SOCIAL MEDIA FOR AUTHORS - WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

Many authors who publish via affordable book publishing services underestimate the importance of a presence on social media. In actual fact, this is an important part of your book marketing/publicity strategy. Here is why you need to get tweeting, posting and commenting:

1. Most popular authors have a strong following on their facebook, Instagram, Twitter and even YouTube platforms. This is where they share news and updates about their current and future book launches, tours and signings. Their 'fans' tend to know ahead of time when they have a new book coming out, and thanks to their social media fan base, authors sell a large number of books in pre-sales, before it has been even published. 
2. Global Book/ Ebook Distribution and Print On Demand services (organised for you by your affordable book publishing service) allow authors to easily sell their book/s to people all around the World. Social media will reach people everywhere, so you can gather a global fan-base and sell your books internationally.
3. Remember that engagement on your social media platforms is key. You want your fans to visit your social media channels frequently. If you are only posting promotional items, to advertise your current and upcoming book projects, people will lose interest rather quickly. Keep them interested and engaged by posting about other things relevant to your book topic. For example, blog posts or articles you have come across online about your topic of interest. Your fans will also enjoy seeing you in your day-to-day life so they feel that they can relate to you! If you visit a beautiful location, travel or take part in an event, post some pictures of this and anything else you get up to when you are not working or writing!
4. Remember to respond in a timely and appropriate fashion to any fan queries or comments. Ignore (or remove) anything irrelevant or derogatory, unless it is a genuine complaint or customer service query in which case, you may wish to address it offline with them. The more fans you collect, the harder it will be to respond to everyone, but try to address at least a few comments here and there. This will give them a real buzz, and everyone will be more encouraged to interact, once they notice that you often will respond.
5. Every now and again, it is a great idea to run a fan competition or promotion. A quick google search will bring up plenty of suggestions and ideas, together with instructions on how to organise it, depending on whether its facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Note that there are some rules and regulations set by the various platforms about running competitions and promotions, so check out those guidelines too.
6. Social media can definitely be time-consuming. You don't need to post multiple times a day, and read every single comment as it is made, unless you have the time and enjoy it. Simply set aside about 30 minutes, three or four times a week, to make your posts and respond to your fans. Did you know that you can also create your posts in advance, and schedule them so that they are posted automatically on your chosen day and time? This is a great tool to save time and ensure you are organised, but its also important to post on relevant newsworthy topics as they happen.
7. Try to stay relevant to your author profile and topic of interest. Your personal social media account is for you to go crazy, and post on anything and everything. But your fans don't necessarily need to know about your political complaints, issues with your sister-in-law, and intimate health concerns. Share your personal life so that your fans can relate, but only to a certain point. Try to stay positive and maintain a friendly and non-threatening demeanour, avoid anything too controversial or critical and keep your posts interesting, relevant and motivational.
8. There is an expert for everything these days to save you time and make sure you are doing it right.  Just like with your manuscript assessments/copy editing/proofreading, book typesetting service and book cover designs, Publicious can now help you make sure your social media presence is on point.  Hire a professional to either guide you with your strategy so you know what and when to post, or let her do the whole lot on your behalf for a very affordable rate. More details here http://www.publicious.com.au/book-marketing-publicity.html