When you embark on your journey as an author, a regular Facebook profile may suffice. Your close friends, who have accumulated over the years, will be your primary supporters, showing their appreciation by liking and sharing your updates.
However, as you progress in your writing career, you’ll encounter certain limitations with this type of Facebook account that make it less than ideal for authors aiming to amass a large following and engage with their fans effectively.
These limitations include, but are not limited to:
- A maximum of 5,000 friends
- Inability to run Facebook Ads
- Limited analytics
- Lack of privacy
- And more!
To address these concerns, Facebook introduced “Pages.” Facebook Pages are the optimal method for businesses, organisations, and especially authors to connect and interact with their audience.
If you want to discover the process of setting up and expanding an optimal Facebook Author Page.
Table of Contents
Learn How to Grow your Facebook Author Page
Building Likes and Followers
The primary means of expanding your Facebook Author Page is by acquiring likes and followers. Generally, those who like your page will also choose to follow it.
By having followers, your content updates will reach a wider audience, and they will receive notifications about your page’s activities.
When you initially create your page, it’s beneficial to invite friends from your personal account to jumpstart its growth. However, don’t rely solely on this strategy for expansion.
Fans should discover your page organically through content exploration or by directly searching for you.
Posting Content Updates
The cornerstone of Facebook Author pages is the regular posting of status updates. Consider the type of content that would captivate you as a reader when shared by your favorite authors, and create similar posts.
This can encompass various elements, such as personal anecdotes, stories, details about your books, or even promotional offers.
However, if your Facebook Author page solely focuses on sales-oriented content, you may encounter difficulties in gaining a dedicated following.
Below, we’ll provide examples of different types of status updates that utilized to establish a strong connection with his fans.
Textual Updates
The most basic form of content on Facebook is the status update, which consists of text and has a generous character limit.
Updates with Images
Image updates often accompany text-based updates to provide additional context. For instance, shared a picture of his dream kitchen, which received significant engagement from his audience.
Updates with Videos
Authors can also share videos on their Facebook pages. Once posted a video of a squirrel having a stroke in his backyard, which garnered decent engagement. Such videos help him establish a connection with his fans by sharing snippets of his daily life.
Utilizing Facebook Live
Facebook Live is a live-streaming service offered by Facebook that enables real-time interaction with your audience. It is available for use on pages, groups, and profiles. Goes live every few months, reading one of his short stories to his dedicated fan base.
The Facebook algorithm strongly promotes Facebook Live, ensuring increased visibility for authors in readers’ feeds. Within seconds of going live, attracts 20 people, reaching hundreds at a time. Livestreams provide a more intimate way for authors to engage with their fans, allowing them to participate through live chat, emotes, and even Q&A sessions.
Additional content types for Facebook Author pages include
- Location updates
- Life events
- Charity donations
And more.
Nurturing Existing Fans Through Facebook Author Pages
As evident from the approach, most of the content he posts on his page isn’t directly related to his books or focused on making sales.
Instead, the content aims to nurture his audience and build relationships. The majority of impressions on his page come from people who already like and follow him, implying that they are likely aware of his work or have already purchased his books. With 36 books currently available, repeated Facebook posts can guide fans towards his other series, increasing the lifetime value of each fan.
While a well-managed page can attract new fans, the primary focus is on maintaining relationships with the existing fan base. On the other hand, Facebook Ads excel at reaching new audiences.
Running Facebook Ads
As mentioned earlier, Facebook Ads can only be run at the page level, not the profile level. Therefore, creating a Facebook Author page allows authors to target a larger audience through Facebook Ads.
An upcoming ultimate guide to Facebook Ads for Authors will provide further insights into this topic.
Tips for Growing Your Page
Before delving into specific tips and tricks for page growth, emphases the importance of authenticity.
He believes that your Facebook Page should reflect your true self as part of your brand. Shares stories about his day, pictures of his family and home, and, above all, his signature bad jokes.
Remaining true to oneself is essential, as attempting to be someone you’re not will not yield positive results.
Posting Frequency
Consistency in posting frequency is crucial for the growth of a Facebook Author page. Readers and fans will appreciate regular content, and the Facebook algorithm will also prioritize and boost your visibility.
During the recent December holiday season, posted every single day and responded to all comments. While scheduling tools like Buffer can aid in maintaining consistency, prefers the spontaneity of posting at the moment.
Creating content to post every day can be challenging, so developed various post formulas that he recycles. For example, he has a series called “Speaker of the Dead,” where he writes biographies of recent deaths and how those individuals affected his life.
Additionally, he keeps a collection of memes and jokes that he shares in long-form posts. These posts generate significant engagement, such as in the example below, where a simple meme garnered several hundred likes and thousands of free impressions.
These two examples can serve as inspiration for the type of content that works well on a Facebook Author Page. However, it’s important to put your own unique spin on it rather than copying the exact strategy.
Another tip shared for growing your Facebook page is to engage with other Facebook pages of authors in your genre in an authentic manner.
By Interacting with their Pages
Through the Facebook algorithm, you not only gain visibility but also exposure to their fans.
This approach is highly effective in reaching new audiences with your Facebook Author page.
The Process of Creating a Facebook Author page
To create a page, you need to have a Facebook user account. If you don’t have one, create one first.
Once you’re signed into your Facebook account, you can find the option to create a page in the designated section. The initial information you need to enter includes your Facebook Page name (we suggest using your name + Author), the category of your page (choose “author”), and a brief bio explaining who you are and what you write.
Facebook will then request additional information, such as a
- Website link
- Phone number
- Email address
- Physical address, and hours.
You can link to your personal website if you have one, but it’s recommended to leave the phone number section blank as Facebook Messenger is sufficient for communicating with fans. Since addresses and hours are not relevant to authors, you can also leave those fields blank.
Profile and cover photos
The profile photo should be a professional portrait of yourself that can be easily recognized, and the dimensions should be 170 × 170.
The cover photo, with dimensions of 820×312, is like a headline for your page and a great place to promote your work. Consider changing the cover photo periodically to reflect the series or book you’re currently releasing.
Action Button
Directs readers to a desired destination. This button stands out due to its contrasting blue color and typically receives high click-through rates.
Common options for the action button include linking to personal websites, stores to purchase products, or a self-publish-on-demand link.
A Facebook Messenger Bot
Available on Facebook Author pages, which allow for personal conversations with readers. It provides a great opportunity to connect and engage with your audience.
While you may receive unsolicited advice and offers, there are also many positive interactions to be had.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Transfer a Personal Page Into a Professional Page?
At the time of writing, it’s not possible to convert a personal page into a professional page. Creating a professional author page is relatively simple, and you can easily transfer relevant information and invite your friends to like the new page.
Which Page Authors Should Create?
Regarding whether authors should create their page as a personal brand or a business, it’s recommended to establish it as a personal brand. People generally prefer following individuals rather than businesses on social media platforms.
Conclusion
Facebook Author pages provide a valuable platform for direct communication with your audience, similar to Twitter profile, Instagram pages, or email lists.
It’s an essential component of a comprehensive book marketing strategy. If you have any questions or need assistance with creating your professional Facebook author page or developing a content strategy for it, feel free to ask them in the comment section.
