It’s amazing to look back over the seven years that BookSparks has been helping authors and see how social media has changed in that time. Think back to last year, even, and you’ll realize how quickly the social game changes. Fortunately, BookSparks has been ahead of the curve when it comes to social media and authors. By looking at what other industries are doing and drawing on our own experiences, we’ve created successful campaigns for debut and bestselling authors alike. Here are seven things we’ve learned about social media over the past seven years.

Be authentic. Share what feels natural to you, what you love and what you’re passionate about. Social ME-dia doesn’t have to be all about your book and in fact, it shouldn’t be.  

Bring people along on your journey. When social media is about your book, bring people on the journey with you. They will feel emotionally invested in you and your work when you share milestones, both good and bad. This creates natural engagement in your community. People can relate to the journey, the struggle, and the hard work of your book. 

Be choosey. Not every social media platform is the right fit for every author. If you have a hate relationship with Twitter, don’t tweet. If you love Instagram for the pics, snap away. Pick the platforms that feel right for you. This makes social media less of a chore and less likely to be pushed off your to-do list.

Hire someone. If you don’t feel like you have time for social media (and realize, it IS a lot of time and effort to grow a social media platform, it doesn’t just happen on its own), then it’s perfectly acceptable to hire help. You think the Kardashian clan runs their own social empire? No way!  If you want to have a platform that grows and reaches people, hire someone with experience to do it for you so you can write your next great novel.

Strangers can be your best friends. You should always consider advertising on social media. Without a viral video, it’s extremely difficult to quickly and organically grow your following. Running a paid campaign doesn’t mean your followers are less authentic. In fact, because you can target people based on their interests, you often get more engagement from these followers than people who threw you a mercy-like just because they know you.

Get strategic.  Awesome social media takes a thorough, well-thought-out strategy. Planning your voice, posting strategy and audience in advance doesn’t mean you aren’t authentic. Having a strategy means you will end up being more authentic because you’ve defined who and what you are. And if you have no idea how to read the analytics (or didn’t even know there were analytics), it’s another great reason to hire someone!

Have fun. When you’ve properly aligned your social media platforms with your goals, voice and audience, it will come naturally to you. Keep it fun, keep it light, laugh at yourself … social media is all in good fun!

Want to know more about how to up your social media game? Check out the rest of our SOCIAL MEDIA ISSUE here: