The Social Part of Social Media - Tips for Authors

/
social2.png

Authors and workshop presenters will advise their audiences to be authentic or genuine on social media. It sounds simple, but I’m not sure everyone understands what that really means. Here are some ideas to help.

Buy My Book - Your 5,000 followers are not going to translate into 5,000 book sales. These sites are great ways (free or low cost through ads) to promote your books, celebrate with others, and interact with readers. They help you expand your audience. Limit the number of “Buy my Book” posts. If someone finds you and sees a string of hard sells, they lose interest.

Be a Good Citizen - Being real or authentic means to be a good citizen of the site. You like, comment, and share on others’ posts regularly. Join groups and contribute.

Celebrate Others - Make sure that you celebrate with others (whether it’s birthdays, shout outs, announcements, etc.). And don’t make their announcement about you. (We’ve all seen that one author who posts a comment to someone’s announcement. “Hey, if you like this type of book, check out mine. That’s a leech.)

No Hit and Runs - Don’t post something and never return to comment on the responses. You need to interact with the folks who comment. The more interaction your posts have, the more the platform will show it. Popular, active content rises in the algorithms.

It’s All in the Numbers - Each platform has its own way of displaying posts. There are algorithms for how often and what is shown to your followers. These change often, and you never quite know how they work. Posts with videos or graphics tend to get more attention.

Invite Participation - When you create a post, look for ways to ask a question or invite comments. Occasionally, I’ll post what I’m reading and ask what everyone else is reading. This sparks good discussions, and I find more books to add to my TBR list. You can always find a related meme or picture for the question you pose.

Share - Your readers want to know about you. Decide what you are comfortable sharing about yourself. If you have a hobby or pets, they are always good content and photo topics.

The social part is key to building and expanding your platforms on social media sites.