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Can A Facebook Ad Really Help You Sell More Books?

By on December 9, 2016
Can A Facebook Ad Really Help You Sell More Books? - Writer's life.org

Marketing your book can feel like a minefield for most novice writers. There are so many different ways to do it it can often seem completely overwhelming. The idea of doing something wrong, or that a marketing plan might backfire and cause your book damage is also daunting too.

Of course, there are lots of things you can do to try and increase your book sales without having to dip into your hard earned cash. Indeed, spending lots of money advertising your book may not be an option for many authors. However, if you do have some money to spend trying to increase your book sales, it is important to spend it wisely. There is nothing worse than spending lots on what you think will help, only to see little or no return, Making money on book sales is hard enough, the last thing you want is to make a loss.

Facebook advertising is one of the most popular ways for authors to try and reach out to a wider audience and lock in some book sales. Of course, doing so costs money. The good thing about Facebook advertising is it is very easy to control how much you spend. However, creating a successful Facebook ad is not as easy as it seems. It is one thing to get your ad seen by thousands of users, but are they the right ones, and what does it take to actually make them click through to your sales page and buy your book?

Here are some tips to make sure you make the most of your Facebook Ad.

Pay attention to your picture.

Think about how you behave when you scroll through your Facebook feed. When it comes to ads, it is so easy just to keep on scrolling. If you want your target audience to pay attention to your ad you need to make your picture stand out on their feed. The image should be bright, powerful and intriguing. However, it also needs to be relevant. Of course, many authors use their book cover, but unless it's one which smacks readers around the face you might want to think of an alternative. You need an image that tells viewers immediately what kind of book is on offer while also using strong and noticeable colours to make it really stand out.

Do some research

Just as when you designed your book cover, you need to set all personal tastes and opinions aside. It’s not about whether you think your ad looks great, it’s whether the reader does. This takes research, knowledge of your target audience and, admittedly a bit of trial and error. Make sure you don’t let your personal opinions get in the way. Your aim is to get more people to read your book so it’s worth putting out an ad that you don’t love if that means you get the result you want. Researching your target audience is so important too. Facebook lets you choose who will see your ad, and has loads of useful information to help you target the people most likely to buy your book. Spend time really thinking about this and choose carefully.

Make it easy for them

Your ad should be clear and simple. It should tell your audience everything they need to know to make a decision and include a simple link which clicks through to where they can buy your book. Remember the link needs to go directly to a sales page. Link it to your Amazon page or similar, not to your own website. The more a potential purchaser has to click to buy the more chances they have to change their minds and leave.

Stick to your budget

Make sure you set a realistic budget, one that you are comfortable with and happy to lose. Creating a Facebook ad is a bit like placing a bet. It could be super successful and generate you loads of sales. It could make no difference whatsoever. While, by doing the above, you can increase your chances of creating a successful Facebook ad, there are no guarantees. Therefore, you need to be willing to accept that the money you spend might be lost.

It’s always a good idea to experiment first, set low budgets and see how well your ad does. If it flops, try a new tactic, again set a low budget and try again. Learn from your mistakes, and be willing to let something go (even if you really love it) when it clearly isn’t working. When you find something that works, then you can increase your spend and see where it takes you.

The truth is anyone can create a Facebook ad, and while some people swear by them, others find them deeply disappointing. If you do have a budget for marketing creating a Facebook ad may well be something you wish to consider. Just take your time, do your research and never spend more than you are willing to lose!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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