If you look anything like the average internet user, you’ve spent a good deal of your time camping on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and blogs.

While you may feel that your time would be better spent working on your next manuscript, the truth is that as a self-published author, having a strong social media presence is more important than ever to attracting and growing a loyal audience.

Social media has become a part of everyday life, and if the trend over the past two decades is any indication, we can safely assume that it is here to stay and will continue to boom as a powerful marketing tool.

Instead of viewing your social media accounts as time-consuming distractions, make the switch to view them as effective and affordable ways to connect with and build relationships with more of your prospects over time.

Does using social media really generate more book sales?

Many authors and publishers avoid creating and committing to a long-term social media strategy because they don’t believe it will help them sell more books.

But take a closer look and it’s easy to see why that thought process is deeply flawed and how it can lead to missing out on many valuable opportunities.

Although it is true that social networks are not usually a channel for the active sale of books, such as an e-commerce shopping cart or a platform dedicated to the sale of books, it is very possible to use them as a lever to spread the book offer all over the world. large.

When your message resonates with the right people, your brand gets quick exposure through word of mouth.

It also establishes and deepens your relationships with groups based on common interests and allows you to give your prospects an easy way to get to know you that was not possible before the advent of social media.

The bottom line is that if you want to sell more books, you need a larger and more loyal reader base to make this happen.

Social media can be the tool that can get you there faster when combined with a comprehensive marketing plan.

How Social Media Help You Get More Readers

Using social media as part of a comprehensive marketing strategy can help increase your audience size and allow you to sell more books, but how?

There are many ways that social media connects you with the right people and increases your list of prospects.

  • Help promote your brand

Brand recognition is one of the most important aspects of marketing.

When someone in your target audience sees or hears a marketing message and instantly connects them with you and your books, you know you have a well-established brand.

Building awareness of your brand becomes much easier when you promote yourself and your books on various social media platforms using messages that feature consistent brand elements.

  • Easily access new audiences

One of the best things about social media is the ease with which you can get referrals and recommendations from your current audience.

One-click sharing of posts, videos, images, and tweets enables fast transmission of your message to a new audience. If those new prospects like what they see or hear, following you for future messages is as simple as one more click of a button.

  • Increase traffic to your website and email list

Social media is an excellent tool for driving traffic back to your website.

This is an important part of a long-term marketing strategy because it allows you to create a situation where you can establish continuous communication with your prospects who would probably only visit your website once and then click to never be seen again.

  • Allows you to gather social proof

In modern times, consumers are smarter than ever. Rather than take his word for it that his books are good enough to deserve his attention, consumers look to their peers for feedback on his offerings before buying.

If your books ever made or changed someone’s life enough to share your experience with others, that is very powerful.

Reviews and testimonials are two of the most powerful forms of social proof that can encourage more people to believe and pay attention to your brand.

  • Establish and deepen relationships

Another amazing aspect of social media is that it allows you to establish and grow a loyal fan base who will become ambassadors for your brand.

If you gather enough people under the umbrella of a common interest, it is surprising how quickly they will organize and take the initiative to defend and spread your message to other like-minded people.

  • Facilitate networking with influencers

Social media has made it easy to connect with almost anyone in the world, including the most influential people in your space.

An incredible marketing strategy to grow your reader base very quickly involves tapping into influencer audiences.

Think of Oprah, who is one of the most influential people in the world, and you will begin to really understand the potential that social media has to grow your audience simply by being introduced to someone else.

  • The viral effect

The viral aspect of the Internet has given self-published authors the ability to quickly and completely penetrate a market through the power of peer-to-peer exchange.

It doesn’t happen very often, but if you somehow manage to strike a chord with your audience, you might find your message spreading like wildfire across the internet.

This makes it possible to expose yourself to a large number of new people in a very short period of time.

  • It’s easier to pre-sell your prospects

Social media is powerful because it gives you quick and direct access to your audience.

Use it effectively and you will be able to communicate inspiring, educational and entertaining messages to your reader base outside of the confines of your books.

For self-published authors who focus on nonfiction types of writing, this can be particularly valuable. However, for all writers, social media provides a unique opportunity to showcase the things that make your brand special and different.

Pre-sell to your audience on an ongoing basis by giving them snippets and previews of what’s to come. With regular communication and by delivering value to your potential customers, you will bring them closer to buying your books each time they are published.

Over time, the level of enthusiasm and passion your readers have for your message, your brand, and ultimately your books increases.

  • Show your personality and be a real person

Not so long ago, authors were seen as faceless entities hidden behind the iron curtains of their publishing houses.

Today, with the introduction of social media and the fact that many authors self-publish, everything has changed.

Readers are now hoping to meet the person behind the manuscript, and social media is the perfect vehicle to make it happen.

You can let your true voice and personality shine through and let your audience know that you are a real human being with thoughts and feelings just like theirs.

All of these factors lead to a gradual increase in the number of ready-to-buy prospects, which ultimately means that you don’t run more promotions than you normally would through your marketing channels, but you generate more readers and sales per your efforts. .