Promoting a book is not an easy task, and it can be a lot trickier than launching a new beauty product, clothing brand or other popular items. And, if you’re a first-time author, you face an even bigger challenge to promote your book. Although your publisher will be able to help you out a little with getting your book out there, you will still have to handle some of the book marketing and promotion on your own, and this can be a daunting task.
That being said, amongst your marketing arsenal is social media, and in particular, social media influencers. These digital natives have an in-depth knowledge of their platforms, as well as their target audience and the content they love.
This means they can bring a unique and creative approach to promote your book and their ability to speak the language of the consumers means they can better reach your target audience.
So, if you’re thinking about creative and effective ways to promote your book, here’s why you should consider working with a social media influencer.
Get started early
You don’t have to wait until your book has actually been published to get started. In fact, the earlier you get started on your promotion, the better, as pre-publishing time is equally as important.
You can start to let your community know about your book, and you can also start to think about which influencers you’d like to work with. This can get you ahead of the game and means you’re likely to see better results when your book is published.
Choose the right influencers
Before you just begin approaching random influencers, you need a good idea of who they are, who their audience is and how respected they are within their niche. You want an influencer(s) with enough followers, enough sway and who fits within your marketing budget.
But how do you know which influencers you should consider to help you market your book?
Well, if you want to create a buzz around your new launch, then it’s a good idea to target bloggers, influencers with marketing backgrounds, micro-celebrities in your niche or authors with similar interests.
But before you settle on one or two influencers to work with, do research on a couple, perhaps making a shortlist of those who you think are going to have the biggest impact on your campaign. Once you know more about them and their personalities, you can decide which influencers you think are going to be right for you.
Tell them about your book
Now you’ve settled on an influencer (or perhaps a couple of influencers) that you’d like to work with, you need to tell them about your book and get them on board. Share your thoughts with them and ask them what they think about your book. If they want to be part of your marketing strategy – that’s great! You can now begin to swap ideas and get a rough timeline in place to start planning your promotional campaign.
Distribute free copies to your chosen influencers
Once your book has been published, it’s a good idea to distribute free copies to your chosen influencers. This allows them to not only give you feedback on your book but they can also share this on their social media platforms with their followers.
For example, they can take pictures or videos with your book and share this on their Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or whatever social media accounts they use. This can make for great visual content, as well as a great promotional tool for your book.
Set out your goals and objectives
If you’re working closely with an influencer, the overall goal is to boost brand awareness and increase sales. Therefore, to achieve the best results, you should break this down into smaller objectives and multiple stages of your campaign.
Let your influencer know what you’re trying to achieve and how you’d like your brand to be perceived. So, for example, you might want to grow your follower base or target a new demographic.
And remember, social media influencers are masters in their field, and they will be able to come up with creative content that aligns with your values and promote your book and brand effectively.
So spend some time talking with them and agree on the types of content they’ll share, how frequently and what you hope to achieve from this.
Determine your KPIs
At this stage, you also need to determine your key performance indicators (KPIs). This way, you can ensure that you get the right tools in place to help you measure results and return on investment (ROI).
Some KPIs you might wish to track include new followers, engagement on your posts, page views, new email subscribers and, of course, an increase in book sales via social media platforms.
Keep an eye on the results
Once you have set out your KPIs, you need to keep an eye on the results, using analytics tools regularly to do this.
If you’re not achieving the results you want, then it might be time to speak to the influencers you’re working with to see if they have some new and improved ideas that could help boost engagement.
In some cases, your campaigns could be successful straight away, particularly if you’re working with an influencer or multiple influencers who have a lot of power in their field. However, sometimes it might take a little trial and error to get this right. But keep persevering, and over time you and your influencers will get the perfect recipe for a successful promotional campaign.
Create lasting relationships
And finally, did you know that 82% of people follow the recommendations of social media influencers? As such, it’s a good idea to try and forge long-lasting relationships with them, even after your book launch is over.
This way, you can build a community around them, and you can always turn to them again in the future should you have another book or product launch.
To do this, always be positive, keep in touch with your influencers regularly and show gratitude for all their help. This will build stronger bonds with them that you can utilise again in the future if you need to.
