QUIZ: How to Market Your Book on Social Media

by | Jan 28, 2020 | Book Marketing Basics, Social Media for Authors

Reading Time: ( Word Count: )

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Social media for authors can be tricky; you can’t just take blanket social media advice and assume it works for how to market your book, and your personality type, and the kinds of people you want to reach.

So how do you get smart about using social media and figure out where to spend your time?

The goal with this quiz is to help you figure out how to market your book by focusing your social media strategies on one primary platform. That’s where you’ll put the lion’s share of your efforts. If you were looking at this as a pie chart, you’d put 60-70% of your time on your main social site and then divide up the rest elsewhere as you see fit.

But keep in mind, when you’re done with this quiz, you have my permission to ditch the sites that simply aren’t working for you. Because if we’re being realistic, your time is limited and you have books to write. So choosing social media strategies that naturally work with your personality and compliment your goals and contribute to how to market your book, will not only be more effective, they’ll create a lot less work for more gains.

And remember: It’s not about being everywhere, it’s about being everywhere that matters.

Let’s do some digging into what social media strategies resonate with you most:

What approach can you really get behind?

A. I care what people who do a lot of reading in my genre think and want.

B. I like whatever is current in pop-culture, news, or my industry.

C. I love connecting with people on an emotional level and starting deep conversations.

D. Whatever makes me feel good and can add some positivity or laughter to another person’s day.

E. Authenticity, as long as it’s real and raw and honest.

How easily can you come up with fun new blog topics?

A. It’s more of a chore, I find it easier to get involved in conversations that are already happening.

B. I’m usually at a complete loss. I prefer jumping on current trends or sharing other information.

C. I have no trouble coming up with blog topics that really make people think.

D. I can’t plan them, but I can work with whatever inspires me in the moment.

E. Pretty easily, but finding time to sit down and write them is hard.

What audience are you trying to connect with?

A. Die hard book lovers, I don’t really have a big market outside of that.

B. Movers and shakers and thought leaders.

C. It’s really varied, mostly women but across many age groups.

D. A young, hip crowd, people who put a lot of emphasis on emotion and feeling.

E. Definitely young professionals, maybe more men than women.

What is your preferred way to socialize online?

A. I like to share ideas and connect with others with similar interests.

B. I’m a multi-tasker – I catch up on news, entertainment, what’s trending.

C. I like to comment on what others post, take part in virtual conversations.

D. I’m more about the good vibes, so I want to make a big impact with smaller, genuine gestures.

E. I like to share who I am, really just lay it all out there for people to either love or not.

How do you feel about social media strategies that involve video?

A. Take it or leave it, not a priority for me.

B. I like sharing it, along with my opinion.

C. I might be open to narrating something, or sharing something more artistic.

D. I would do short clips maybe, less time to screw up or catch bad lighting.

E. Love it! Sign me up!

How do you feel about social media strategies that allow for real-time networking? 

A. I don’t mind it, but I want to know the audience is exactly right.

B. Love it. I love networking with other people in my industry.

C. I’m sort of lukewarm about it and I don’t put a lot of emphasis on it.

D. I like keeping up on what other people are doing and appreciate some support in return.

E. I’m more of a take me or leave me personality, I don’t need the real time validation.

How do you feel about getting personal with your followers?

A. I don’t mind getting personal, but I prefer to get to know people through shared interests.

B. I tend to have opinions about everything and share them willingly!

C. I’m passionate about some things, and I like to express those feelings very clearly.

D. Personal is my middle name, but through actions, not so much words.

E. I’m really comfortable sharing my point of view with a captive audience.

What are the chances you’ll use your social media strategies to expand your business? Be realistic!

A. This isn’t something I’m concerned with right now, I’m all about my books.

B. I put a lot of value on staying up on my industry, so I’d like the option as the opportunity arises.

C. I definitely would like the option, so a strong advertising platform is important.

D. I’m not sure, but if I do I want a social platform that could easily support my brand.

E. My long-term success relies on making personal connections, so definitely.

And now for the results…

Mostly A’s

Goodreads is your jam!

You are a poster child for your genre and you likely loved it before you started writing in it. You’re also a book nerd at the core and likely take your readers’ input to heart when they leave reviews. Goodreads is sometimes a scary place for authors because there’s a lot of room for potential tough love and criticism, but with that comes with social media strategies that have so much more potential for building your tribe with a very captive audience. If you can talk characters and storylines, genre trends and fictional conspiracy theories you should grab onto that with both hands and build your tribe on Goodreads.

Mostly B’s

Twitter Rock Star!

You thrive on what’s happening right now, knowing what’s happening in the world and in your market before the first news alerts hit your phone. When the President is on TV giving a speech, you’re checking the Twitter hashtag instead of tuning into it on TV and you love that because you get a new, fresh perspective that really resonates with you. You also value knowing what a variety of people with varying opinions think on the most trending topics.

Mostly C’s

It’s Facebook for you!

