Facebook

 

Facebook

Let’s
start our social media tour with the big guy. Well, big guy for Gen Xers. Many
of you probably know and use the app. As a writer, it’s the best place to find
readers.

Facebook is a social media platform where users can
post messages, pictures, videos, just about anything to share. Friends can post
comments and replies. It’s
an interactive environment with many layers. Not only can you post, but you can
chat with friends, join interest groups, read news, find out the weather, and
more.

Getting started is easy. Create an account by just
signing up. Search for people you might know and send them a friend request.
Search for writer and reader groups and join the fun. Boom, eight hours later
you made dozens of friends, five interest groups, and played twenty different
games.

But as an author…

Here
are my two cents. Facebook has the readers. Most users are over thirty, but
these people read, have money to buy books, and time to chat online in fan
groups. If you are a YA or children’s author, Facebook probably won’t have your
readers. But you might find their parents. Facebook is designed for user
interactions, advertisements, and information. Authors can use these elements
to promote their books and brands.

How to use Facebook as an author.

•  Set up an Author Page. (This differs from a Profile.)
  It’s a business page
  where fans can find you. Keep it set to public so that anyone can find
  you. Invite your fans to the page either through direct invites or when they
  like one of your posts. Use this page to promote your books and brand through
  interesting posts, ads, memes, videos, pictures, etc. Post every day. It might
  sound like too much work, but it’s
  worth it. Because of Facebook algorithms, some of your fans might not see all
  your posts. Having many posts to interact with will keep the page hot in the
  algorithms. The more comments on your posts the better you will do. Encourage
  people to click Love, Care, Laugh instead of just Like (thumbs up) when
  enjoying your post. The other reactions besides Like move you up in the
  algorithms. (Or they did, at the time of this post.)

What to post on your author page? Everything, from
personal stuff (not too personal though, like your home address or pics of your
babies) to cover reveals, to book sales, to vacation slides, to pet pics to… You get the idea. This page
shows the world (of Facebook) who you are and what you are writing. Find a
style and be consistent. Post those cat pics every Saturday. Use Wednesday as a
tease on Hump Day (especially if you are a steamy or erotic writer), do a TGIF
meme on Friday, or whatever your style.

• If you have a large fan base, create a fan page
  (Group). It’s a page for your fans to hang out, discuss your books together,
  and have some interactions with you. A fan page is for the readers to talk, not
  you. (Of course, you need to monitor it. Maybe create a spin-off group for
  spoilers. Be sure everyone plays by the rules.) I know a few authors who’ve had luck with these
  pages, gained new readers and had fun interacting with fans.

• Learn to create ads through Facebook. Because the
  app is full of readers and is far-reaching, Facebook ads are a great way to
  find new audiences. Best advice: Take
  a class on Facebook ads with a reputable person. I’m still trying to figure
  them out. A few other romance authors teach wonderful classes on how to make
  ads and make them pay. It’s worth the cost of the class to reach new audiences
  through an app where you already established a presence.

• Team up with
  other authors. A Group for your genre with other authors allows you to share
  audiences, give more content to readers, and expand your reach. Plus, it’s super fun. I’m a reader in
  some groups, but I help run a romance group where we have guest authors, contests, parties, play meme
  games, and more. It’s a nice small set of authors sharing and reaching out to our
  fans. They are perfect for when you are still establishing your fan base and
  might not have enough people for a fan Page. Plus, opportunities abound to help
  other authors and get help yourself. Plus, readers love these groups,
  especially ones that give out free prizes!

Facebook can be a powerful
tool for an author, but not everyone likes or is on the app. Next week, we will
discuss Twitter.