With over one billion users worldwide, Facebook form an ideal platform for writers to promote their work. Currently reigning as the undisputed social media giant, Facebook has transformed the lives of many not only socially but economically as well. Today, bigwig companies are using the platform to promote their products and services, something which as a writer if you are not doing, perhaps it’s time to consider.
Are you a struggling writer who is still trying to figure out how to use Facebook to promote your craft? Then EssayDot will help you: this piece will guide you through the different ways through which you can adapt to promote yourself and your art through one of the most popular social media channels.
1. Understand the difference between a personal profile and a Facebook page
Technically, there is not so much difference separating the two. The two have the same options but the slight difference lies on the perception about who will read it. When you create a page, the page will establish you as a business. On the other hand, a profile puts you in the same category as any other Facebook user. However, the two go hand in hand. It is mandatory that you have a personal profile on Facebook before being allowed to create a Facebook page. The procedure for creating a page is slightly different from the one needed to create a profile. As a writer, you can use your profile to locate and connect with your friends while your Facebook page can be used for promotional purposes. If you really want to succeed, you need to have a number of goals for your Facebook page.
2. Promote your work using photos
If say you are an author, you need to make sure that you’ve used the cover photos of your book to promote it. The platform took care of most of the rules and restrictions regarding cover photos meaning that authors are now allowed to have as much text as they want in their cover photo and even include a call to action if need be. The best approach when doing this is to try as much as possible to focus on one book at a time instead of doing a couple of them at once. That way your audience can focus on what is on offer. You can either use this space to promote your current work or an upcoming event.
3. Create a group
A group will help you to connect with fellow writers giving you an opportunity to share ideas and become even a better writer. An author can create a group for either their book or themselves. Besides sharing ideas, you can use this opportunity to promote your work within the group or even ask your group members to help with the promotion. It is hard to know where these groups might lead you hence the best way to do this is to join as many groups as you can.
4. Take advantage of the opportunity to advertise
Since a Facebook profile normally contains more information about an individual than what other general web searches do, you can really make the most of this opportunity by targeting your audience more specifically. For example, if you create an ad, you can specifically choose who to show it to. It is also easy to conduct a search of the number of people who are interested in a particular niche and capitalize on the same.
5. Create a balance between interaction and promotion
Bombarding your audience with endless promotional messages will do you more harm than good. Your audience also needs to feel appreciated and considered even as you try to promote you writing. Creating informative and educative content will give your audience a sense of appreciation hence when called upon to checkout your article or a book; they’ll be more than willing to oblige. A good rule of the thumb that applies to page owners is that they need to make sure that they have 80% of content on their page and apportion 20% for promotional and marketing purposes.
6. Concentrate on building a following that can attract more fans
One of the best ways of attracting potential fans to your page is by ensuring that you have a strong community on Facebook that supports you. Your large and already pre-established fan base will make the other Facebook users aware of your writing creations through likes and shares. It will be like a clear signal that you are worth their time if their Facebook friends are interested in you as a writer. Just like any other community, a Facebook community should be able to enhance your interaction with your fans and allow you to connect with followers.
Besides just being a social platform, Facebook, if used correctly can turn out to be an awesome promotional platform for writers and their respective works. It’s about time we take advantage of this amazing platform.
Sally Sanderson is a savvy blogger who is crazy about news from the writing field and wants to share this knowledge with others.
I am truly amazed that anyone can promote the idea of facebook being useful to advertise a book. It might just do for fashionable fluff like thrillers and sex stories but not for anything serious. Even the terms used are meaningless. If you look at comments from those who have tried this avenue you find puzzled questions about vague terms like “engagements”. Another blind alley is getting the page “liked”. I want to sell books not get my page liked otr have some meaningless engagments. Furthermore, it is exceptionally expensive. you mifght be better off by advertising in the Times Literary Supplement or Literary Review and being done with.
Ultimately Facebook and other social media channels are drivers to your sales platforms. They are not intended to replace them. The post is about how best to utilise one channel – FB – as a promo tool, but not in isolation to all other possibilities. Also, FB has a more mature demographic than say Twitter or Instagram. I’m wary of blaming the tools to carry out a promo plan. It’s how you use all of the tools in unison.
I had very few returns but got charged £400 for a few “likes” and “engagements” and got similar messages from other users. I got my money back through my bank but others lost out. Most of the feedback from others was similar. It is highly expensive. Goodeads have a simililar and expensive system.
You’ve offered some very good advice here. I have a personal profile, an author page, and a street team group (The Prima Donnas). I have tried Facebook advertising, but that hasn’t proved to be financially sound. That’s not to say others haven’t found it profitable. I think your best piece of advice is #5. Readers love to meet and get to know authors, and when I reach out to them, they often prove to be very loyal and enthusiastic. Thanks for the post!
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