How to Use Social Media to Develop Your Author Brand
There are countless social media platforms and it can be hard to decide which ones to choose.
Introduction
There are countless social media platforms to choose from, and it can be hard to decide which ones to go with. That’s why I wanted to go over the ones that I use as examples. My goal is to help you consider and decide which platforms you want to use. Before I go over these platforms, I wanted to elaborate on some points that I believe are important to consider when going on social media to build a brand.
For me, it’s not just about how many people use which platforms. It’s about which platforms I’m most comfortable using. Consider using platforms you like to establish an online presence. It’s also important that you establish your online presence in a way that you’re comfortable with. For example, if you’re like me and you don’t want to be on camera, don’t force yourself to be. You can still make engaging content without showing your face. That’s an important aspect that I’ve considered before going online. I advise you to consider this when choosing which platforms you want to build your author brand on and what you are the most comfortable with.
Social media is a place to connect with people. However, it’s important to realize what that connection means for you and your audience. Remember this: when you create content, it’s not about you and what your viewers can do for you. Instead, it’s about your viewers and what you can do for them.
For example, when I’m creating content that involves writing advice, I think about what I would’ve liked to have known as a novice writer and create content based on that. This brings me to my next point: What is the purpose of your content? Is it to entertain, inform, or persuade? This will help you identify why you're making the content for your audience and how it’ll reflect on your brand as an author.
Social Media
Instagram is useful for posting pictures, picture quotes, and reels. For example, I like to post encouraging thoughts for writers and eventually create picture quotes from my novel to get people excited about it. Instagram is also a great place to provide interactive opportunities with your followers through stories. Stories have sticker options that allow you to develop polls, provide links, and create highlights. It’s also a great place to utilize hashtags to grab the attention of a specific group.
Select days and times within the week to make posts. Choose a schedule that works for you. For example, I post on the weekdays between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. Occasionally I’ll post outside of those days and times, but I try to stick to that schedule to make things easier for myself.
Plan ahead with content ideas and have fun with the content you create. There’s no need to stress about it. I like to keep a document on my phone with ideas on what to post and create the content beforehand so I can go ahead and post it when the time comes. That way I’m not spending time doing both things on the same day.
Click the button below to connect with me on Instagram. Hopefully, my content will help give you some ideas if you want to use this platform and feel stuck on what to do.
I have found Twitter (a.k.a. X) useful for sharing content from my blog. Although the limited word count can be annoying sometimes, it challenges me to be more thoughtful about what I say to my viewers in the caption. Twitter is also a place to utilize hashtags as attention grabbers.
Pick a posting schedule that works for you. For example, I post on Wednesdays or Thursdays. I don’t stress too much about what time I post. Many people say to consistently post at a specific time and day so followers know when to expect your content, but do people actually pay attention to that stuff? I know I don’t. If their content truly interests me, I pay attention to notifications more than anything else.
Click the button below to connect with me on Twitter and for content ideas.
Many people think Facebook is dead, but I think there are still opportunities to grow an audience. I use Facebook because you never know who might still use it. I see value in branching out because people on Facebook (and other platforms, for that matter) might not use the other platforms. There could be potential users interested in your content that you’re missing out on by not using the “outdated” social media platforms.
There’s also the option to connect Facebook to Instagram so that when you post on one platform, that post is also shared on the other. I used to do that, and it can be useful if you’re trying to grow an audience on both platforms. Nowadays, however, I avoid merging them to keep the content separate so it’s not a duplicate.
I’ve started avoiding posting the same thing on Facebook and Instagram at the same time because it felt like I was copying and pasting, and I didn’t want followers who looked at both platforms to feel the same way. Instead of creating entirely new content for Facebook though, I try to repurpose what I share on Instagram or let the post “age” before bringing it over to Facebook.
Click the button below to connect with me on Facebook and get some content ideas.
Goodreads
Goodreads is also a great place to connect with readers and writers. There’s also the Goodreads Author Program where you can connect with fans and update them about your newest releases and giveaways. I plan to convert my Goodreads for reading into an author account when the time comes.
Click the button below to connect with me and see what I’m reading.
Conclusion
I hope this has helped you consider what direction you want to take when creating your author brand. I believe there is value in utilizing multiple platforms to promote your brand, even the ones you think might not do as well. My word of advice is to use the platforms you can maneuver the easiest and spread the word across as many platforms as you can handle. It’s not a notion of literally throwing your stuff out there and seeing what happens, but strategically and meaningfully putting your content out there for viewers to see.
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