Facebook – stacey jaine mcintosh

Facebook.

It’s a powerful tool. It can help you to promote your books and your author brand.

I find it one of the best ways to connect to other people in the writing community.

But knowing how to reach out to your audience on your Facebook page can be a little daunting at first.

So, here’s a few things you might like to think about when creating and growing your own Facebook page.

Know Your Audience

You have to know your audience. Who are your books aimed at? Genre? Age bracket? What makes your brand unique? All of these things matter. Don’t neglect them.

Be Responsive

It’s not just about writing posts it’s about engaging with the people who take the time to comment on those posts. You have to make connections.

Be Consistent

There’s no real secret formula to posting on Facebook pages. Although, I do suggest posting no more than three times a day. Anymore than that and you risk annoying those who have taken the time to like your page.

It’s not rocket science, but these are definitely the best ways to build your brand. I don’t personally pay to boost content on my Facebook author page, but through networking with Facebook groups, and other indie authors who’s pages interest me, I’ve managed to build a page with over 2,500 likes.

I came across an interesting post about the pros and cons of social media in a Facebook group earlier that caught my attention. It’s actually what prompted me to write this blog.

Social Media. It’s huge and often daunting. And sometimes when you’re an indie author and you’re having to do it all, such things can seem a little overwhelming.

But let’s face it, you need a web presence. So you need to be active on some of the social media platforms.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest and Google. And that’s only the first six off the top of my head.

You might think that you need to have them all. Right? Wrong! But you do need a web presence. Readers need to be able to find you and connect, not just with your books, but with you, the author.

The trick? Start small.

Start with Facebook. Why Facebook and not a website? Simple. Almost everyone already has a Facebook profile. Setting up a Facebook page, when you already have a Facebook profile is easy. People either love Facebook or hate it. I personally love it.

Limit yourself.

Stick to two social media platforms to start with. That way you don’t get overwhelmed.

If you’ve already got Facebook you’re half way there. As a second I’d suggest Twitter or Instagram. Both have huge followings and are easy to learn the ropes of.

Be present.

There’s no point having a Facebook page, twitter or Instagram if they’re going to sit idle. I suggest posting at least once per day on each platform. It’ll take some time but you’ll eventually learn what works, when your followers are active and what content they enjoy seeing the most.

Don’t be afraid to experiment. And use hashtags. How else are you going to be seen without them?

Interact.

Don’t just post content and expect it to do well. It needs to be engaging. Something other’s will want to click on, and you’ll need to interact with others and comment on their posts. This will also help you to grow your audience and gain a decent following.

There’s a lot more I could write, but I’ll expand on what I’ve written here later. For now, the best course of action would be to think about what social media platforms you deem necessary as an indie author or writer and pick your favourites. Remember, the goal here is to not get overwhelmed, less is more. Later, when you have the hang of it, you can increase your viewership, by adding other platforms.

If you want to see what I’ve done with my social media profiles check out the tips and tricks here:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram