Social media is a must for writers, authors and bloggers. Without it, it’s much harder to build author platform, build an engaged community, or sell books. That’s why today, Beth Bauer (@JourneyofBethB) has broached this topic and offered some easy tips and tricks you can use to make using social media marketing a bit easier and more effective.
Do you ever get sick of social media and feel like it’s a gigantic waste of time? Do you feel like it’s hard to keep up with all the constant changes to algorithms and formatting? Most bloggers and writers have felt that way at one time or another. Fortunately, a few useful tips and tricks can make using social media much more manageable and effective as you market your blog and book.
Whatever you do, don’t give up on social media. It’s an enormously powerful marketing tool for reaching your audience and building your platform.
About a year ago, I had a personal situation that showed me the incredible power of social media. I flew home to the U.S. from India with a handmade sitar. United Airlines made me check it into over-sized luggage, and when I picked it up at the Portland International Airport the hard case looked like it was run over by a vehicle, and inside my precious sitar was in pieces! I spoke to the luggage attendant who was very dismissive and said there was nothing they could do.
Feeling brokenhearted, I posted about it on my Facebook page. A few hours later I received a message from a guy in a rock band that had a similar experience. His group was so upset about the situation that they created a music video about it and posted it using the hashtag #unitedbreaksguitars. He suggested I use the same hashtag. So, I followed his recommendation, and within four minutes of tweeting with that hashtag, I had a United customer service representative message me saying they would compensate me for my loss if I stopped posting about it!
1. Post Relatable Content
The most important thing to remember when posting on social media is your audience. Will they care about what you’re posting, or are you just posting because you feel obligated? If you don’t care about your content, they won’t either. Always ask yourself if it is relevant and exciting to your audience. If not, come up with something different to post.
2. Ask Questions
One of the most effective ways to engage your audience is by asking questions. For example, instead of posting “Look what I did today.” Post a photo that may give a hint of the activity, and ask, “Can you guess what I did today?” Questions feel more personal and tend to get your readers to respond.
3. Take a Poll
Your readers want to feel valued, and a great way to make them feel that way is to ask their opinion. Everyone has a point of view, and most people enjoy sharing it. Bonus points, if you can take action around the information you gather. An example of this on my travel blog would be to ask, “Where should I travel to next?” Then, I would give four or five options and actually share the results and use the feedback to choose my next destination.
4. Create a Contest
Another excellent tip for social media is to create a contest. A good example of this is to enter people into a drawing to win something if they share your post. Or create a scavenger hunt with daily clues to a treasure. Get creative and make it fun.
5. Post at Different Times of the Day
To get your content viewed most often by different people, post at different times of the days. If you always post first thing in the morning, your fans that are night owls might be missing your content. That is why posting at different times of the day on all of your platforms is a great social media strategy. Fortunately, on many social media apps, you can schedule a posting. So, you don’t have to be up at 2:00 a.m. to blast out a Facebook post.
6. Use Quality Images
Nothing grabs someone’s attention like a stunning image or lively video. Post only the highest quality images. Spend a little time playing with the filters on your camera to get the lighting and shading perfect before blasting it out on social media. Or use high-quality free or paid images.
7. Respond to Comments
When one of your fans posts a comment, make sure you respond to it, even if it’s just to say thank you. If you want to engage them, make your reply a little more heartfelt and use their first name in your response.
Social media tips and tricks can make your job a lot easier and save you a good deal of time. If you want to keep your skills up to date, take an occasional online class to see what the pros are doing to be more effective on social media.
What social media tips or tricks can you share? Tell me in a comment.
About the Author
Beth Bauer is a freelance writer, travel blogger, yoga instructor, and entrepreneur currently working on her third novel. She has traveled to over 20 countries in just the last two years and enjoys life as a digital nomad. She is originally from the Pacific Northwest of the U.S.A., and when she’s home lives on the Long Beach Peninsula with her dog, Ozzie.
Photo courtesy of Pixaline / Pixabay.com
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