Getting Realistic About Social Media

Let’s have a chat about social media.

Specifically, I want to talk about managing our expectations around finding success on social media.

Social media is an important book marketing tool. But, as authors, we all need to manage our social media expectations. Myself included!

The truth is, most of us will never go viral. It would be amazing to have 50,000, 100,000, or 500,000 followers. But that might not be in the cards. And that’s okay!

Reframing Our Social Media Expectations

I was having a conversation with someone a few months ago, and she had a really great perspective that I wanted to share.

She asked me, “What if you were a brick-and-mortar book store- a physical space that sells books- instead of being an online seller? Would you be happy if you had 20 new visitors walk through the door each week who said they really liked your store and were planning to return?”

My answer was, of course, that would feel great!

And this really got me thinking about my own online growth. Yes, I would love to have a significant and immediate spike in followers. But what is more important to me is having the RIGHT followers- and I know that type of growth is slower but can still be consistent, meaningful, and profitable.

So I want to encourage you to revisit your mindset around what positive growth looks like for you. It’s going to happen- I’m confident of that! But give yourself some realistic goals.

And one of those goals could be making sure you don’t overcommit to too many social media platforms!

Choosing the Best Social Media Platforms for Authors

There are a lot of social media platforms out there- with more coming all the time.

I’m often asked by people, “Do I need to use all of the social media platforms out there to have the most impact?” Definitely not!

Ask yourself, "Which ones do I actually like to use?" (If the answer is “none,” then we can chat about that offline 😊).

As an author, I prefer Instagram and Facebook. In my other career as a public health and marketing professional, Twitter and LinkedIn are my jam. But my readers aren't typically hanging out on LinkedIn looking for their next favorite bedtime story. But Instagram? It's a book lover's paradise! And it’s my personal preference.

So, again, don’t feel like you need to hop on every single platform out there. I say pick 2 or 3 to focus on, especially if you are just getting started.

Which social media platforms do you prefer? Comment below!

Do you need help setting up your social media plan? I’d love to work with you. Check out my Author Coaching Services!