The Write Marketing: Promoting Your Books With Social Media

Hey Just Write!! At our last writer's support session, we discussed the season we were in with our books. Some of us are in the beginning phase with brainstorming and outlining, some are in the drafting stage, some are in the editing/formatting stage, and some are in the production/promotion stage. The last stage is the exciting stage because one, you have your final product and two, you are ready to promote. The constant topic that tends to come up in our support meetings is the need for authors to understand how to market their books via social media. I have been on social media since 2005 and have seen how the many platforms that were initially for fostering relationships has become the main platform to promote business. It was about 3 years ago that I realized the power of social media for inspiration and business. I've met so many authors and business owners and have been inspired in so many ways. In meeting these authors, I learned that many do not understand how to utilize social media as a tool to promote their books and grow their audience. When I met this one particular author in 2014, I decided to create a step by step process for her on how to post content via social media. The following is the information that I shared with her  and would like to share with my fellow scribes:

How to post and share content via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

I.                    Facebook

a.      How to post content

                                                              i.      Click in the status update box to the right.

                                                            ii.      Create a post by typing a particular statement, phrase, etc.

                                                          iii.      Click Update status and your post will appear on timeline

b.      How to share content

                                                              i.      Go to post on timeline

                                                            ii.      Look for the word Share underneath the post next to the word Comment

                                                          iii.      Click on Share which will take you to a page that has several options (share on your timeline, share on a friend’s page, share in a private message, or share on a page you manage)

                                                           iv.      Choose appropriate option and click Share

II.                  Twitter

a.      How to post content

                                                              i.      Click on the blue icon located in the top right hand corner of your home page. It will take you to a box that says “Compose new tweet”.

                                                            ii.      Type in a tweet that is no more than 140 characters.

                                                          iii.      When done, click on the blue icon that says “Tweet” and your post will appear on your timeline and as an update on the Twitter timeline.

                                                           iv.      To share or “Retweet” a post, click below the post and click on the second icon that looks like spinning arrows. Please note that you cannot retweet your own posts but you can retweet posts from other  followers.

III.                Instagram

a.      How to post content

                                                              i.      Please note that you can only post content from your phone.

1.      Click on the Instagram or IG app on phone

2.      Go to the bottom and click the blue camera icon.

a.      Proceed to upload a photo from your phone’s gallery or by taking a photo from your phone camera.

b.      After choosing the specific photo for your post, you can choose to crop picture for a better angle or keep the photo’s original size.

c.       Click the blue arrows to the right until you see a box that says “Add Description”

d.      In the box, type the information that you want to post.

                                                                                                                                      i.      Please keep in mind that IG is mainly a picture social media account so keep your content precise and brief. Feel free to use hashtags (words with # icon) so followers can find your posts easily.

e.      Once you are ready to post, you have the option to tag followers, share to Facebook and Twitter by clicking on the accounts. (Make sure they are both highlighted in blue before proceeding.)

f.        To add post, click on the blue check mark in the right-hand corner and your post will appear on your timeline.

Also authors, you can create Facebook business pages for your books and use those pages to share your book excerpts, book signings, websites, etc. as well as fellow authors that you support. Don't forget that Just Write's Facebook page is a great place to start marketing book information if you're not ready to share on a business page. Once content is shared, it reaches so many people in the world and helps to build a recognizable brand. 

Remember, you have many resources available to you now that can assist you with all of your book needs, whether via the blog, social media, or via other authors. Please take advantage and have a heart of expectancy to learn something new that will help you grow. I pray that this information is helpful.

In His service,

~Lequvia Ousley~