Professional Behavior on Social Media

In today’s Internet centered world, social media has become imperative for authors. Instead of spending the time to browse through books in a bookstore, readers can now ask friends for book suggestions via social media. What does this mean for authors? It means that, since readers have turned to social media for suggestions, authors should be waiting there to promote their books. However, readers aren’t looking for authors to constantly shove their books in readers’ faces. Authors need to act professionally on social media. Otherwise, readers will just pass them by.

What is professional behavior on social media? Everyone has his or her own opinion as to what is considered “professional.” To me, the main thing for authors is to not constantly (and shamelessly) promote the life out of their books. There needs to be a balance between posts about your book and other types of posts. Authors should consider posting tips for other authors, relevant news about the book industry, news or interesting facts relating to their book’s topic, tour schedule or events they’ll be at, and character descriptions.

One of the main things to keep in mind when dealing with social media is that each platform can, and should, be used for different purposes. The biggest platforms for authors are Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+. Of these, Facebook is probably the biggest platform, and therefore garners the widest audience. It is good for posting giveaways (along with a picture of whatever the giveaway item is), an excerpt of your book, and your tour/event schedule. Twitter is just as big as Facebook, and gives authors a greater possibility of having their post shared by others. It is good for posting updates on how your writing is going, links to helpful articles on writing, and links to articles about your topic. Keep in mind that tweets have a 140-character limit, so your messages must be short. Next up is Pinterest, which is completely picture based. This style is good for posting your cover artwork and inspiration. For example, if you’re writing about medieval Scottish royals, post pictures of what they might wear or what the scenery looks like. Not only will it get readers interested in your book, but it will also help you in writing it. The last social media platform authors should look into is Google+. This site allows you to join author communities, which you can use to network with authors and readers. It is the most professional of the platforms I’ve listed, and is good for posting tips for other authors.

Many authors may have accounts for some, if not all, of the above social media platforms. However, it is important to keep author accounts separate from personal accounts. Your readers do not need to see posts that don’t relate to your writing. You should create a personal account, such as Kate Benesch, and another account for yourself as an author, such as Author Kate Benesch or Kate Benesch Official. Barry Feldman, founder of Feldman Creative, explained this very succinctly in an interview: “You should have one account to foster your social life, and one to foster your business.” However, he advised that you should let people into your life. “If you feel passionate about anything, you should let your audience know. The more authentic, the better.”

Feldman also had some great tips for responding to people on social media. “Always respond, no matter what the comment was, positive or negative. Social media is how younger people communicate. It’s their first choice, so you have to be available to them. Social media is here to stay. Get on it, take responsibility for it, or you won’t be relevant.” If people are reaching out to you on social media, it means that they care enough about your work to tell you about it. Not responding to them might lead them to believe that you don’t care about what they have to say, and that can only reflect badly on yourself.

Any social media platform can either be used well or poorly. It’s up to you to decide how you want to be perceived. Here are some things Feldman keeps in mind while on social media:

• Have something to say.
• Comment on other authors’ content.
• Be a networker.
• Say thank you when someone pays you a compliment.
• Ask questions.
• Be reciprocal and appreciative.
• Go out of your way to connect people.
• Be helpful.
• Be honest, trustworthy, and authentic.
• Listen to what other have to say.
• Don’t use social media as an advertising medium. You can talk about your book and events, but don’t let that be all you do.
• Don’t be unresponsive.
• Don’t be sloppy.
• Don’t say things you may regret later. Everything you do on social media is permanent. If you say something stupid it will come back to haunt you later in a big way for a long time.
• Social media is a conversation.
• Be prepared to be the big man and own up to your mistakes.

When you’re ready to use social media as an author, make sure to keep this information in mind!