Stop Using Facebook Group Promoters
Now, listen, I've had my fair share of Facebook group promoters. When I first became an author, and even all the way up until a year ago when I started developing my brand, I couldn't wait to pay those cute little $25 for two weeks of "promo". I would get so excited at the thought of my book link getting placed into all of these groups, that had so many readers, so much potential for networking opportunities...
Only to find out years later, once I learned how to brand myself, THAT LINK POSTING WASN'T LUCRATIVE NOR WAS IT GETTING ME SEEN. Now, let's take a look at what Facebook groups are.
Since 2010, Facebook has allowed people, no matter the brand, product, etc, to create Facebook groups. Some have good intentions, others are...well we not gon' talk about that. But, a lot of these book groups were formed by readers, service providers, authors, etc, in the hopes of networking, making a name for themselves, etc. In theory, it's a great idea. In reality, there are so many cons to the situation.
If everyone is joining the same groups, there is no diversity, which means limited visibility.
If everyone is posting the same kind of content, what separates you from someone else? You're just another link-posted author, hoping to get a bite in the sea full of other sharks.
The activity in a lot of these groups is low. They interact when they FEEL like it, when there's an incentive.
In the chance you find a group that was created by readers, they have their favorites, they offer biased opinions, and are a huge part of cancel culture.
Finally, there are too many people in these groups for you to reach/find/see or be seen by your target audience.
Now, that's obviously not the case in every group or even in every situation, but those five reasons are why a lot of groups are terrible for promoting in.
Now, back to you, author. You choose your promoter, based on what? The fact they have the time to post in all the groups, and you don't? At most, they're posting a synopsis, an excerpt, and the link along with the bookcover, or a giveaway. How does that actually help you get sales? You're hoping that if your link and cover circulate enough times people will finally catch on and buy it. I GET IT. I thought the same thing too, but the problem is, you're not doing anything to stand out. And, just like I mentioned before in my "You're not branding; you're collaborating" blog, if everyone is using the same promoters, how can we expect/receive growth?
I recognize a lot of writers/authors have no idea what they're doing when it comes to allowing someone to promote for them or for them to promote for themselves.
But here are some basic questions you can ask, and here are the reasons to justify them.
ðŸ§Why would you hire a promoter who can't reach your target audience? They're just showing it to people, hoping they will bite. That won't help you get an influx of new readers. Imagine being an ice cream salesman, and you walk into a sugar-free restaurant. That's not your target audience because those people don't eat sugar. So, why would you hire the owner of a sugar-free restaurant to help you promote your sugary ass ice cream?
ðŸ§Do they have other means of reaching an audience? One thing I hope everyone learned from the shutdown on Facebook that one day, is that you need other means to reach your audience. Some brands are better pushed on social media/digital marketing, and others are better with personal, physical marketing. How can this person help you reach your maximum success level of being seen?
ðŸ§Their analytics. Do they share/have proof of where they say they're taking you? Can they show you the reach, once it's over, or in between, how your ads or advertisements are performing? Do they have reviews of what other people have to say about their services, and not just their customer service? We get caught up on someone being "nice", but nice don't always get the job done.
ðŸ§What platforms do they have a real following on and know how to operate? Do they know how to really use the platform and get the most out of it?
If you're not asking these questions, you're setting your pockets up for failure, along with your marketing/advertising experience. I'm not saying all Facebook promoters are bad, but what I am saying is you want to make sure that the promoters who are promoting for you can give what they said they were going to.
Aside from promotion, you know what I'm going to say you need....A BRAND. How can you promote if you don't know who you should be promoting to? Your target audience is a huge part of your brand. Establishing your brand is the FIRST step in knowing who your target audience is, and giving them what they want!
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