Three Reasons Why Authors Should Own Social Media

Over the last few weeks I have had a series of conversations about authors and social media. In every single case the conversations have revolved around how (and in some cases "if") authors can benefit from social media. My answer in not only a resounding "Yes, authors can and do benefit from social media as a marketing platform," but I believe they are also well positioned to flat out own social media. Here are three reasons why:

1. Authors create content and content is one of the two social media currencies. Conversation is the other currency.
2. Authors know they have to provide valuable content to succeed. Good social media marketing is based on the mindset that you earn attention through valuable content or conversations. Then, and only then, do you have the platform to introduce your business interests.
3. Authors know they have to reach the right people to succeed. Authors know they're not writing books that appeal to everyone. They just want to appeal to as many of the right people as possible. This is a fundamental key to great social media marketing. When you take the focus off a "how many people will we reach" approach to a "who are the right people and how many of them can we reach" approach, social media will work. Authors seem to get this intuitively. Social media lets an author find and be found by the right people.

Many people are trying to figure out how social media can work for them right now. Authors just happen to be naturally suited to win with social media. The very things authors create happen to be what grows their audience. The audience is then well primed to spend money to support the author, which allows the author to create more valuable content. For an author with great content, it's a cycle for success.

The bottom line is that authors are naturally positioned to succeed and flourish if they create content people find valuable. It's almost always worked that way in the world of print. It's even more that way in the social media world. It just so happens that today the content is also the best marketing tool.