The Power of Community
The Power of Community
Have you ever felt like you were in a battle to gain customers? Many have. Never underestimate the power of a strong community. Social networking allows us to connect and bond with our friends/followers like never before, even in 2021, where we stay six feet apart. Did you know many of your future customers search the Internet regularly? Many of them have to look at your content at least 8-14 times before they decide to purchase from you. While you may not exchange words, your content is speaking to them, building the trust in what you are offering, so post regularly.
With marketing books, it can seem like a hit or miss. Have you ever tried to market your book to someone and heard, "Oh, I don't read books." I have. Although it is sad, I have to understand that all of us are individuals. Wouldn't it be nice if there were a way to get a whole bunch of people to meet in one place who liked the type of books you market? Now, I know that was sarcastic. There is, it's called the book club.
Book clubs can be an author's best friend. In a post, covid society what's better than a traditional book club is an online community for book lovers. Imagine having individuals from all around the world purchase your book at a virtual event. In addition, readers can connect through social networking sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.
You also have sites like Goodreads where you can interact with individuals following you. In addition, you can see the types of books your audience reads, which is valuable information. So many book lovers use communities like good reads to discover new books it is worth trying.
Tap into the power of community. Online communities help new authors develop an audience and gain readers for their upcoming books. Friend, the battle to gain a faithful following does not happen overnight, but over time. Your readers learn to love the content you give, and they follow you for the value you bring to the table. So, what are you bringing to the table? When you're online, don't just like and click on the heart, comment. Ask questions, get to know your audience. Let them know that you see them. It's nice to know someone sees you in the crowd.
I'm not saying to neglect marketing; I'm saying marketing should not be the only thing you do. So make sure your posting, throw in some ads and videos. Create a variety of content, and based on the content you create, monitor what is getting the most responses.
Online Book Communities You might want to join
Goodreads
According to a survey in December of 2020 Goodreads has 90 million monthly users. That's a lot of readers. Contact book club leaders ask if you can speak to the club and present your book. Provide thank you kits for book club leaders who allow you to talk to their readers.
Other sites to visit:
- The Story Graph is an alternative to Goodreads not owned by Amazon.
- LibraryThing
- Booklikes
- Riffle
- Bookstr
- GoRead