How to Make Social Media Less Daunting
Reposted from the Literary Marketing Newsletter.
I've heard a range of thoughts and emotions from literary folks about social media: it’s a great way to connect with an audience and be creative; it’s a necessary evil of publishing or running a business; I hate it and avoid it altogether.
There's probably a lot of resistance to social media because there are a lot of misconceptions about it, from what you actually do on it (“I don’t want to make dance videos”), to the time commitment (“I don’t want to be on social media all day every day”), to a kind of unavoidable necessity (“I was told I have to be on TikTok”).
One thing I don’t often hear in these discussions is why you should be on social media. So let’s start there, with a few stats:
Over 5 billion people, or 62.3% of the world’s population, were on social media in 2024.
In the US, internet users ages 16 to 64 spend an average of 2 hours and 18 minutes on social media per day.
76% of users have used social media to search for or discover new products and brands (like books, bookstores, or literary businesses).
69% of users have made a purchase based on something they saw on social media (like a book!).
65% of users say they feel more connected to a brand (and I would say, a personal brand like an author, too) that has a robust social media presence.
This means that there’s an interested audience on social media ready to follow you and buy from you, and you can find them and connect to them there for free, from your home. By choosing not to have a social media presence, you’re essentially cutting out a huge opportunity to connect with a waiting and eager audience.
8 Ways to Make Social Media Less Daunting
Here are some ways to hopefully reframe the social media conversation in your mind:
Choose one primary and one secondary social media channel to focus on — not all of them. Mine are Instagram and Threads.
Lean into your format strengths. If you like conversational connections in text, use text. If you like making graphics in Canva, use graphics. If you like being on video, use video. You do not have to be on video if you don’t want to (I built a following without it).
Choose a few topics that you know a lot about and want to be known for, then make entertaining or educational content around that. If you’re a writer, post about your book. If you’re a bookstore, post about your new releases or events. If you’re a literary organization, post about what you’re up to in the community.
Be creative! We’re literary folks, so we know how to tell stories. I always say to clients, Be nerdy! It’s what people will follow you for.
Be consistent and frequent. You don’t have to post every day, but only posting once every other week or when you remember won’t get you in front of anyone’s eyes. The more consistent and frequent you are, the more your followers will see your content.
Don’t forget the “social” in social media! Follow others, add comments, ask questions, get inspiration, and connect.
Don’t forget about the long game, either. Taking an organic approach to marketing will take time, but you’ll have a more engaged and interested audience for your efforts.
No, you do not have to be on TikTok, and unless you have a strategy for it, you shouldn’t.
The Secret Formula to How I Built My Following on Social Media
Hahaha! There’s no secret formula to how I built my following for Literary Boston on social media. I just posted nerdy things I was interested in and wanted to share, and people who were also interested in those nerdy things eventually found me and followed. I kept doing it consistently and they kept following. And that’s what I do today: I share things I’m interested in and learn about, and similarly-minded folks follow along. (Same thing with this newsletter: I’m sharing things I nerd out about and you’re interested, too!)
There's so much more to say on this topic, but that’s all for today!
