The Key to an Effective Social Media Strategy for Authors | Guest Post

The Key to an Effective Social Media Strategy for Authors

by Guest Blogger Brooklin Nash

One of the goals of most writers is to gain more readers. Whether self-help books or science fiction, the more people who read your work the more you will be able to work. It’s as simple as that. Thankfully, there are tools for that.

“What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn't happen much, though.”

~ J.D. Salinger

The Catcher in the Rye author has a good point. Even if being best friends with every reader isn’t really an option, social media opens up the opportunity for authors to connect with readers like never before.

With that thought in mind, let’s jump into why social media strategy is important and how to go about it.

Why Is a Social Media Strategy Important for Authors?

There’s no question that social media offers authors the chance to connect - with readers, with other authors, and with industry professionals. The importance of social media strategy for authors essentially boils down to a few important thoughts:

It allows authors to connect to new readers. With plenty of reading groups and pages, there are many ways to build your personal brand.
It allows community engagement with current readers. Like the J.D. Salinger quote above highlights, this connection is key for successful authors.
It opens the opportunity to connect with professionals in the publishing world. This will be important as you first get started.

The Key: Make Your Social Media Strategy Purposeful

It might be hard to boil a business approach to social media down to just one idea. But there is at least one thing that every social media strategy should strive for: it should be purposeful. I mean this in a few different ways:

Purposeful in Your Goals: What’s your purpose in having a social media presence? As an author, are you looking to genuinely connect with readers or simply promote your latest book? Having a clear goal before jumping into social media with both feet will make the outcome much more effective.

Purposeful in Your Audience: Who are you wanting to connect with on social media? Who will be most meaningful to connect with? Social media strategy can be helpful in connecting with both readers and industry professionals. Figure out who you want to reach, and then go for that.

Purposeful in Your Plan: Social media strategy may sound like corporate jargon, but even as an independent author it’s important to have a plan. These days, social media is not a casual affair. You’ll need to figure out when you want to post, what you want to post, and how you’ll remain consistent. Social media management tools can be extremely helpful in this arena.

If you’re an author looking to jump into social media, the key is to be purposeful as you reach more readers on the platform.

If you’re not sure where to start, online customer reviews are a great way to figure out which tools will be helpful in creating an effective social media strategy. Strategy is purposeful, and the most effective social media strategy will use the available online tools to connect with your audience.

About the Author

Brooklin Nash writes about the latest tools and small business trends for TrustRadius . When he’s not writing, you can find him reading YA dystopian fiction (with guilty pleasure) and cooking.

A word from your host, Ronda Del Boccio

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Ronda Del Boccio

#1 best selling author, speaker, and Amazon Top Reviewer

About Ronda Del Boccio

Ronda Del Boccio is an award-winning and best selling author of both fiction and nonfiction. She tells transformational tales and helps visionary authors turn their dreams and imaginings into published books. See and order Ronda's books on Amazon.

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