Social media has become a staple in the marketing plan for almost every business these days. More and more people are flocking to Facebook, Twitter, and all the others in an effort to connect with family and friends or network with colleagues and potential clients. Online is THE place to be these days.
And it’s no different for writers either.
We should be on social media–not to sell our books (though that is hopefully a byproduct)–to connect with our fans, to seek out new potential readers, and to learn from both sets.
If every writer is out there on social media, though, how do we get ourselves out in the spotlight? How do we get heard above the din?
Whenever I have a client looking for help in starting or growing their social media platforms, I always send them a questionnaire to fill out, which covers the 3 K’s of Social Media. (While the questionnaire and this blog post are geared toward writers, much of the information can apply to any business.)
Know Yourself: It is important to explore your own reasons, goals, and likes/dislikes when it comes to social media. Social media strategy and inspiration will develop from your answers. Who are you as a person? As a writer? Why are you on social media? What do you hope to accomplish? Time, effort, and knowledge are also factors. There’s a lot to explore inside your own mind as you develop your personal strategy!
Know Your Target Audience: Developing a target audience will help you to ascertain what kinds of information and entertainment to share on your social media profiles. Is your target reader male/female? How old? What do they do? Likes/dislikes? Being able to picture that ONE person will help to build a loyal following that will sell your books for you. Finding that sweet spot where who you are and who they are converges is what it’s all about!
Know Your Tools: While I recommend that all writers be on Facebook and Twitter at minimum, there’s a lot of other social media websites out there with target readers just waiting to be found! It’s important to know which sites to be on because you can’t run them all efficiently (at least not by yourself). Know HOW and WHEN to use them is just part of the battle. It’s better to be great at using 1-2 sites than to be ineffective on all of them.
When we combine the 3 K’s of Social Media effectively, we start to see growth in our numbers and, more importantly, our engagement. As our reach broadens, we should see a steady growth in our sales. And as our sales grow, more potential readers are being reached, which then grows our platforms just a little more. The circle of marketing.
Over the next couple of months, I’ll be expanding on these 3 steps to help writers find their spot in the social media world. I invite you to sign up for my newsletter so that you don’t miss a post!
