I recently posted an article on best practices for using Facebook to promote books on BuildBookBuzz.com. Here’s the intro and you can head over to the site to read the rest!
When I bring up Facebook to my author clients, the responses range from “What’s the relationship between book sales and vacation selfies?” to “I know Facebook is important, but I have no idea why or how to leverage it for my book.” But I’ve found Facebook, when used effectively, to be the most effective social media outlet for authors to drive traffic to their websites and build exposure for their books.
In this article, I’ll address some of the key decisions that authors face when launching or refining their Facebook campaigns. I will also outline the best practices I’ve found to be most helpful.
A note for your journey
Before you begin a Facebook campaign, it’s important to remember that it’s a long game. You will likely encounter all kinds of articles, promotional emails, and experts promising “silver bullets” to help you gain “millions of fans” virtually overnight. But these are empty promises. Like any aspect of book promotion, your success depends on the quality of your content and your long-term commitment to trying things and adapting to what is and isn’t working.
So as you begin your Facebook journey, set your expectations appropriately and prepare yourself for a marathon, not a sprint. Don’t bite off more than you can chew, because you’ll burn out before you even start. Start your page small and add a new strategy or tactic each week or month. Let the page, and your relationship to it, grow organically. . . .
