FACEBOOK TIPS
1. Book Cover Scavenger Hunts
This one is easy.
Example Post: Find a book with a dog or cat on the cover and share your pic with us! 😁🐶🐱
Share your own book cover pic (a book not necessarily authored by you) to get the conversation going. Be sure to engage in the comments your readers share.
You can do this periodically with different themes.
2. Think Series Instead of One-Offs
You know this strategy works for book sales...it works for social media posts too! Along with your random or stand-alone Facebook posts, plan a series or two. These can include things like a weekly #bookchat where you ask a single question and engage with comments.
Ask your readers:
First book you remember reading?
A novel you’ve read more than once?
A story world you didn’t want to leave?
A novel that made you laugh out loud?
Use an image in the post to capture attention and get more shares.
HOW TO CREATE A GOOD POST SERIES
When you have a post that draws more engagement than usual (either in number of responses or in the enthusiasm it taps into), consider creating a series of similar posts.
Make sure the concept:
- Fits into your author brand
- Grows the kind of community you’re endeavoring to build (i.e. attracts your target readers)
- Can support a series
And a last tip on this…plan the series in advance. Brainstorm it. Take notes. Compile your ideas and pick the best.
3. Start a Summer Reads Book Group on Facebook
This one takes some pre-planning, but your time might be very well spent.
This is a good way to venture into Facebook Groups because a "summer group" has a built-in expiration date. You can create an 8 or 12-week social media strategy so it’s not something you’ll have to maintain forever.
Facebook Groups have some benefits over Facebook Pages, and Facebook hasn't been bashful about letting the world know they're looking to Groups for the future.
Groups are an opportunity to have increased engagement with a more highly focused audience.
Recruit from your Facebook page, IG, newsletter subscribers, and other channels.
Focus on some good summer reads and summer themes, keeping it light and fun. By planning ahead, you can better manage the work load of this type of campaign.
A Summer Reading Group could go so many different ways. You can build it around your own time and money budgets so it doesn't get overwhelming.
Fit it for your author brand but don't make your books the focus. The focus is building a community of connected and engaged readers who like to read the kind of books you write.
(P.S. You can do this for Holiday Reads or other themes on a short-term basis.)
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