Most authors these days can call themselves entrepreneurs. There's a lot that goes into the business of writing besides storytelling. If you're looking to make writing a regular thing, especially when it comes to building and maintaining your writin...
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If your reason for building a Facebook Page is just to check one more thing off the branding to-do list, think again. True Facebook marketing requires a consistent, long-term commitment. Facebook's tools cater to the business that wants to form an authentic relationship with their audience. It allows sales and customer services reps to connect with consumers interested in a brand. With over a billion active users, Facebook can be an extremely useful marketing and branding tool for authors.
Here are our best practices for using Facebook:
1. Create a fan page. Make sure you learn about all the cool features so you can use them to grow your audience and connect with your readers. Some of the perks of a Facebook fan page are:
> Scheduling posts in advance.
> Audience insights to compare the performance of different posts.
> You're allowed to pin a post to the top of your page.
> With the Facebook Live feature, you can create a live video and schedule it to promote later.
> Just like Instagram, a Facebook page allows you to post stories. You can simply sync your fan page to your Instagram page if you have one, and all your Instagram stories will automatically get posted to your story on Facebook.
2. Consider creating targeted Facebook ads. While you do have to pay for these, they can be as cheap as $5 for several days. Facebook lets you get specific in regards to who sees your ads. If one of your normal posts is performing well, you can promote it to a larger audience.
3. Explore Facebook Groups. These allow you to meet new people, network with other authors, and share your content for free. Not only can you create a Facebook Group of your own, you can join relevant groups. There are rules associated with these groups, but most follow basic social media manners.
4. Be consistent with your profile picture and banner. Like Twitter, you are given ample space to showcase your brand here. For best results, make sure your Facebook profile mimics your other social media accounts. You want followers to recognize you at a glance.
5. The Facebook Page bio has a 255 character limit for your About description, so you'll want to make these characters count. Not only is this visible on your profile page, but it appears in search results. The positive thing about this platform is the ability to share other important details, such as contact information, in separate sections, allowing you to stick to the most important points in your About description.
6. Keep Facebook and Twitter separate. It's recommended that you share unique content on both sites so your fans have multiple ways to interact with you.
7. Proofread before you post. Your posts should communicate your legitimacy as a writer. If you catch errors after you've posted an update, use Facebook's edit feature to make corrections.
8. Even with Facebook Pages where the objective is to promote yourself as a writer, you still want to use the platform for genuine engagement at least 70% of the time. Share articles, photos, or quotes. Anything you think your community would find interesting.
9. Engagement is key on social media. Respond to audience comments swiftly (ideally within 24 hrs).Doing so shows your fans you value their input and time. And don't forget to like and comment on Facebook Pages of authors you'd like to connect with.
10. Host contests, run a poll, and support your fans with fan-of-the-month features. Entering can be as simple as answering a question or sharing feedback about their favorite story of yours. Prizes could include a free copy of your book or swag, such as character bookmarks or stickers with your brand logo. You might also give your fans the opportunity to choose the name of a character in your next book.
11. Post when most of your fans are online to improve your chances of engagement. Facebook has built-in analytics that give you valuable information about your community. Click on Insights under the Facebook search bar. Then click on Posts to see what time most of your fans are online.
