Most people don’t enjoy doing this, so it’s one reason you don’t need to include it in your book marketing plan.

The other more important reason is that it’s always easier to sell to a “warm” audience — those people or businesses that know, like, and trust you already. They’re more likely to buy from you than strangers are. 

They’re also more likely to help you reach the right readers for your book.

Leveraging your networks

Your “warm” audience is the people in your networks. Because of that, it’s important to understand how leveraging your networks can help you sell more books.

Leveraging your networks doesn’t necessarily mean “selling to” your networks, though. Because not everybody you know is going to be interested in the types of books you write, you can’t expect  all of them to buy and read your book.

It might be reasonable to expect them to support you and your book by telling other people about it, though.

And, yes, some will buy, read, and review it, too. But don’t expect (or demand!) that.

Who do you know, and how can they help you?

Start by assessing your networks.

While most think of their networks in terms of friends and family, yours might also include your social media connections, colleagues, and newsletter subscribers, among others.

What do you know about the people in these networks? Are they the target audience for your book, or are they in a position to help you reach your target audience?

Divide them into two groups — readers and helpers (there might be overlap).This will help you use the right messages with them.

Leveraging your networks

Let’s look at your networks and how to leverage them in greater depth. Here are the most common types:

Alumni association

Ask your alumni newsletter editor to write about you and your new book; ask your local chapter chair to host a book signing at the next meeting.

Blog

Write a blog post about why your book is important and how it will help educate, entertain, or inform readers. In the post, ask blog subscribers to consider sharing that information with their own networks and groups.

Offer to do an interview or guest post related to your book on their blogs, too. Guest blogging is an excellent way to leverage your networks’ networks.

Colleagues

Whether they’re local or people you know across the country or around the world through trade groups, this network is particularly important if you’ve written a nonfiction book related to your profession.

Use email to tell them about your book and how it will help them. Encourage them ever-so-gently to share news about your book with their networks, too.

Customers and clients

Do they know they’re doing business with an author? Make sure they find out directly from you.

You can do that easily by updating your email signature to include your book title and a purchase link.

Facebook profile

How many of your Facebook friends might be interested in your book or share information about it with their networks?

In addition to posting occasionally about your book, message some with sample Facebook posts they can use if they’d like to share your news on their timelines. Use private messaging for this once. Any more than that is too intrusive.

Facebook page

Do you have a separate fan page for your book or one of its characters? Ask people who “like” your page to share information about the book on their own pages.

Post about your book and ask people to share your post.

Friends, neighbors, relatives

They can help you spread the word if they like your book or believe in you

When my “Book Markeiting 101: How to Build Book Buzz” student Laura Laing released  Math for Grownups, she sent friends and others a friendly (and very fruitful) e-mail message listing specific things they could do to help her get the word out about her book.

Groups on social networking sites

Do you belong to groups on Facebook or LinkedIn or participate in online forums?

If group rules allow it, share news of your book, but avoid hard-selling. People participate in these groups to learn, not to get pitched.

Groups are also a good source of beta readers and launch team members.

Local media

I’m surprised by the number of authors who overlook the local press when, in fact, they are often the most receptive media outlets.

Local daily and weekly newspapers in particular can also be remarkably influential. When my first book came out, my local Gannett newspaper wrote a huge feature article about the story behind the book and shared it with other Gannett papers, giving me national reach through one interview.

Identify the right contacts at each type of outlet (newspaper, magazine, radio, TV) and email them to suggest appropriate and relevant story or segment ideas.

National media

Authors who are journalists or have been writing about their book’s topic for some time probably have relationships with other journalists. Send specific and targeted article or segment pitches to these reporters, freelance writers, editors, producers, and assignment editors.

Everyone else? Get tips for pitching the press in publicist Cathy Lewis’s helpful article on this site, “Promoting your book: 8 ways to pitch media outlets.”

Newsletter subscribers

If you’ve been providing value in the form of information or interesting content to your newsletter subscribers, they will be happy to talk up your book in their own networks.

When you ask them to help, provide them with images they can share and sample posts and tweets. You want to make it as easy as possible for them to support you and your book.

Social networks

Chances are, you’re also active on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Twitter, or other social networks.

Of course you’ll announce your book, but you’re smart enough not to do that constantly. When you do, though, make sure you don’t say, “Buy my book,” but instead share tidbits that help people understand your book’s value.

Keep them updated on your virtual book tour stops, media interviews, and so on.

Keep growing and leveraging your networks

If you’ve got lots of connections but they’re not likely to buy your book, what are you doing now to expand your networks to fix that?

Continually evaluate your networks to make sure you’re attracting and engaging with the right types of people.

And by all means, remember that this isn’t a one-way street. Support others the way you’d like them to support you. You’ll find that it’s easier to ask a favor related to your book promotion if you’ve already done a few favors yourself.

Did we miss anything? Please stop by here and leave a comment!

