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How To Use Facebook To Market Your Book
By Scott Lorenz
President
Westwind Communications
 Facebook is a great marketing
tool for any author and if you're not using it, you're losing sales! Using Facebook for book publicity is
both easy and effective and following these few simple steps will help boost your sales and expand your market.
STEP 1. Create a "Fan Page" for your book
What is the first thing you do after reading
a good book? You tell people about it! Creating a Facebook Fan Page allows your readers to easily share with their
networks the great book they just read and provides you with a free, "mini website" to interact with your
fans. Using the link above, select "Entertainment" then "Book" and follow the step-by-step instructions
to begin completing your page. Once you're done, users will be able to list your book on their info pages, interact
with you, the author, and other fans on the Fan Page wall, and share the link with their friends through email and
other social networking sites. One important option to take advantage of is giving your page a username (after you
reach 25 followers you'll be able to do so). For example, https://www.facebook.com/stieglarsson goes to the
fan page author Stieg Larsson. Having a username in your URL will be much easier for people to navigate your page
than suggesting they search for you on Facebook. Plus, your link looks much cleaner.
STEP 2. Keep your page updated
Once you've created your page, you need to keep it up to
date with fresh content. It's standard practice to post three to four times a week (Tuesdays and Wednesdays
having the highest click through rates) being conscious not to "overshare" or fans will unsubscribe from
your page. When fans post on your wall, be sure to respond to them in a timely fashion and respond to their comment
or question. Facebook is a conversation and that means both parties have to participate.
STEP 3. Give your fans content they can't get anywhere else
You've accumulated some
fans, now you need to keep them coming back. Providing them with content they can't find anywhere else rewards
them for liking your page and can help you at the same time. In the "discussions" section, you can post
excerpts of your work, allowing people to read and comment on your progress. This also allows you to keep your fans
up to date on whatever it is that you are working on. You simply click the "discussions" option, select "start
new topic," fill out the topic title and then write a post about it. Your fans will be free to read and reply
to all posts on the discussion board.
STEP 4. "Like" it
A page allows people to "like" your book's page. A
fun fact is that when people "like" your page, it helps in your search engine rank. Google figures that
if people are "liking" your page, it must be pretty good and worth seeing. One note about liking things;
make sure that you click around to other author's books and pages and "like" them. Odds are, they'll "like"
you right back!
STEP 5. Promote your book signing and speaking engagements
Say you have a book signing or a
speaking engagement coming soon. Sure, you'll post it on your blog and your website. Another option you should
utilize is the Facebook "events" tool. Using the "event" function, you can create an event,
like your upcoming book signing or reading, and invite all of your Facebook friends to join. You can list information
like the time, location, and even directions of how to get to your event. Adding a photo to an event is always a
nice touch. List as much information as you can so people will be well informed and more likely to attend. People
can RSVP and even if they don't, the event will linger on their Facebook mini-feed as a constant reminder. Use
this example for inspiration. http://tinyurl.com/3lfa9oo
STEP 6. Show appreciation
Once you start to rack up Facebook friends and fans, a nice gesture
of appreciation for their support might be to offer some incentives. For example, update your book's page status
to something like, "2,986 people like my book's page so far! If I can get to 3,000 I'll be giving away
a signed copy to one of my wonderful fans!" People like free things. More importantly, people will keep checking
your page not only because of your literary masterpiece, but also to see when you're giving away more prizes.
Giveaways generate interest and will help maintain and produce more fans.
Step 7. Badge and advertise
To let the public know you've created this fantastic Facebook
page for your book, be sure to add a Facebook badge somewhere on your blog or website so people can click right
over to it. Finally, consider utilizing Facebook's advertising space. You can buy ad space on Facebook. You'll
be able to create your own custom advertisement by filling out the URL, title, and body of your ad. Then, you just
have to add a photo and preview. Facebook ads allow you to choose your audience by age, sex, location, interests,
even by place of employment. You'll also be informed how many are in each demographic, which will allow you
to target your advertisements to the exact market you want to reach. Facebook allows you to set a daily budget and
you can also adjust it at any time, so you won't break the bank. So, be sure to hop on over to your Facebook
account and set up a page for your book. It is an effective way to market your work and it will allow you to connect
with your fans.
About Scott Lorenz
Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a
public relations and marketing firm that specializes in
book marketing and author publicity. His clients have been featured
by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC Nightly News, The New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, Los
Angeles Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Family Circle, Woman's World, & Howard Stern to name a few. To
discuss how Westwind Communications helps authors get all the publicity they deserve and
more call 734-667-2090 or email scottlorenz@westwindcos.com.
For more information visit www.Book-Marketing-Expert.com
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