Working with authors, I see so many struggle with how to integrate social media with their marketing plan, wonder how to use it or just flat out refuse to use social media. Old school marketers are still stuck with traditional marketing channels like book tours, newspaper ads and retailers. In the past, the success of a book hinged on getting it reviewed by the “right” publications or the right retail detail.

TODAY, that doesn’t matter. AUTHORS have the advantage! Social media provides a far more engaged audience than traditional press and you are one click away from people sharing your book with their friends on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. BUT YOU HAVE TO USE IT!

If you can make it easy for people to share and get excited about your book, you won’t need to spend big bucks on marketing your book.

Here are some ideas to help your book go viral!

#1  |  Create a Book Trailer or Fun Videos
One author took his family to the store where is book was sitting on the shelf and showed his family. He videoed their reaction. He also told his viewers he was going to sign a copy of his book and leave it in the store. If you bought it and photographed yourself with it and tag his Fan page on Facebook, he’d give you a bonus.

Check out several of our authors trailers on our YouTube Channel

#2  |  Organize a Blog Tour
This is just like a book tour but virtual. Invite bloggers to review your book. Offer a free download of a chapter, and offer to giveaway copies of your book to their readers.  This generates reviews of your book, taps into new audiences of your reviewers and helps with SEO and exposure to your book.

#3  |  ReTweet or Share A Free Chapter
If you are going to give away a bonus or free chapter, make it easy to share with others. Offer the freebie if they share a link on their Facebook status or Twitter update. They’ll get a freebie and you’ll get exposure. Use a service like PaywithaTweet and sharing is easy.

#4  | Add Social Media Share Buttons
Today, this is a must and a no brainer. One click and they can share from any page on your website or blog.

#5  | Add Facebook Comments
Facebook allows you to add a commenting system to any web page! This is very effective because you can make a book page look like a blog. What’s amazing about the Facebook Comments system is it allows you to change your personality. {Like at the bottom of this post.}

#6  | Use Facebook Photos
Photos are more likely to make their way into your Facebook fans’ news feeds. A fun way to get people talking about your book is to take a screen shot of something exciting and share it on Facebook. Shipment of your books, your book in a book store, meeting your fans, at a speaking event, screenshot of your book on Amazon, etc.

#7  | Create a Social Media Contest
There’s nothing like a fun and friendly competition to get people excited about your book. And there’s no better platform than Facebook or Twitter to get things rolling. This has been done several ways. One example was one author had her readers video tape themselves holding the book and giving a testimonial. Sharing those videos on YouTube and Facebook to be chosen for a giveaway to meet her and have a personal training session. Another example was one author had people take pictures and submit them to his Facebook page holding a post it note that said “Launch Me”. The winner would be given a book and a free consultation.

#8 | Create a Spread the Word Page from Your Website
Some people like to call this a Squeeze Page or a Sales page, but in terms of social sharing. Let’s call it a Spread the Word page. Sounds more friendly, don’t you think?

To help things spread via social media, you need to make it easy for people. This page could contain a short letter from you asking for people’s help. Include some pre written tweets & status updates that people can share with the click of a button, as well as instructions on how to share the book on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.