HomeTwitter as a marketing tool for publishers: Opportunities and challenges

Twitter as a marketing tool for publishers: Opportunities and challenges

 

By Xiaohan Li

 

How did you decide to buy the book you are currently reading for fun? For me, it was when I read a post from the publisher on its social media platform. The post was available to its more than 200,000 followers, and I am certainly not the only one to have been intrigued by their promotional message. Selling a book in the Internet age can be that easy – when publisher knows how to effectively use social media to reach readers.

In my chapter Twitter as a Marketing Tool for Publishers: Opportunities and Challenges, I investigate how traditional publishers can use social media for their marketing activities. Here I’m using Twitter as an example to talk about the opportunities that social media bring to publishers as well as some concerns and challenges.

First, social media offers publishers the opportunity to engage with readers. They can interact directly with readers on social media, receive feedback, answer questions, post information about their upcoming books, etc. Publishers can also direct traffic to their website by using hyperlinks in their posts, which is a common practice such as the following: 

Second, social media can be effective in helping to maintain a positive public image for the publisher and address reputation crisis when it arises. In the age of the Internet, the reputation of an organisation can be easily damaged, as negative stories can go viral within a very short period of time (Weinberg, 2009). By giving a prompt response through social media, the organisation can talk directly to the public and address the issue in a timely manner. A panel discussion among representatives from some Silicon Valley companies sheds more light on crisis and reputation management in the Internet era.

Another way that social media can contribute to book marketing is through authors. Many authors use social media to build an informal relationship with their readers, and readers tend to feel personally related to the authors and would be more likely to be supportive. Interestingly, authors often feel that publishers expect them to promote their books through social media, though the expectations are not directly expressed (Laing, 2017). Even famous writers such as George RR Martin can feel such pressure: 

Although social media, like Twitter, has become an integral part of business marketing, there are still challenges and concerns over the use of social media in the publishing industry. For instance, it is hard to measure the effects of social media marketing, and some publishers have doubts about whether or not it's worth investing time and money into the practice. Also, for small publishers with limited followers, it would be hard for them to have a voice to be heard (Thoring, 2011).

Will publishers put more efforts into social media marketing? Probably so. A survey among publishers shows that up to 68% of the respondents believe social media is the biggest opportunity in future book marketing. Will social media marketing replace traditional forms of book marketing? Probably not. Publishers are still experimenting with the new tools, but they can be a valuable addition and will be worth the effort!

 

References

Laing, A. (2017). Authors using social media: Layers of identity and the online author community. Publishing Research Quarterly, 33(3), 254-267. doi: 10.1007/s12109-017-9524-5

Thoring, A. (2011). Corporate tweeting: Analysing the use of Twitter as a marketing tool by UK trade publishers. Publishing Research Quarterly, 27(2), 141-158. doi: 10.1007/s12109-011-9214-7

Weinberg, T. (2009). The new community rules: Marketing on the social web. Sebastopol: O’Reilly Media.