In the age of internet and digital media, social media is a powerful tool that authors can utilize for promoting their writing. Thanks to websites such as Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or Pinterest, they now have a nifty platform where they can post their creative ideas and build great relationships with their readers.

Although the social media networks themselves are effective tools to develop an author’s brand, it still takes a tech-savvy user to utilize these tools to their advantage. This post will discuss the most effective practices that you should follow when using social media.

1. Know your target audience. What posts strike the fancy of your readers? What kind of information do they need? In order to successfully use social media, you need to understand your target audience. If you know their internet habits, you will be able to tailor posts to fit their interests and needs.

2. Post about others. Avoid posting too much about yourself. The main point of using social media is to connect with your readers and not just to promote your work. Share quotes, blog posts, and news about your favorite authors. Find interesting memes or videos that your fans can relate to.

3. Ask questions. Sometimes, fans can be too intimidated with your intellectual posts that they shy away from communicating with you. Show them you are also human by asking them relevant questions. This will also help you know more about them.

4. Share something that will interest your readers and not other writers. Keep in mind that most of your followers on social media are readers and not other authors. Learn to differentiate your target market from your writing community. Don’t tweet some random rant about being stuck writing chapter 3. Instead, share an interesting picture, a funny video, or a motivational quote that will interest them.

5. Don’t use auto-reply applications. Your followers are not stupid and they will notice if you are using an auto-reply application for sending tweets or direct messages. When that happens, they might feel detached and uninterested in your online profile. Auto-reply generators are designed for marketers and not for writers.

6. Learn to use #hashtags. Hashtags make it easier to search for topics and new followers. Use this when you are doing research on your target market.

7. Show, don’t tell. If you are promoting a book, don’t just say that it’s “super amazing” or “you should buy it because it’s my greatest piece.” Show them why it’s your best work. To make them excited, share pictures of your notes, snippets of your upcoming work, and even pictures while writing it.

8. Utilize lists. Lists on Twitter make it easier to keep track of your tweets and followers. This is very beneficial if you have a lot of followers on your profile.

9. Create contests. Who doesn't want to win a prize? Every once in a while, create fun contests that will challenge them. Examples of this one are fan art or fan fiction contest. Make sure that you give them fun prizes so they will participate.

10. Repeat your posts. Try repeating some of your posts every eight or ten hours because some of your followers may have different time zones. This ensures that all your fans can see your posts.

To wrap things up

When using social media sites, it is important to study your target audience’s likes, interests, and needs. Tailor your posts according to these factors so that they will be interested to share or retweet it. In addition, it also helps that you regularly interact with your followers. Throw contests, hold Twitter Parties, and ask them questions when necessary to keep them active and loyal to you.