Social Media Marketing Doesn't Work: Unusual Book Marketing Tips Outside of Social Media

The experts say that social media marketing doesn't work. Here are a few tricks to get your new book out to the masses while bypassing social media. 

by Mel Dawn

Pressing the publish button can be a great accomplishment for the independent writer, yet the work has just begun. If you want people to read your books, you’re going to need to spend time marketing your potential best seller. Chances are you’ve heard the advice about developing a presence on social media, yet at any given hour, chances are there are millions of other authors clamouring for attention on Facebook or Twitter. 

The savvy novel writer will have a few tricks up their sleeve. Sure, you can continue to spend most of your marketing time on Facebook and Twitter, but you should try these clever offline marketing techniques too.

The Hidden Gem

Bookmarks are going to be one of the least expensive marketing tools that you can purchase from any online printer. Some writers even go so far as to trim bookmarks in half so that they can get double the amount for the same price. These bookmarks can be utilized in a variety of different ways. 

You can directly hand out bookmarks to your friends, coworkers, and acquaintances, but you’ll soon run out of people. Another method is to leave bookmarks in places where your potential readers may be. This may be in the specific book section at the library where other people may be interested in reading your book: Fiction, Science Fiction, or Teen. You can also pop them into magazines that are left out for patients at the local clinic, or you can leave them conveniently on transit, in the park, or in a public restroom. 

If your book is set in your local town you may even wish to ask local shopkeepers if you can tape a poster to their window with the other posters, or to keep a small supply of bookmarks by the till. 

Continue reading here for part two. 

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