3 Top Tips To…….....ENGAGE!
How many times have we heard the phrases –
‘‘I’ve been building my list, but my responses are low.’
‘I’ve been posting on social media, but no one comments.’
‘I’m telling people about the book, but the sales are low.’’?
These are common questions in the book marketing journey that I usually respond with the question, ‘Are you engaging your audience?’ The sound of crickets follow. You see, social media is actually anti-social media. We ‘like’, we ‘retweet’, we ‘love’, we ‘follow’, we whatever…for a moment. Seconds later we have moved on and our goldfish memory has forgotten what it was we just ‘liked’. There’s no real ‘social’ interaction here, just fleeting moments of superficial recognition. So what do we do to actually flip the chart and get some tangible social engagement?
WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?
If you look at the people that have recently liked one of your latest posts, whether its 5, 15 or 50 people, how many of them do you actually know? Chances are less than 10%. So reverse that, how many actually know you? Believe it or not, the majority of human beings want a connection. They want to engage, be heard and feel valued. If you have published something that interests them, it is natural to enquire about the author, the creative. It helps to build engagement when people interested in your book know who you are. This is not about them becoming your best buddy, it is about building the relationship to the point between acquaintance and friend; creating social activity. What I am saying here is share more about you as a person. You don’t have to talk about what you had for breakfast, but you could talk about a new movie you saw, a show you’re attending, a book you’re reading, a funny experience during the day, a photo that shows more than just the author promoting their book. Then when you receive the ‘like’, ‘retweet’, ‘love’, and ‘follow’, ENGAGE. Comment, converse, show gratitude, ask questions, get communicating and build that relationship. Show you audience you are interested in them, and by doing this you will find that reciprocation kicks in and they show more sincere interest in you…and by extension, your book.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Opinions. We all have them and we generally want to share them. Social media has opened up the platform to be more vocal than ever. Following on to building valuable relationships, ask questions. This is often a incredibly powerful tool in cultivating tangible engagement. Asking questions not only shows your personality but also allows the audience to show theirs. Tap into the emotion of the creative and show vulnerability. For example; I am trying to write a love scene, but found it difficult to write from a female perspective. Can someone tell me what it feels like when….? Or maybe, I listen to classical music when I write as it helps me find my serenity in creativity. I’m interested to know if other writers listen to music when writing and what kind? Asking questions and engaging with your audience when they respond makes them feel valued and important. It builds a bond and level of trust that later will be the foundation to then promote your books.
AND WE’RE LIVE!
Social Media platforms have all launched their live video option. Over 80% of those polled in 2016 stated that video was the highest level of engagement on all forms of information sharing on social media. 75% of marketing online in 2017 is predicted to be through video, even my business has grown exponentially since establishing my ‘Creative Corner’ interviews and ‘Live@ 5’ Friday wrap-ups. My engagement level and client base has grown and it is easier to establish new authors as the audience are already familiar with my personality. This new form of marketing makes it easier to gain a level of audience engagement that matters. You can run a Q&A, do a live interview, weekly updates, or just share an exciting moment.
Ocean is Australasia's #1 Author Success Coach who has assisted in the creative expression for over 3800 authors. He speaks regularly on the topics of Creative Leadership, Creating A Book For Your Business, Creative Inspiration and Book Marketing. To read more go to www.oceanreeve.com
