Best Social Media Sites
If you’re not the type of person who already uses (and maybe abuses) Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and every other possible social networking service, finding a place to begin might feel a little intimidating. My usual advice is to try a large sampling of what’s available and go with what suits your wants and needs best.
However, realistically, not everyone has the time or the will to travel every avenue of social media. And not everyone even knows where to begin their journey. So, as your social media maven, I’ve come up with a quick list of my top favorite platforms to help you get started.
Facebook is a great place to start building your social media platform. Nearly everyone has an account already, and setting up a separate page as an author is a breeze. You’ll also likely come pre-prepared with your first devoted fans: Your amazing friends and family! The only downside to Facebook is the selective way in which your content is presented to your followers’ feeds. However, it is a great starting-off point.
If you’re into simplicity, Twitter will likely be a perfect fit for you. Each composed “Tweet” must be under 140 characters long, which can be a stimulating challenge for us wordy sorts! Just about everyone you could ever want updates on has a Twitter account, from President Obama to J.K. Rowling, so it’s a great way to stay connected, informed, and entertained!
What can an image-based platform do for your online presence as an author? Plenty. With over 300 million users, more than half of which are between the ages of 18 and 35, Instagram is an easy way to start working original multi-media content into your routine. It’s a more productive option for those appealing to a younger demographic, so definitely steer clear if your primary audience is of the 40+ set. In general, online marketing is moving more towards picture and video, but try to think of it more as a supplement to your online platform rather than the foundation.
Tumblr
Tumblr is also better for those writing for a younger demographic, but if you’re putting out young adult or new adult fiction, this site is my favorite. Basically an amalgamation of the three previous websites, Tumblr is user-friendly, customizable, and incredibly versatile. While it’s not nearly as popular as some of the others I’ve listed, this platform is certainly gaining momentum. New York Times best-seller John Green has one; why shouldn’t you?
The nice thing about most social networking sites these days is how easy they are to link to one another. So if you get started on one and want to expand to different formats, you’ll just be casting your net wider and you can do it with ease. Remember: There’s no perfect formula for making yourself known online, you mostly just need to be consistent!