Unlocking Success: How Writers Can Improve Their Social Media Strategy
Withouot selling our souls? Entirely possible.
One of the biggest complaints writers share about being on social media is, “all the spam from other writers!” and I smile because I understand why this happens:
They’re following too many writers who don’t understand how to utilize social media effectively
They’re not following or interacting with readers, reviewers, and book bloggers (and agents and publishers if you’re going that route), clearly the most important demographics for any writer
They’re participating in many writer-related memes (e.g., #writerslift), which promotes a lot of writer-link spam with other writers — not readers!*
As the author of eight books (so far)—three just for writers—and a solopreneur who helps writers and bloggers learn how to market their work, one of the first things I have writers do is audit their X (formerly Twitter) feed (or choose whatever social media they primarily use—for the purposes of this article, I’ll use X).
The #writerslift hashtag is very popular on X. There’s even a website dedicated to it. And I’m all for writers supporting writers! Writers are avid readers. Be aware, however, of not reaching beyond that comfort zone.
Who is your demographic? Are you interacting and building relationships with readers beyond writers in the #writerlift hashtag?
Let’s break this down.
What Are You Sharing?
Take a look at your last 20–25 tweets (or posts on any other platform):
How many contain a link to your own books (or blog)?
Promote something you’ve written?
Go to a giveaway or some type of book promotion you’re involved in?
Sign up for something?
Calls to action are great, but not if it’s only to your own stuff 24/7 (unless, ya know, you’re Taylor Swift).
See a pattern here? If all you’re sharing is your own stuff, you’re doing the linky-spammy thing, which is the opposite of being social. You’re also violating the TOS (Terms of Service) of X (or whichever social media platform you’re on).
You’re also being pretty one-note, self-centered, and, let’s face it, kinda boring.
Most people are not on social media to be spammed by your stuff. Think like your readers. What’s in it for them?
This is difficult for many writers to face. Why wouldn’t they want to share their buy links constantly? “I’m not spamming,” they righteously argue. There are literally millions of people on social media — surely, someone will see their book links, click, and purchase, right?
Sure. But is that your only goal? To hope that maybe. one person, once in a while, will click?
Let’s change that paradigm: you want a core group of readers who support your writing, who can’t wait for your next book, and who are blown away by all you do! And how do you make that happen?
By building relationships with readers, sharing your authentic self, being generous and humble, and providing value, certainly not by spamming them with “Buy my book!” links.**
**Yes, you will share that information, too. Just not only that. See the difference? More on that below. Specifically.
Why the Hard Sell Doesn’t Work on Social Media
Everyone hates the hard sell. I know I do. I would imagine you do as well. It’s awkward and uncomfortable. Think about buying a car or those shouty commercials we all mute.
The act of selling itself is a weird social construct, and yet, everybody does it in some form or another, whether it’s a product, project, service, or idea. Social media has created this era’s word-of-mouth. Some people use it more effectively than others. You know which accounts you like, right?
So, why do many writers (in this example) forget how to be human on social media when our books come out? Excitement, for one. Lack of marketing experience, knowledge, or strategy for another. Fear. Imposter syndrome. Many reasons.
Perhaps writers simply spam their links rather than take a step back to create a strategic marketing plan. It’s easy, albeit almost completely ineffective.
How ineffective? Let’s break it down:
You’re pushing people who don’t know you to purchase your book. What’s in it for them? You haven’t built a relationship with them. They don’t know you. They pass.
Spamming links is not effective marketing. It’s non-strategic desperation. Do better. I know you can.
You’re sharing your book 24/7. Nothing else. Your streams are “The Me Channel.” What’s the strategy here? Are you tracking conversions? Because the conversion rate for most social media is pretty dismal, so chances are, you are wasting your time.
Want to increase your conversion rate? Here’s a great how-to from sproutsocial.com
Let’s change that paradigm.
What Works Instead
There are four known stages of the customer life cycle (while this applies primarily to business, we can certainly adapt this model to ourselves as writers):
Contact — A potential customer is introduced to your brand (aka, book)
Consider — They consider your brand’s offerings compared with your competitors
Convert — The prospect purchases and becomes a customer
Care — You nurture engagements with those wonderful people who purchase products or services from your organization (or donate funds, in the case of a charity or non-profit) two times or more
Social media works primarily for contact and consider. Getting potential readers to our website or book-purchasing site is where convert comes in, and care is where we continue to build those relationships via newsletters, street teams (or private groups of some sort), events, and continued social media interactions.
Younger readers, in particular, are very comfortable with social media, as they are digital natives. They fully expect writers to not only be on social media but also be accessible and interactive. According to the Financial Post:
They don’t want to be sold to. They want to hear your story. They want to know whether you share the same values and have a solution to a challenge they may be experiencing. They want to know how you can improve their lives in some way.
Unsure what your ‘brand’ is? Read this:
What's Author Branding, Anyway?
If you’re like most writers (including yours truly, back before I published my first book ten years ago), branding sounds scary and kind of, well, nebulous. Are you an aspiring author looking to make a name for yourself in the literary world? Let’s discuss
Bookselling Without Soulselling
Remove the awkwardness of the selling situation by easing up. Relax. Knock it off with the hard selling. You don’t even have to do the soft-sell tap dance. In fact, you don’t have to put on that slimy selling suit at all.
Nope. Not crazy. Haven’t lost my mind.
Let the real estate of social media, your website, your newsletter, your events, etc., do the selling for you. Your banners, bio, pinned posts, and threads — those all exist for a reason.
Here’s an easy check: do you feel as if you’re selling your soul when you’re on social media?
Then you’re doing it wrong.
Stop what you’re doing and reevaluate. If you know your branding keywords and key phrases, if you’re focusing on sharing value-added info and content, and if you’re interacting with people about real issues, you needn’t feel slimy.
Upcoming Audio Spaces
• Join me for my monthly #BookMarketingChat Space on Wednesday, 6/4, at 2 pm pst/5 pm EST with my very special guest, Dr. Donna Jennings, who is launching her new book, The Fiction Writer's Sexuality Guide: Sex—It's More Than a Scene.
I’m reading it now, and it’s fantastic.
Click here now to set a reminder. Attendance enters you to win a free signed copy of her book, so be sure to attend the live.
• #TheWriteLab Space with me and cohost @VennieKocsis! Join us on the last Tuesday of each month (Tuesday, 5/28 - TONIGHT!) to discuss your author branding, socials, writing (of course), and marketing - FREE! Audio-only, recorded if you miss it.
Click here to set a reminder now. Topic: Open Q&A.
Featured Book Of The Week
Fantastic read by bestselling author Don Gabor, Vienna On Fire, available now. I read it in one night. Beautiful, terrifying, and informative, I highly recommend it. Here’s a brief summary:
Can Greta Kolbe escape Nazi Vienna and reach America before her past and the Gestapo catch up to her?
In the heart of darkening Europe, amidst the looming war, Vienna on Fire by Don Gabor tells the riveting story of Greta Kolbe, an eighteen-year-old Jewish woman whose life was upended when German troops annexed Austria in 1938.
Sponsor
💜 Thank you, Booklinker, my exclusive advertising sponsor for 2024! Free universal book links for all authors. It's super easy to use. And they have a fantastic blog here.💜
See you next week, and happy writing!
Are You With Me?
If just 5% of my 3K free subscribers contributed the cost of a coffee, I could reach a larger audience to help writers tell our stories. If you can't become a paid subscriber, please share with a friend. 🌻
Let’s do this together!
Great advice! Thank you.