Social media. We know it’s important to have an online presence because our agent and our editors and other writer friends tell us it is. We’re navigating building a website, growing fans and followers, marketing our next books — all on top of writing, editing and publishing said books! We’re authors, not digital marketing experts.
With limited resources and marketing support from publishing houses, social media is part of the job description for being an author. But I see social media as so much more than that. It is an exciting opportunity, a chance to engage with others in our community and authentically share ourselves and our stories with a larger audience.
Here’s how you can start building your author brand authentically on social media.
Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash
Step One: Decide what channel you should be on.
Ask any entrepreneur how they started their business and they’ll say: small. You have to focus on one thing, one product in the beginning. It isn’t until you’ve built some capacity and are more efficient that you can grow and expand your company’s focus. So give yourself the same grace. Start small with one, maybe two channels that you really focus on.
The channel you choose ultimately depends on who you’re trying to reach, what your goals are (book sales, marketing your events, connecting with other authors?) and what your strengths and comfort levels are.
Consider Facebook if you...
need space to process your thoughts and reactions
value engaging in a public dialogue about articles and news
You plan and participate in many online events
Your goal is to build connections with your fellow writing community and book influencers
Consider Twitter if you…
Enjoy rapid conversations
Admire brevity or have the ability to break complex thoughts down into digestible bits.
Your goal is to share educational resources and videos with families and educators.
Frequently read articles and news.
Consider Instagram if you…
You are a visual thinker or you find yourself constantly taking photographs.
You are prone to doodling or drawing.
Your goal is to engage young adults.
Your goal is to engage with parents, educators, and book influencers.
Photo by Georgia de Lotz on Unsplash
Step Two: Add value to the conversation
Just like we picture our characters in our minds while writing, I encourage my clients to imagine a character who will read all their posts. What do they want to know about you? What would you like them to know? What sort of topics would you two geek out about together? Picturing a person reminds you there’s a real person behind all those comments who’s reading your posts or tweets.
Focus on how you can engage and add to the dialogues happening online, rather than commandeer them. Be an active participant. Offer ideas, opinions, listen (truly listen) and respond to the conversation.
For example: If I wanted to post a book recommendation for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, I could say: “Loved The Name Jar. Highly Recommend!” But what value does that offer your followers, really? It doesn’t help them understand why you’re recommending this book, in particular. And if they’ve never heard of the book, the ownness is on them to learn more. Which we haven’t really inspired them to do. Instead, you might consider adding value to the conversation by responding: “I loved The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi. The main character, Unhei is new to America and lets her new class offer suggestions about what her American name should be. It’s a very poignant story about learning to embrace and celebrate all names. It subtly addresses the microaggression of mispronouncing someone's name. An important topic all year long, but particularly important right now as we really stop to think about how we can build more inclusive classrooms and communities.”
What topics should you be posting about?
Editors and famous authors have told us time and time again that reading is so important. We can learn a lot from observing others’ craft. But reading also gives an author awareness of the larger publishing industry trends. It’s important to stay current and know what is going on in your perspective genre. Who are the debut authors in your genre? Who just sold a book? Celebrate others’ work and engage in conversations about their books.
Other common topics include:
Your writing journey
Your writing process
Values/themes that appear frequently in your work
Educational resources that teachers can use for various books or subjects in their classrooms
Elevating your local library and bookstores
Step three: Listening and engaging with others is part of the work
In the previous step, I outlined thinking of your online audience, like you’re writing to a specific character. I find this character framing helps decenter ourselves. And it’s only when you stop thinking about what social media can do for you, and start thinking about how it grows and strengthens communities, that you can actually start to thrive in the space. It’s called social media after all, not selfish media.
No one likes that person at the party who only talks about themselves, or interrupts the dialogue without understanding what everyone is talking about. So when you’re on social media, reading and engaging with what others are posting an important part of building your authentic presence. Like, comment, and share posts by others. Reply to those who comment on your posts. The best comments are those that seek to continue the ... you guessed it .. conversation!
To continue our book recommendation example. If someone commented. “Oh, I have been meaning to try this book!” Replying: “Check it out at your library and let me know if you liked it. I’d love to know if you thought [fill in the blank]” is more meaningful to the individual because it shows you valued them and their engagement because you took the time to read and thoughtfully respond to them.
Observing what is happening in social media can actually help you make your own content better, or inspire you with your own ideas of what you could post about. Pay attention to what type of content caught your eye. What did it look like? How long was the content? How did they structure their posts?
Photo by Erik Lucatero on Unsplash
Step Four: Be consistent
Think of the last time you made a new friend. Unless that friend is a very special soul, I bet it took time to establish your friendship. You met, got to know one another, and the seeds of trust and respect took root. The same is true for social. It takes time to build and grow your following and your brand.
Keep tending to the seeds and in time you’ll see them bloom.
About S.A. Cassell
S.A. Cassell is the Social Media Manager for Whale Rock Workshops. For more than a decade, she has weathered the tides of digital marketing. In this fast-paced growing world of technology, Sarah is passionate about sharing what she's learned with others to help them build authentic and meaningful relationships with their audiences. She has experience managing social media for both large and small nonprofits and experience managing email and loves to scroll through Instagram every spare minute she has. She holds a Bachelor's in Journalism from Ohio University and a Master's in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Learn more about Sarah at sacassell.com.
