Face, Book, Marketing
How to Establish Your New Facebook Page as a Writer
10 tips for using Facebook to build your community
Imagine a club where everyone is waiting for your arrival, and as soon as you announce something, the whole crowd gathers around you. Now imagine you standing with a microphone and announcing regularly, but nobody is noticing you or your announcements.
So, where do you want to land with your books and blog posts? A party where people are looking forward to your posts or a place where nobody knows you.
Writers need marketing channels. A writer’s job doesn’t end in writing and publishing a good piece of writing, and they need to market that piece too.
Facebook is a place where you can expect the first kind of reaction for your content. What we see on our Facebook timelines solely depends on how we interact with the posts and pages. And it is very much possible that you can find your ideal audience who cheers for you and loves the content you create.
But as they say, the road to heaven is paved through hell. Getting people to like your content, in fact, getting people to find you on Facebook, is not easy. But it is not impossible.
Here is what you need to establish your presence with your Facebook page as a writer.
1. Use the real estate on your Facebook page wisely
Look at the image below. The places marked with numbers are the key areas you can use to create your brand on Facebook.
Use the display picture to show the real you instead of your logo or book. Likewise, use the cover image to deliver the key message you want to convey. These two steps help you to establish a connection with your audience.
2. Show your human side
Not every post on your Facebook should be about your book or writing. You can share anything on the page as long as it’s sensible.
Pro tip: Share a meme about writers’ problems as soon as you finish reading this post. Trust me, there’s a number of people who’ll relate to it.
3. Be consistent
Most writers abandon their pages when they don’t get the desired engagement. But it’s the wrong step. New pages need time to create momentum. The key here is to post consistently so that Facebook pushes the page in front of more and more people.
4. Use images
People relate more to visual content. Instead of writing a post, create a graphic on Canva using the gist of the same position. You’ll be shocked by the difference in the response.
5. Invite people to like the page
Although Facebook will prompt you to boost your page, it’s not necessary. Instead, invite the people on your friend list first. You can also share the page on your timeline and ask people to like it. Another way to encourage people to like your page is to include in your blog posts and email signatures.
6. Keep an eye on the analytics
One thing I love about Facebook pages is that it lets you study the audience you have. Once your page is a few months old (or at least 30 days old), check your analytics to know who your followers are.
7. Always respond to direct messages
Most of the writers consider the page inbox a nuisance, but this feature also helps to build trust among your readers. Also, Facebook favors when you don’t take much time to reply to messages.
8. Share your journey
One thing people on Facebook love are to know a person’s journey. Along with posts about your book or blog, share the struggles and joys of being a writer.
9. Respond to questions/comments
One essential rule you must follow as a brand new Facebook page owner is to respond to comments. It helps you to build a connection with your readers. Even a like on the feedback helps to make organic engagement. Organic engagement helps to grow a Facebook page steadily.
10. Go live
I know, I know, you hate being in front of the camera. But think how your readers would love to ask questions directly to you and get answers live about your books or blog. Facebook also favors pages that go live regularly.
Now open that new page and apply these tips. Let the world see you and your work.
