Q: I'm co-owner of a company that publishes medical guides written by physicians who are also mothers. What are some best practices for growing our social media reach to sell more books?
Jennifer Branch Reich, founder
Mommy MD Guides
A: By the nature of social media, generating "reach" requires actual engagement on the platforms where your customers participate.
According to Dan Quirk, executive vice president of marketing for Quirk's Publishing Inc., "One of the best ways to engage potential customers through social media is to provide free and engaging content related to the product you're selling.
"Perhaps you are sharing an interview with the author of the book or a few tips and techniques taken from the book — or even conducting a live interview on Facebook where fans of the author can ask questions. Or maybe you use social media to post where the author will be appearing live.
"In other words, you want to engage your audience and give them a reason to want the book."
Quirk also strongly recommends encouraging sharing of your content by providing relevant hashtags and perhaps a special social media discount for purchase.
Finally, he stresses that "above all, social media is an ongoing process, and like all marketing, you need to have a plan and stick to it — so know your objectives, strategies and tactics and be sure to measure the results."
As with any marketing campaign, measurement represents the key to proving return on investment (ROI). In the case of social media, make sure you put serious forethought into which measures actually mean something to your efforts.
For instance, improvement in click-through rates may look great, but if those actions can't be tied directly to sales, the data says nothing relevant to increased revenue.
Mike Porter is the distinguished service faculty in marketing at the University of St. Thomas, Opus College of Business.
