching thousands of readers who are looking to find great books to read. So get to it and start marketing your book on social media today.
Bio: Hayley Zelda is a writer and marketer at heart. She’s written on all the major writing platforms and worked with a number of self-published authors on marketing books to the YA audience.
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