Groups are where the conversations among like-minded people are taking place on Facebook.

Until recently, groups have had a few limitations. In particular, group administrators couldn’t schedule a Facebook group post (as you can on your author Page) and had no insights into the membership and how and when it uses the group.

That’s finally changing, though.

New Facebook group features

Facebook is rolling out several new group features, including scheduled posts.

This couldn’t come soon enough for me. While this is already possible with third-party tools, I prefer to post within my Build Book Buzz group because while I’m there, I can scroll down and see who’s asking questions, whether they have answers, where I might be able to help, and so on.

Posting from an app is too hands-off for me.

I discovered this function by chance — no email or Messenger message from Facebook, no pop-up that said, “Hey! Guess what you can do now!”

I don’t want you to overlook it, so here’s how to find and use it in any group where you’re the administrator (owner, manager, etc.).

Follow these steps to schedule a Facebook group post

Start by writing your post in the “write post” box.

Next, select the little clock icon next to the blue “Post” icon.

Select a date and time the same way you schedule post on your author or book Page. Then select the blue “Schedule” icon in the lower right of the “Schedule Post” window.

You’ll see a confirmation on your group discussion page.

Need to make a change?

You’re done . . . unless you need to make a change in your post or decide to delete it. That process works much like it does on a Page.

But first you have to find your scheduled post! If you’ve just scheduled it and haven’t left your group, you’ll see it at the top of your group screen, shown above.

But if you leave the group and come back to it later, you’ll need to look a little harder for it.

To find it, select “Manage Group” in the menu on the left side of your group.

That generates a new screen. Select “Scheduled Posts” under “Admin Activity.”

In this test, I’ve got one scheduled post. Here’s what it looks like in my group.

To edit it for delete it, use the little caret, or down angle, in the upper right, just as you do on your profile or Page posts.

You’ll get a drop down menu with the four options shown below. Select the one you want; make your change.

Confirm or save your change when prompted and you’re done.

Other new group functions

Be sure to check your group for this new function as well as the new group insights and other features, too.

And . . . if you’re like many authors who don’t quite know the difference between a group, Page and profile, be sure to read, “Facebook profile, Page, or group? An author’s primer.”

Do you have a Facebook group? What do you like the most about it? Tell us in a comment. 

In December 2015, they left about 10 billion comments in various groups and generated 25 billion-plus likes on group posts.

Don’t you want to be part of that Facebook group action?

You can not only be part of it — you can lead it by creating your own Facebook group. It’s not hard to do it. In fact, it’s so easy even I can do it.

(Not sure about the difference between a Facebook group, Page, and profile? Read, “Facebook profile, Page, or group? An author’s primer.“)

Why you want to create a Facebook group

A Facebook group lets you build a community around a shared interest, issue, or cause.  People join groups to learn, share, and discuss.

A group isn’t an overt book promotion tool in the same way that a Facebook ad is. A group lets you get to know people who share your interest. For authors, that should be something related to your book or its genre (for example, a group for people who read BWWM — black women/white men — romance novels).

While you get to know them, they get to know you, too. Perhaps you share snippets of your writing, offer advice related to your expertise, or help people make connections.

The point is: When you create a group, you create the foundation for a community built around a shared interest in something related to your book.

That’s a quick overview of the “why.” What about the “how?”

How to create your Facebook group

Before creating your group, I recommend you a join a few Facebook groups related to your interests so you can see how they work. Observing a variety of groups for a while will help you figure out what you want to achieve with yours, and maybe even how to do that.

Once you’re familiar with them, the process is pretty simple. I’ll walk you through the process using screenshots I grabbed when I created the Build Book Buzz Facebook group two years ago. (To see a larger version of any of the images below, just click on the image.)

Login to your Facebook account. On the right side of your newsfeed where you find your activity options, select “Create Group” under “Groups.”

A window pops up that asks you for the group name. I want you to know this in advance so that you already know what you want to name your group. This is important, right? You want to be thoughtful about the name. There’s no need to agonize over it, but it should communicate what the group’s about.

In that same window, you have to select your group’s privacy — open, closed, or secret. If you’re not sure already, read this article, “What are the privacy settings for groups?” The Build Book Buzz group is “closed,” which means that it can be found in a search, but what happens in the group stays in the group.

Staying in that window, now you have to invite members. My reaction to this was, “What??? Already? I haven’t even seen my group on the screen yet!”

Yeah, too bad. This is how they roll on The Facebook.

I invited just one friend at this point only because I had to.  I invited others later, after the group was set up.

Click “Create” and you move to a screen that lets you select an icon for your group. The icon shows up next to the group name in members’ groups list on the left side of the timeline. I chose a book for the Build Book Buzz group. (That was a no-brainer.) You can also skip this step if you want.

Select “Okay” and like magic, your group appears in front of you!

Now you upload a cover photo.  It works the same way as it does for your profile — just select “upload photo” and select one that’s waiting on your computer.

