by Korina Moss
Let me preface this blog post by saying I’m not a marketing expert. My first book came out last March and I’m in the early stages of growing my “brand.” (Gosh, I hate that word.) So my number one marketing tip is my number one, not the number one. It’s the one that I go by when I decide how I’ll spend my time on social media. But hear me out because I think my tip can work for you and make your marketing life more enjoyable.
So what is my number one author marketing tip? Be yourself. I know it sounds simplistic but, ironically, it may not be intuitive.
When we think of marketing, we immediately think ‘sell your books’. We transform from multi-faceted creators into one-dimensional salespeople. My social media has plenty of posts promoting my books and other authors’ books, especially around the time of their release. Book promotion is necessary, and it can be a lot of fun. It can also be exhausting for the author and for readers who follow us on social media.
Because I’ve been a reader for a lot longer than I’ve been a published author, I look at author marketing through a reader’s lens. The books I love to read the most tend to be the ones where I feel a connection. So as an author, I want to forge a rapport with my readers beyond the pages of my books. We’re already connected through our love of cozy mysteries, but I can use social media to strengthen that bond. And by using the various platforms, I can show different facets of myself.
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| My recent Instagram feed |
On my Instagram page, I lean toward posting nature photos of where I live, trip pics, throwback photos of my son, and food snapshots (which, of course, include cheese!). My Facebook author page feels more like a daily chat, so I like to talk about routine things that are happening in my life and pose questions to get to know my followers and those who stop by. My Twitter account is almost solely about reality television. I live-tweet humorous takes about the shows I watch. I’ve made a great bunch of friends on there who do the same. This is the one platform which is rarely book related. Frankly, I was a little nervous that my publisher would frown upon my gossipy banter, but they were supportive of me being me. I’ve also since discovered that many reality TV tweeters are cozy mystery readers and have bought my books.
Last week, one of my Twitter friends contacted me. She co-hosts a podcast that discusses a franchise of reality shows called Below Deck that we watch on Bravo TV. Having seen my tweets and knowing I’m a super fan of the franchise, she invited me to be a guest on the podcast to talk about the show. We recorded the podcast and I had a blast. She asked me questions about my cheese shop mystery series (which she’s read), and we talked about which annoying reality show member I might fictionally “bump off.” I wasn’t expecting it, but my cozy mysteries ended up getting quite a bit of airtime on the podcast, and I reached a whole new audience who might not have known about me or my books. Being myself and sharing an interest outside of books on Twitter ended up affording me a new opportunity as an author.
Instead of dreading marketing, by being yourself on social media you may find that the best part is the connection—the same as can be found in a good book.
Readers: What’s your favorite social media platform to use?
To connect through social media, you can find me at: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or my website korinamossauthor.com
To listen to the Gangplank Report podcast mentioned in this post, go to: The Gangplank Report
