How to Market Children's Books Online Using Social Media | Bulkly

How to Market Children’s Books Online Using Social Media
Alicia Ortego
Nowadays social media have become not only a way to communicate with friends but also a powerful marketing tool. First, it includes paid advertisements. Second, it’s utterly popular because more than half of the world uses it (58.4% of people according to Datareportal January 2022 global overview ).
The Power of Social Media Marketing
It can be a little scary to start a promotional campaign on social media considering that you`re supposed to be everywhere at one time. How to catch up with it all?
The truth is, though, that you have to focus on only several platforms and think out your steps beforehand. That’s not so difficult, but you need social media goals , which are different for each platform.
If you choose the right strategy , you can sell your book to your target audience who come across advertisements on social media. Plus, people may become addicted to your life, if you`re an interesting blogger who runs a page. It also boosts your popularity and makes you a desirable children’s author.
What Social Media to Use to Market Your Book?
You should be among your target audience who are kids themselves or their parents. It depends on the type of books you are writing. Take fiction for toddlers. To sell such books, you should win parents’ hearts, because kids cannot buy it themselves.
If your target audience is teens or even secondary school students, you may count on their social media presence as well. According to the Media Use and Attitude Report by OfCom (UK), 44% of kids aged 8-11 use social media apps. Among 12-15-year-olds, 87% are on social media.
Consequently, take into account such factors as:
Your readers` age;
Your target audience`s age (parents of toddlers, for example).
Look for some data. For instance, the research from Global Web Index concludes that Instagram, Pinterest, Linkedin, and some other platforms` users report searching for information about goods as one of their 3 top goals on the sites. Such platforms are a good option for marketing new books .
Let’s look at the most popular social media.
Book Marketing on Facebook
This social media is the most used one in the world with 2.91 billion monthly active users. A good place to start with, isn’t it?
Yet, you shouldn`t want to make either these almost 3 billion people your fans or 5% of them. Your aim is to reach only your target audience on Facebook .
The initial audience, though, consists of the people who already know you. Promote your Facebook account on your website, books, and other resources.
You should be responsible and persistent because your followers want to receive feedback. Make sure you write them back and interact in the comments. That`ll keep your audience intrigued.
One more important issue is to post consistently, that is 5-10 times a week. You can use special tools to post on a schedule . Also, some of them may connect all your accounts on different social media to share posts with one click.
So, who is your audience? Don’t rely on guessing, but use Facebook Analytics . Play with it to see how it works.
Click on Insights on your fan page. You`ll see such data as:
Number of views;
Audience statistics (age, sex, etc.).
Now that you know the basics, it’s time to invest in your success. Smart money is on boosting your Facebook page , so mind it. No one can tell you for sure how to use it the most effectively.
There’s a secret, though. Focus on one of these three groups:
Fans;
Fans` friends;
Target audience.
If you want to find new fans, let your ads focus on the target audience (you can set your own parameters). Tak a children’s book about magic and fairies. You can adjust ads so that it’s visible to women aged 23-35 who liked other similar books (moms of young girls).
Besides, pay attention to your content . Facebook post ideas should be relevant and engaging. The same is true for boosting.
For example, don’t spend money on boosting your new post about a sparkling Christmas tree. Invest instead in promotion of the post telling about the new-coming book.
It may seem difficult at first, but when you plunge into Facebook marketing, you`ll see it as both an exciting strategy game and a powerful marketing tool.
Book Marketing on Instagram
Running a page on Instagram brings a lot of pleasure due to the convenient interface. If you`re serious about your future on this social media, you’d rather use a business account. It has many benefits such as:
Accessible communication between readers and you;
Statistical data regarding your post`s success among followers;
Ads creation.
Let’s begin with your bio . It should be both catching and concise. By the way, it can include three important elements:
What topics do you discuss, and how your followers may benefit from it (write a sentence only or use a short list);
Link to your personal website or Amazon;
How to contact you (email or phone number).
Instagram and Facebook belong to Meta. They have similar options. Use statistical data that are available for business accounts to understand your audience preferences.
You may wonder what your posts should look like . Interestingly, you don’t have to advertise your book every time you post something. If you do, followers may dislike it.
To attract an audience, your account should be interesting and entertaining. People will visit it to read something funny. The number of brand posts should be no more than 35%.
Devote the rest 65% to other content which can be useful to your readers. Take your personal experience of bringing up a toddler boy. Also, look for some funny stories and find out what else may attract your audience on Instagram .
Collaborate with other bloggers. Don`t be intrusive, though. Ask them whether they`d like to work with you and share their opinion on your book.
Moreover, 83% of Americans say their friends’ opinions on products influence their choice as well. That means that sending your book to reviewers or just other people who have many followers can work miracles. The more people are engaged, the better.
Book Marketing on Twitter
Twitter is expected to reach 345.3 million users in 2022 according to eMarketer. What a crowded place to start your marketing plan. Here are 10 tips that can help you.
Provide a link to your blog now and then. Integrate it to your twits. Once a week is quite enough.
Be active and communicate with all people. Say thank you, answer questions, take part in the discussions and react politely to hate.
Tease some parts of your book. Don`t make spoilers but intrigue your audience and keep them interested.
Follow new trends . One can see popular topics on Twitter . Don`t stand aside, but also reveal your opinion.
