Strategy … Or … Why Am I Posting on Facebook?

We all spend time posting to our Facebook Pages and personal timelines. How much do we think about WHAT we post?

Do you have a strategy for your Facebook Page? You see, in order to be successful at this indie author business, you need to treat it like … a business.

In order to do that, you first have to determine what you want to get out of your Facebook Page—for that matter, Twitter, Google+, Goodreads and everything else as well.

How do you decide that? Well, here are some basic questions to ask yourself:

Do I want to share news and relay other people’s information?

Do I want to be an expert on a single subject?

Do I want to improve my brand awareness and positioning?

Do I want to improve my search status?

Once you’ve determined the type of site your social media platform should be, then you can work on the strategy. Too many of us *raising hand* share information from our online friends and post whatever we want, without any regard to what the post is accomplishing. The strange thing is—I treat my client’s pages much differently than my own!

Your strategy is the plan and goals that get you from an unknown self-published Indie Author to a household name. Tactics are what you do to get there. Posting in Facebook, Tweeting and all the other stuff are tactics that you use to get people to buy your books or build your brand.

Do your tactics align with your strategy? You see, that is where the breakdown usually occurs. Strategy provides the outline and guidance for you to execute the tactics.

Let’s put this in terms of a boat. Your strategy is the rudder, the power, whether through oars or a CAT ACERT 1100 Horsepower Propulsion Engine, is the tactic.

We all complain about how much time we spend on social media and other time-sucking activities online.

Let’s stop doing that and build a marketing strategy that will lead to our ultimate goal. Even though your final goal may be to sell more books, you still need to determine the strategy behind how you are going to do that via online platforms. Of course, there are many other factors involved in book marketing; we’re just focusing on online platforms.

Take time to decide what your approach should be based on how you answered the above questions.

When you Google your name or book, does the page fill with links about your brand (either you or your book?) If not, perhaps your strategy should be to improve your search status.

Does your book focus on a disease or condition? Focus on becoming an expert on your subject, a resource for all who are interested in learning more.

Once you determine your objective, you can mold your strategy using these bullet points:

  • Develop an achievable and realistic strategy
  • Determine your resources – every strategy requires resources, even if it is your TIME.
  • Strategies are meant to change – try things, if it doesn’t work, try something else. You’ll learn more from your failures than your successes.
  • Real numbers – regularly review your strategy with objective values. Growth of your social networks, number of participants in a giveaway on Goodreads, reviews and sales are all examples of values that are measurable.

The next time you post on Facebook, Twitter or your blog, think about how your post aligns with your strategy. You will find that your time online will become more rewarding and help you achieve your final objective quicker.

What type of strategies are you using? Do your tactics align?

Author: Jim Devitt

Jim Devitt’s debut YA novel, The Card, hit #1 in three separate categories on the Kindle Bestseller list in early January and was a finalist in the Guys Can Read Indie Author Contest this past summer. Devitt currently lives in Miami, FL with his wife Melissa and their children. Learn more about Jim at his blog and his Amazon author page.

23 thoughts on “Strategy … Or … Why Am I Posting on Facebook?”

  2. Thanks Jim. Good post. I still struggle with Facebook, I am slow on the uptake at times. I agree about changing strategies as in bullet #1. Now I try smaller goals and seem to be doing better than attacking the big picture.

    1. There’s no real answer. Keep trying things and hope something sticks. Breaking down into manageable pieces is a great strategy. Thanks for commenting.

  4. This article is just what I needed now. I just made a decision today to stop spreading myself too thin and start focusing on where I really want to go. Thanks for the reenforcement.

    1. Lynne,
      Thanks for the comment. As I said above, I’m just as guilty as the next person when it comes to my own FB page. Lot’s of links to IU stuff. I handle it a little differently when it comes to my clients.

  6. Great observations, Jim. It might be a juggling act and a bit out of some people’s comfort zones, but indie authors need to think like an artist and a strategist if they want to reach their goals.

  7. Ironically, I saw this post on *ahem* Facebook from another indie author and decided to check it out. This is EXACTLY what I’ve been struggling with. For months I’ve tried to understand and grasp my own platform. Maybe now I’m finally getting closer! Thanks for the great post.

  8. I stopped hanging out on Facebook this year too and became smarter with my marketing. This is a great post Jim. I too am going to share it on Facebook.

  10. Great post as always. It can be so hard to do. I coach people but it is so easy to be sucked into stuff. I recommend my clients post their list of goals for social media next to their screen so they have a constant reminder about what they are supposed to be doing.

Comments are closed.