Tip: Now that you realize you have to do this, have your image pre-selected.

With the group cover photo set the way you want at the top, move to the right side of the screen to describe the group and add tags.

Find the “Description” section on the right and select “Add a Description.”

Your description should tell people what to expect from the group and why they will want to be a member. What’s in it for them? Include any group rules, too.

Then add the “tags” using that option just underneath your description. Tags are words related to the group topic that help Facebook users find your group in searches or through Facebook recommendations.

Next, you determine your group’s Facebook web address — the URL you will send people to when you’re sharing information about your group — and the email address linked to it, which, by the way, I have never used.

To do this, click on the three dots next to the word “Notifications” at the lower right of your cover image. Select “Edit Group Settings.”

On the next screen, next to “Web and Email Address” select “Customize Address.” This will let you create a URL for your group with the official group name rather than a string of numbers.

Type in your group name (or whatever you want in the web address). Select “Customize Address” at the bottom.

While still in the settings, you can select preferences for membership approval, posting permission, and posting approval.

In my group, everyone can post and what they share goes live immediately — it doesn’t wait for my approval. If someone posts something that’s counter to the rules, I delete it. If they do it repeatedly, I remove them from the group. Select preferences that work for your group goals. If one of them is discussion and engagement, then don’t put any limits on that.

Your group is now ready to share with the world! Select “Discussion” in the upper left under your cover photo to return to your group’s home page. Add people using the “Add Members” box on the upper right under the cover image or by sending them the link to the group and asking them to join it.

That wasn’t hard, was it?

Do you have a Facebook group? What’s the URL for it, and why did you create it? Please tell us in a comment. 

First, it gives you several ways to interact with your target audience. Second, it reaches a wider range of people than other social networks, and those users spend a lot of time on the site. Third, it offers affordable advertising options that, when implemented properly, can be effective.

For that reason, it’s important to understand the three primary ways you and your book can have a presence on that social network:

1. Profile
2. Page
3. Group

Do you have a Facebook profile, Page, or group — or any combination of the three? I’ve noticed many authors using the three interchangeably, as if they’re all the same.

They aren’t.

And when you’re unclear about whether you’ve got a profile, Page, or group, you’re going to be equally unclear about how to use each to its fullest potential.

If you’re confused, you’re confusing others, too

For example, an author recently emailed me about an online discussion. She thought she had seen it here on this blog; could I direct her to the right link? I clarified that it was in the Build Book Buzz Facebook group. Since she’s a member, I suggested she go to the group and scroll down to find it because it was recent.

Minutes later, she replied that she couldn’t find it.

I suggested using the group search box.

It didn’t take her long to come back and say that searching didn’t uncover it either.

That’s when the proverbial light bulb went on over my head.

“Are you searching the Build Book Buzz group or Page?” I asked.

“Whoops,” she replied. “I was on the Page.”

A profile, Page, and group all serve different purposes. Here’s a quick primer on each.

1. Facebook profile

Everybody with a presence on Facebook has a profile, which Facebook defines as “for non-commercial use.” A profile is what you’re referring to when you say you have a Facebook “account.” You can’t interact with others on the site without a profile.

When people “friend” you via your profile, you have the option to accept the request or not.

A profile lets you control how much of what you share on Facebook is visible to the public.

Here’s mine.

2. Facebook Page

You must have a profile before you can create a Page, which allows companies, brands, personalities, celebrities, authors, and others with a business agenda of any type to establish a presence on the network. A person with a profile manages a Page.

Everything on a page is visible to the public; this is one reason it’s useful. People don’t need to be Facebook users (have a Facebook profile/account) to see what’s shared on a Page.

Facebook users need to “like” your Facebook Page to see any of your Page content in their newsfeeds. Even then, only a small percentage will see it unless the content is generating a lot of engagement.

You must have a Page to promote or boost a post or create a newsfeed ad so your message reaches more people. All are paid options.

However, you don’t need either a profile or Page to create a paid ad that shows up in the far right column of Facebook newsfeeds, alongside and separate from the newsfeed content.

Here’s the Build Book Buzz Facebook Page.

3. Facebook group

You must have a profile to create a group, which is typically a discussion forum for people who share an interest. It’s Facebook’s version of online forums, LinkedIn groups, or the old school bulletin boards.

Any Facebook user can create a group and invite people to join it. As a group “owner,” you can control whether it’s a public, closed, or secret group. (Read “What are the privacy settings for groups” for more information on the differences.)

Public groups offer maximum exposure. Private groups encourage people to discuss more freely, since their comments won’t show up in friends’ newsfeeds. Secret groups work well as a gathering place for people who have paid for a course or group coaching program.

Here’s the Build Book Buzz Facebook group.

All three options — profiles, Pages, and groups — can play a role in an author’s book marketing plan; all three have different time commitments and content needs.

Which ones work best for you and your book marketing goals?