Here’s a free gift—it’s a secret that most marketers would charge you for, but today I’m feeling abundant. 

Here’s the secret: The #1 thing you can do to ensure your book’s success is to build your social media. Boom! 

Wait! What? Social media? More than writing a superb book that solves the world’s problems, or the next great American novel? Yep, that’s right, your social media following is far more important if you want to sell books and spread your message. 

And if you’re not part of the generation raised on tech, what does social media even mean? In simple terms, Social media refers to websites and applications that are designed to help people to share content quickly, efficiently, and in real-time. 

Where to start

So how do you grow it? Well it is a science and it is hours and hours of consulting but in a nutshell, here are a few pointers on how and where to start:

• Match the message to the format. The big social media platforms are Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Depending on the age of your audience, you may want to consider opting in to other trending platforms like Snap Chat and TikTok (in previous blog posts we help you define your audience). Know where your followers hang out.

• Be consistent and regular. Set up a calendar and adhere to it. Post at least once a week—longer than that and you’ll lose their attention and eyes (and dollars). You can post lots of times on Twitter but don’t overpost on Instagram and FB--you’ll annoy your followers.

• Engage! If a follower posts any comment, be sure to quickly respond, reply, and start a conversation. Your followers want to know that you care about them--they’ll be loyal to a friend.

• Speed Dating. Go out and friend everybody you know whether it be from junior high school, church, clubs, neighbors, family, former colleagues, college roommates, don’t be bashful. 

• Post what they expect to see from you. If you’re a business writer, post business relevant topics—be careful that you don’t post fluff (once in a while is OK but keep it to a minimum). If you write fantasy, don’t post your breakfast smoothie recipe with a pic (unless of course it’s made with moondust). You get my drift.

Best of luck. Set a goal, take it one step at a time, and start today.