Cooperate with book reviewers. Hook up with them, sending a pitch as well as a copy of your book.
Don`t let your books become a thing of the past. Answer fans’ questions and engage with a common reader. Also, clarify all the points they’re curious about.
Make a contest. It’s a proven way to increase your audience.
Create your own hashtags. They must be unique and out-of-the-box. Come up with a hashtag for each of your books.
Run ads. Optimize twitter ads and use them frequently.
Reveal your readers that you`re the same human being. Share with them your contemplations and life moments, especially those related to kids.
How to Market a Children’s Book on Other Platforms?
Besides Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, there`re a lot of other social media suitable for book marketing. They can bring you no fewer profits if you know how to benefit from them. The most popular ones are Pinterest , YouTube, Snapchat, and Linkedin.
Pinterest
This platform is completely suitable for young authors. Pinterest advertises your books as well as brings new guests to your blog. So, how to use it properly?
Make a professional profile because it provides more opportunities.
Create boards similar to your book’s topics. Make at least 10 ones and use keywords (for example, fiction for preschoolers, books for girls, etc.).
Take advantage of other tools to make your content attractive . Use, at least, Canva which is already formatted for your future pins. Plus, it’s absolutely free.
Create pins oriented on your website, but not a book. That’ll attract more people to your blog.
Make pins that have the most traction. To identify them, learn your statistics available for professional profiles.
Pinterest doesn’t require too much effort in coming up with new content. At the same time, it can lead your book sales to a new level.
YouTube
You may ask what’s common between writing a book and Youtube . Yet, it’s a helpful platform to increase your sales. Still, YouTube works better as an additional source of book marketing.
First, it’s very popular among both adults and kids, being in the top 3 most used online platforms. Second, Youtube users are highly motivated because they enter it to find content only. If you make the one they wish to find, you`ll have success.
Shoot the first video and you`ll have views . Do it often and your fanbase is to grow in size in the short term. The question is, though, what content to upload.
Shoot short videos (5-10 minutes).
You need neither special equipment nor an expensive camera so far. To save time, make several videos at once, changing your clothes and location.
Upload your video at the same time so that your audience has a habit of checking your channel.
Create a trailer to explain the purpose of the channel. And don’t name the channel after one of your books if you plan to present new releases there as well.
What about the titles of your video, they should contain keywords since YouTube is all about keywords. Users enter them to find the video they want, so do keyword research to find out the most suitable options.
As well as on other platforms, share some moments of personal life. Besides, answer your readers’ questions or chew up on your books’ topics. Create free audio versions of your books to engage more people. If they like it, they`ll buy the other books.
Snapchat
More than 50% of millennials prefer Snapchat to other popular social media. Well, if you write books for kids, they`re not your target audience because the majority of them are neither kids already nor parents yet. But they may recommend your books to their smaller siblings or spot you as a promising up-to-date author.
It doesn’t mean that Snapchat is popular among millennials only. As well as Instagram, it has older users who`re your target audience (parents). Plus, if you run a Snapchat profile, you reveal yourself as an innovative author.
The tips are similar to the previous ones:
Be an active and out-of-the-box thinker;
Be unique and exceptional;
Interact with your audience.
One more useful tip is to show a story that is similar to your book plot. Create intrigue by saying “to be continued” to make followers get back to your profile to check the story.
Should I Spend Money to Target an Audience on Social Media?
Invest to obtain a profit. You can`t make a quick buck by running your profile only. Define your audience is and then target them with ads.
If you do research and find out exactly for whom you’re writing and who’s going to buy it (parents as a rule), you`ll find the buyers very quickly. In case, it doesn’t work, make sure you`ve defined the real type of the customer. Such mistakes may cost you a lot of money, by the way.
To avoid extra spending on ads, pay attention to analytics on social media. Sometimes authors suppose they know everything about their readers, but the data reveals quite the opposite. Useful data analytics tools can found online. Box and Whiskers Plot , for example, allows you to create insighful charts withing a few clicks.
What to Post?
We’ve talked about it. First of all, be sincere and don’t pretend to be the person you`re not. Readers value the truth.
Be polite and mindful, but don’t be afraid to voice your opinion. Also, think about your personality. Do you have some peculiarities?
Think of your image. For example, do you like animals? If so, show your pet.
Most kids like animals, so they’ll like your dog or cat too. Besides, you can shoot your video or take photos in the places children are crazy about, such as amusement parks or zoos. White boring background and the same wallpapers don’t work here.
By the way, a proven way to win the hearts of both parents and kids is the series of posts about DIY arts, cartoons overviews, or other things adults and children can share together.
Know How to Market Children’s Books
To make a profit on kids` books you should be keen on running social media profiles. It requires energy and is quite time-consuming. Yet, it’s a good way to show your readers the full size of the iceberg since a book is only its tip.
Don’t underestimate the backstage – your thoughts and obstacles that inspired you to write a book. It may be very interesting to hear your own real story.
Now that you`re ready to run a page, don’t hesitate to spend money on ads. Although it’s not cheap, one day you`ll get it back, and very soon the expenditures will pay off.
Rely on experts’ opinions and avoid being a trailblazer in the field of audience targeting . It may cost you too much money. Yet, the moderate risk always brings a lot of experience.
Finally, don`t give up after your first failures and you’ll reap the benefits of your efforts.