by Tamara Collins of Business Boldly

For many Indie Authors writing a 500-page book can come naturally, but knowing what to say on social media is far more awkward. Despite this, social media is a massive part of the everyday world, and if you’re looking to promote your book, you need to have a social media strategy in place to help you do so. Here are ten tips to get the most out of social media while promoting your book.

1. Find your target audience.

Who exactly are you trying to reach? While it’s easy to say everyone will like my book, that’s not entirely true. Understand WHO is reading your book and who is most likely to want to promote it. This understanding enables you to make sure you’re writing your social media messages directly to that person.

2. Have a plan for your social media posting.

Most writers like myself are the creative type and post to social media when you feel inspired or have something weighing your mind. Growth and engagement when trying to launch any new product, your book included, involves consistent brand visibility. That means posting daily so people can find and engage with you.

3. Use those Hashtags!

Hashtags are tools to help consumers easily find and engage with content they enjoy. When you are posting on social media, you want to make sure you are using relevant hashtags. I advocate for my readers to register two name-branded hashtags (I use Twubs.com to register my hashtags) that they use with every post and then use a popular hashtag that fits with what you are posting about. Be mindful of your platform and use hashtags accordingly.

For example, on Instagram, it is recommended to use all 30 available hashtags. You would never use 30 hashtags on a Facebook or LinkedIn post (3 to 5 is best), and on Twitter, you would use 2 to 3. Think of these like keywords to help the internet put your content into categories.

4. Give that shout out

The whole reason people are on social media is to be social, hoping other people will like, share and engage with our content. Not only does this help to build up your audience and your relationships on social media, but it also saves you a little trouble in having to come up with new content. It also helps if you tag them in the post to get it out in front of their audience.

5. Have a theme for your days.

Knowing you need to write, but not what content can be exceptionally frustrating. An easy way to work around that is to have a theme for your days. For example, Nadia’s motivation Monday or testimonial Tuesday, workday Wednesday, etc. Those types of posts can give you insight on whether to keep posting topics of the content of that nature or if you need to switch it up.

6. Post content that people want to share.

If all you ever post is “Hey, read my book,” you are going to have a tough time getting engagement on your post. Sharing posts that have questions for your audience or are entertaining will engage your audience.

7. Remember the platform you are posting on.

Each social media platform has a different audience and a unique structure. For example, Twitter is short with current events and is a casual conversation style. LinkedIn is a bit of a more extended conversation related to business content and creating business connections. Facebook, you can post a lot of content because it has such a broad audience. You don’t just want to post the same content to each platform.

8. Get talking

You want to be known as an authority in your niche. One of the easiest ways to do that is to be on podcasts, TV shows, interviews, and contributing to other people’s audiences. Showing up in multiple places will bring new people into your audience.

9. Have samples

Everybody loves free samples. The same is true of your writing. Share clips of your content and consider offering a free chapter download.

10. Be Social.

By far the most important of the tips that I am giving you. Social media is about precisely that – being social. You should spend 10 to 15 minutes per day commenting and engaging on other people’s profiles, groups, communities, and social media posts.