Not too long ago, you had to pay to advertise your book. Not anymore. With social media, book marketing costs little or nothing. You just have to know how to use it. Otherwise, you’ll get what you paid for.
Selling Books from Your Social Media Accounts
The first place to start with social media book marketing is your own social media account. Whether you have Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or Twitter, market well, and you’ll get attention. That attention can turn into book sales.
Two things to consider:
- Your followers don’t want your book in their Instagram story feeds multiple times every day. People like Gary Vee recommend posting a ton of times every day. But make sure your posts aren’t all asking for business. Change things up. Give useful information that followers will enjoy and provide an inside glimpse at your personal life. Oversaturate your feed with ads, and you’ll get hidden or unfollowed.
- Social landscapes matter. Different social media platforms attract different people. These different people expect different things from their social media experiences. Example: Twitter folks seem to relish getting enraged at political happenings. Instagram users, on the other hand, love staring at beautiful photos. Make sure you know what people expect on the platforms and produce content accordingly.
Soliciting Help with Social Media Book Marketing
Not into growing a massive following so you can sell books? You don’t need an active social media presence to hit the bestseller list. You just need to find social media users who are followed by your target audience.
This is an essential part of any social media marketing strategy. Find someone with access to your target audience, then let that someone talk about your book.
If these influencers have access to your potential readers, offer to send them a free copy of your book. If they like it, ask that they give a book recommendation via a social media post.
Relying on influencers can pay dividends any time in your book’s life. Whether the promo happens before your book releases, leading up to a book signing event, or three years after publication, access to a community of readers makes social media a powerful tool.
Note: Some influencers charge to promote products. Do your research to figure out if their promotion is worth the cost. Speaking of paid promotion…
Paid Social Ads to Promote Your Book
Log onto social media, and you realize you’re not the first to consider social media book marketing. That’s a good thing. Since so many authors and other businesses advertise for free on social media, you can now pay to advertise the book launch for your upcoming release.
Already release your book? No problem. Paid social media promotion can help there as well.
One benefit of paid promotion is the power to choose who sees your ads. This lets you target ads to your ideal audience of readers. So, if your ideal readers are 40- to 60-year-old men in New Hampshire who love boardgames and My Little Pony, that’s who will see your ad.
Want to get your audience excited for your upcoming book? Create a promotional video for your book. Just make sure it’s exciting. Helpful as social media is, it has shortened attention spans. If your video isn’t immediately engaging, your ideal readers may not watch your video or buy your book. Then, your title will struggle to become a bestselling book.
It’s Only One Tactic
Most of the time, social media book marketing has one goal: increase actual book sales. Helpful as it is, it’s not for everyone. And it’s not the only way to move books.
There are countless author book promotion techniques. You can…
- Request book reviews from local news agencies
- Build an email list or mailing list to let readers know when your book is coming out
- Talk with local bookstores and boutiques about featuring your book
- Set up a table at a local convention or event to sell your book in person
Whatever you do, keep at it. If you slack off for a while, remember—book selling is a long game. No matter how long ago you released your book, you can start selling books again. All you have to do is restart your marketing efforts.
Need help creating a book to market? If you’re ready to get your manuscript off your computer and onto bookshelves, consider submitting it to Argyle Fox Publishing for consideration.