Writing a book is not just about the writing. It’s also all about marketing too. The whole self-publishing process requires creativity, time, effort, and countless sleepless nights.
You’ve spent months (maybe even years) writing your book, so you want to do everything you can to make it a success. One of the most effective ways to boost sales is by advertising, but even advertisements can become expensive (and sometimes ineffective if not done properly).
Instead of spending millions to market your book, it is important to learn how to effectively use social media for book advertisement to boost your sales. I’m not a social media guru, but I believe it is something you can learn. I already started setting up my social media platforms and hope to learn along the way.
Here are some tips to make your social media campaign effective:
- Build an author’s platform: create a website and give your audience a place to connect with you. Make sure your website tells the story of your work and what you represent. Ask your readers for feedback and observe their reactions keenly. Most author’s platforms have a blog (so that’s why I’m practicing now before I go live) as a place to share their thoughts and feelings.
- Create teasers for your audience: optimize your book by letting your target audience access parts of your book for free. Get them interested with a book trailer (just like how movie trailers get people excited, book trailers can do the same too), grab their attention, leave it on a cliffhanger. You will leave your readers with no choice but to buy the book to find out what happens next.
- Build a following: one of the best ways to boost sales in the long-term is to plan for multiple books, create a mailing list (newsletter subscription), and getting a larger following on social media. Unless people unfollow or unsubscribe, when people sign up, you have their contact and gives you an opportunity to directly connect with them about your new releases. The easiest way to build a mailing list is to provide a reader magnet (free gift) or to offer something of value to your audience that would entice them to sign up. On your social media accounts, post engaging content that relates to your book and your platform. Interact with your audience by offering Q&A sessions, live sessions, and videos. Let them know who you are as an author before they decide to know your work.