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On social media like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. you get asked to create a handle, page name, account name… If you are going to use a different account for each book or series use the same handle and page name and relate it to your books. For our book series we use 42Rules for our social media accounts. Make sure you keep track of your handles and passwords because it’s easy to get confused!
You already know you can share updates from other people’s Facebook Fan Pages on your profile or Fan Page, right? Another way to make friends on Facebook is to post about other Fan Pages with fans who would read your books. Make sure to link to the Fan Page and use hashtags. You can also message the other Fan Page admin to let them know you posted about them. Play nice on Facebook and you’ll grow your own fan base.
Dorie Clark recently attended the New Media Expo in Las Vegas and got an earful of advice on social media. While many people at the event tweet while they are walking down the hallway or carrying a second battery for their phone so they will never be out of touch others spoke quietly about cutting back on social media. This isn’t about abandoning a platform or technique but about choosing the right platform for you and focusing on that platform. This is excellent advice for authors and we recommend you read the entire article “It’s Time To Cut Back On Social Media.”
Just like any social network, Facebook has to be used wisely while you are building a community of potential readers. Do the wrong thing and you can undo all of the credibility you’ve worked hard to build.
Here are some things that you definitely want to avoid doing on FaceBook:
1. Do not spam people’s inboxes, walls or Facebook Fan Pages. This will cost you your credibility and it can also get you banned from FaceBook entirely. Facebook is an important tool that needs to remain spam free in order to be a place where people want to gather.
2. Don’t post the link to your website on people’s walls or Fan Pages. This just makes you look desperate and greedy. Don’t drop links anywhere at all. Instead, post interesting comments and people will click your name to learn more about you from your profile.
3. While you want to give yourself and your business a human face don’t get overly personal especially with photos and videos. You aren’t searching for a hot date – you are trying to build an audience of readers.
Use good sense and avoid behavior used by other spammers. In the long run it may take longer to build your audience but the price of your credibility is not something you want to lose.
Social media and networking are critical to the success of your book so we try to provide you with as much guidance on this topic as we can. Today we want to talk about “7 Fatal Facebook Mistakes” that you may be making. If you want to use Facebook wisely you’ll want to have a plan in place for how you will use it AND how you won’t use it. You’ll want to make frequent updates, be mindful about the pictures you post and remember to help people contact you. To read the rest of the tips click the link above.
Most of us have a love/hate relationship with social media because we really don’t understand the how and why of using it. Social media isn’t for everyone. It can take some time to get started, but if your readers use social media, then you should too.
Social media marketing includes the top three social media sites LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter and blogs, podcasts, webcasts, teleseminars and video sharing sites like YouTube. Any place where people gather to talk and socialize is considered a social media site.
We can’t get into all the aspects of using social media to market your book here but you can check out the FREE webcasts I’ve created on the topic and there are quite a few. Click the link to visit 42Rules to check them out.
“42 Rules of Social Media for Small Business (2nd Edition)” (also available in our marketing bundle) is the modern survival guide to effective social media communications and the answer to the question, “What do I do with social media?” Written by communications professional Jennifer L. Jacobson, this book is designed to help entrepreneuring professionals use social media to propel their business and get the most out of their social presence. From networking communication to social branding, “42 Rules of Social Media for Small Business (2nd Edition)” addresses specific rules of engagement, as well as the fundamental approach to online, as opposed to traditional, media.
As part of the 42 Rules series, this social media book is designed to quickly and effectively equip business professionals with the tools they need to grow an effective customer community through social media, that translates into customer loyalty, excitement for the brand, and return business that eventually generates a dedicated customer base and increased revenue. “42 Rules of Social Media for Small Business (2nd Edition)” demystifies social media and teaches readers why social media is important to their business and how they can maximize their social media effectiveness.
Jennifer L. Jacobson is a communications professional who drives public relations and social media for Retrevo.com, one of the largest consumer electronics shopping and review sites in the world.
Here’s a small sample of the actionable content in this book:
Rule 4 Thoughtful Social Media Generates Thoughtful People
Rule 14 Meet With Customers Virtually
Rule 26 Have Enough Lifeboats To Save Your Blog
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