I’m going to start today’s post with one of my favorite business words, “expectation”. Yes, I know, I speak of this word often as it comes up sometimes daily for me.
Considering a new marketing effort? Ask yourself, what is your expectation?
Jumping onto a new social media platform, ask yourself what is your expectation?
Just got a nice plug for your book on a great big website, ask yourself what is your expectation?
Good chance your expectation: a) will lead to disappointment as it’s more than the effort was intended to give b) doesn’t equate with the effort whatsoever c) is not realized because you don’t understand what you’ve committed to.
So be sure you’re asking questions. And if you don’t know what questions to ask, say so.
Today, I want to talk social media. With the practice of marketing on social media everyone has an expectation, an opinion, a gripe… But right now, we’ll talk about Facebook groups. I love them and I praise the dedicated readers who have started them. And I praise the savvy and well-meaning authors who have essentially shared their fan bases with other authors. And I say to the authors who have written off Facebook because they dislike it (I get it!), want to focus on one platform (your time is important!), and/or don’t know what they are doing on Facebook (there are people who can help!), please know that Facebook groups can be like that secret club you had when you were a kid. Yes, you’re older now, but isn’t there magic in communicating with people who all love the same thing?
As per my usual, I asked a couple of my friends and trusted colleagues in the industry for some help in answering the questions I’m being asked these days.
1.What would you like authors to know about outreach to group administrators for coverage in their group whether that be group takeover, cover reveals, Facebook live, etc.
- Work WITH the group administrators. I suggest you tell the admin when your book is coming out and the subject matter. Then ASK the admin how best you can work with their group.
Want a cover reveal- Absolutely! But you can’t spring a cover reveal on the admin and want it posted the next day. And please make it easy–Facebook group admins don’t get paid. So please size the graphics for Facebook and Instagram for them. Share the group’s posts if you’re able. Most group admin will also post to their FB pages and Instagram.
If you ask a group for a cover reveal and then never mention the group in your own social media, you took advantage of the group and its reach.
Participate. The authors who participate in Great Thoughts’ Great Readers routinely are the ones who get the most reader interaction. Post your #fridayreads. Comment on other author’s Facebook Lives, takeovers, and interviews.
Cross-Posting…for the love of books, please do not post the same content in various book groups. First, Facebook will mark this as spam. Next, many readers are in many groups. If you put the exact same post (even if you think it is thought-provoking and fabulous), in more than one group, you will not get great interaction. -Andrea Peskind Katz, founder of Great Thoughts’ Great Readers
- I take pride in getting to know our authors. If a new author joins our community, I ask them to message me to tell me what they are looking to get out of our relationship. Are they looking for reviews, more readers, followers to Pages, general exposure, an interview…?
2.How can authors use groups to promote themselves?
- Author-reader Facebook groups can be very helpful for authors, primarily because you end up pooling your fan bases, which gives each author more exposure. For this reason, it is important that the founding authors write in the same or related genres. Also, the authors can join together to write an anthology of novellas and cross-promote it to their collective fans/members of the group. Another important advantage Facebook groups have over pages is that group posts get more reach than a typical page post does. Finally, a vibrant reader/author group attracts avid readers from all over, so every week the founding authors have a chance to win a new reader. The ability to host giveaways within the group is an easy way to introduce a new reader to your work.
In terms of generating engagement, my best posts are both personal yet relevant to my work. For example, my upcoming book (THE HAPPY ACCIDENTS) is about three female friends, so my recent post was discussing why I’m on vacation for my oldest friend’s vow renewal and included a story about how we met and how we are opposites but it works. I then asked readers to share something nice about their longest friendship, including how long the friendship has lasted. Within that post, I subtly promoted my upcoming title. That post got around 150 responses–lengthy ones–and reached close to 3,000 people. Giveaways also get engagement, but I don’t think those build connections with readers the way the former kind of posts do. – Jamie Beck, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author; co-founder My Book Friends
3.What’s your #1 recommendation to authors wanting to participate in groups for the first time?
- Social media especially Facebook groups are an excellent way for readers and authors to interact. As the moderator of a Facebook group Bookends and Friends and a founder member of Bloom: Tall Poppy group, I see that readers can ask authors about their writing process, books that they are reading, and motivations for writing. Authors that are interacting on this forum for the first time should engage with the group as if it is an in-person book club or signing. Taking part in virtual book discussions, take-overs, and giveaways. If an author is participating for the first time, they should introduce themselves and their backlist of books or debut novel. The Tall Poppy writers call their group “a sleepover of sorts for readers and authors” and I have used my book group to meet authors and new readers and book friends from around the country and world. Engagement is key and interacting with readers is a great way to make them invest in you as an author and feel as if you are almost friends.-Marisa Gothie, book influencer @marisagbooks
- I always say authors need to be sure they are joining groups that are their audience.– Annie McDonnell – Book influencer, founder of World of the Write Review
- Tailor your request to each specific group! Before you request to be featured in a group, take your time. Watch what is done in the group for several weeks. I do very few giveaways in my group, hardly ever. Yet, I’m approached by at least five authors a week wanting to do giveaways. Each group is different and operates differently. Please respect that and you will be able to be very successful in Facebook groups.-Andrea Peskind Katz, founder of Great Thoughts’ Great Readers
- Dive in! Comment as a reader not by promoting your own book. Let readers get to know YOU and then they will naturally find your book. I promise!-Andrea Peskind Katz, book influencer, founder of Great Thoughts’ Great Readers literary salon
- Think outside the box. Let the flavor or theme of the group dictate your approach. Don’t be afraid to suggest something new. I always am looking for unique content. Be open. Engage Engage Engage. If you do two groups on the same day or week I wouldn’t want to find the exact same posts in two different groups.–Kristy Barrett aka Kristy Bee Bee, founder of A Novel Bee
6.What are your recommendations to authors going LIVE with your group?
- So when authors visit my site one of the most important things is to do a test prior to the event so that all works well the night of the visit. It’s all about the presentation and how engaging the author is… most listeners want to hear obviously about the book and the writers themselves, especially with debut authors or others that are not so well known. It’s also helpful to repeat the title of the book a few times for those latecomers. Also, people love to have their questions answered and I love when the author responds using the person’s name who asked the question. The author should be prepared to answer all different types of questions… about their book, their writing, and about their life. All in all the more engaging and prepared the author is will affect the success of the event. Members of my group really love having authors visit and getting to know them. -Renee Weingarten, Book influencer, founder of Renee’s Reading Club
- Be comfortable and yourselves! Don’t be nervous because sitting down with us is like sitting down for a cup of coffee or a glass of wine with a dear friend! Our recommendations are “level of comfort” first because that is most important when it comes to a good interview. We don’t have any specific outlines, because one show should never look like the next. Each show should exhibit that author’s flair, only. I do offer to speak with authors beforehand, if they have any concerns over going live, technically or otherwise. – Annie McDonnell, book influencer, founder of World of the Write Review