You love checking in to see what’s up with your people and you put a lot of value in staying in touch with them on a more personal level. Facebook is definitely the most conversational social channel. People can get into some pretty in-depth conversations about a variety of topics, and it’s great for sharing ideas in depth. People tend to spend longer on Facebook than most other social channels so it’s important to keep Facebook driven social media strategies really engaging – there’s little room for phoning it in.

Mostly D’s

You’re an Instagram aficionado!

You love imagery and you often best express yourself with images. You see the value in using social media strategies as an extension of your brand and what makes you unique. Despite being a writer perhaps you’re a firm believer in the phrase: a picture is worth a thousand words. Now it’s true, all social media sites really need images to make an impact, but you are clearly more visual in nature and you should consider being on a site that really speaks to that. Since Instagram uses imagery as the lead, and not the supporting character, it’s the site for you.

Mostly E’s

Cue the good lighting, you belong on video!

Not everyone is comfortable with video, but with the right prep work, it’s actually quite easy to look good while creating content that really stands out. Check out this statistic: the 25-34 age group watches the most online videos and men spend 40% more time watching videos on the internet than women. So if this age group, or specifically male readers, are in your target demographic, you’re really onto something great and should embrace it. Video is the oddball in this quiz, in that it really exists across many platforms. So I suggest ramping up your video content on the social site you have the best following on, or if you have a blog that gets a lot of traffic, try it there. If you’re ready to really commit get a YouTube channel and start pushing your fans and followers to keep up with you there.

The Takeaway

At the end of the day, your social media strategies will work best if you find a balance between complimenting what you’re naturally drawn to, and where your target buyers are hanging out online. And now that you have a game plan in mind, you need to get organized! Download my free monthly book marketing planner in the Resources section below. It’s just the tool you need to take your social media to the next level.

Were you surprised by your quiz results? Did it leave more questions than answers? Leave me a comment, I’d love to hear your input!

Resources and Free Downloads

5 Reasons Goodreads is a Book Marketing Staple

50 Ways to Boost Engagement on Facebook

5 Ways to Use Instagram as an Indie Author

5 Ways to Sell More Books Using Youtube

Monthly Book Marketing Planner Free Download

Smarter Social Media Marketing

4 Comments

  1. Chris

    In several places in your articles, you mention your free Monthly Marketing Planner, but I’m having trouble downloading it. Your download link takes me to your page, but that’s it. No download. How can I get it?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Penny Sansevieri

      Hi Chris, thanks for writing! You should have also received an email with a link to download. If you didn’t, please let me know! Otherwise, please enjoy the planner, and Happy Marketing!

      Reply
    • Oluokun Gbenga

      Thanks, your advice is timely, please permission to use this quiz to ascertain the most appropriate social page I should run ads for my client book. Thank you.

      Reply
  2. Aurrora

    The answers are in numerical format, but the results are in alphabetic? I think this needs to be fixed. Otherwise, a very interesting quiz. Thanks!

    Reply

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. QUIZ: Finding the Right Social Media Strategies for Your Personality – Busypen Marketing - […] We recommend checking out this article: https://amarketingexpert.com/quiz-finding-the-right-social-media-strategies-for-your-personality… […]
  2. 5 Simple Tips for Creating Video Content for Social Media | Author Marketing Experts, Inc. - […] The trick with this is to ensure people expect it before they even click on the video. So include…
  3. Five Things You Must Do if You’re Writing Non-Fiction | Author Marketing Experts, Inc. - […] accounts should tie into your topic.  (Not sure which social media channels are right for you? Take our quiz.)…
  4. 11 Ways to Simplify Your (book promotion) Life | Author Marketing Experts, Inc. - […] If you aren’t sure which social sites are right for you, start by taking our social media quiz, you…
  5. 12 Key Ways to Make Sure Your Website is Helping You Sell More Books | Author Marketing Experts, Inc. - […] Add social widgets: All of the major social media sites have widgets you can add to your site. This…
  6. When and How to Invest in a Professional Book Marketing Company | Author Marketing Experts, Inc. - […] You’re better off focusing on one good one than forcing yourself to just flounder on all of them. If…
  7. 18 Rock Solid Book Marketing Strategies for 2018 | Author Marketing Experts, Inc. - […] If you’re unsure which platform that is, or you haven’t fully committed to using social media to promote your…
  8. 19 Rock Solid Book Marketing Strategies for 2019 | Author Marketing Experts, Inc. - […] on the platform you’re using. Not sure where you should go when it comes to social media? Check out…
  9. Easy Ways to Bring your Book Promotion A-Game in 2019 | Author Marketing Experts, Inc. - […] And are you sure you’re on the right social networks based on those demographics? (Take our quiz to find…
  10. Marketing a Book on Social Media in 2019 | Author Marketing Experts, Inc. - […] You can spend a lot of time on social without doing anything particularly worthwhile. No, that wasn’t meant to…
  11. The Best Book Marketing Advice for Every Author in 2019 | Author Marketing Experts, Inc. - […] 8. QUIZ: Finding the Right Social Media for Your Personality […]

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *