Writers, let’s face it: Building your fan base requires a great deal of time and energy—resources you’d probably rather devote to your writing. But if you want to successfully promote yourself and your work, it’s essential that you increase your audience. Fortunately, building your following doesn’t have to be a time-consuming, mind-boggling task. Here are some easy steps you can take to get more fans with less effort.
5 Easy Steps To Getting More Followers and Fans
Step One: Automate. Your social media platforms can help drive traffic to your author website and build up your following. The more you tweet, post, blog, and interact with potential readers and other writers, the wider your network will become. But since most of us have day jobs (and lives!), we can’t spend every minute updating our social media accounts.
This is where automating can be a big time-saver. Using a free promotional tool like SocialOomph, you can schedule your tweets ahead of time—even days in advance. And if you have an Author Page on Facebook, you can also schedule posts to go up at a later time or date.
Plus, you can connect Facebook and Twitter to automatically interact with each other. Set up your Twitter profile to automatically post to Facebook as well. Or you can use a Facebook app to post your Facebook activity onto your Twitter feed. By taking these simple steps, you can invest your time in one social network but reap the benefits of two!
Step Two: Enlist help. Multiply your marketing efforts by forming a Promo Team. Find authors, industry professionals, and even complementary businesses or organizations willing to help promote your new book, your blog, your book signings, your speaking engagements, and other events. This is an effective cross-promotion strategy that can introduce you and your work to new audiences.
Step Three: Share viral content. We’ve all seen YouTube cat videos that have gone viral on social media. But you don’t need a house full of frolicking kittens to take advantage of this strategy for getting others to share your content for you.
Here’s what to do: Post already-viral material that will grab your fans’ attention—they’ll soon be retweeting and sharing your engaging content with all of their friends. Trending news, catchy sound bites, fun infographics, and industry-influencer name-dropping are some of the elements that are common to all widely shared content. And sharing popular posts is an easy way to attract new fans!
Step Four: Advertise. Since Facebook changed the way it serves content to users, organic reach may no longer be enough to ensure that people are seeing and interacting with your posts.
If you aren’t satisfied with your current reach, consider paying to advertise on Facebook. Promoting and boosting your posts will increase your potential audience and allow you to target certain demographics—such as fans of other authors whose writing is similar to yours.
And Twitter Ads can also help you connect with the most receptive users at just the right time. It’s easy to promote tweets, and as is the case with Facebook, you can set your own budget.
Step Five: Offer a freebie. Who doesn’t love getting something for free? It’s easy to create cheap digital goodies to give away. This is a great way to generate good feelings between you and your fans, but it’s also a powerful strategy for attracting new fans. Build your author mailing list by asking people to subscribe in order to get their free swag, “secret” chapter, or other goodies.
These easy, almost effortless, steps will strengthen your existing promotional strategies and boost your following—without adding unduly to your workload. And remember to keep your author platform updated and well-integrated so that all of your new fans will visit often!
If you’re feeling like you don’t have the time or energy to take even these simple steps, you might be suffering from social media burnout. Our Virtual Assistant Program can take care of maintaining and updating your social media accounts so you can put your efforts into what you do best—write!
QUESTION: What has been your most successful strategy for building your following?
I said it in the past, and I will repeat it again – I am not a sophisticated poet. The main purpose for my writing is to rally a certain message to the readers. The initiated prize if I won is okay, however, that would or never change my life. What is changing is my perspective positive outlook of myself. Though, thank you for the opportunity, but I keep on travelling.