Real Connection Amid the Chatter
Book Marketing Part 2—More Online Play
By Rachelle Christensen
Previously we talked about the big names in social media. If you’re going to be anywhere, be in those places. But once you’re comfortable, go ahead and expand. The web is just bursting with places to promote your books. Here are a few other marketing outlets you should take a look at.
Pinterest—Pinterest is big. It would be wise to create an account, but do NOT do so for the sole purpose of marketing. This platform is tons of fun and offers another way for readers/writers to connect with you, but if you’re only going to be pinning images of your books, it won’t be helpful. Consider creating a “Writing Board” and a board for one of your “Books in Progress,” as well as another board that might tie into your characters. You can have a lot of fun with Pinterest—and do great research for your books as well.
Facebook—Previously we talked about getting an author page. If you have a personal page, keep it that way and utilize your author page for connecting with your readers.
Twitter—You can use autofeed to post material from your blog and/or Facebook to Twitter.
Blogs—Make your blog about your reader, not about you or your book. Engage with readers to build a dedicated audience. You can use Blogger or Wix or many other builders to make a blog—or a lot of people also like WordPress.com. Here’s a handy guide with pictures showing how to start up on Blogger. You can easily search the Internet to find out more. Surf the net to find blogs that resonate with you and then ask why. Here are some of my favorite blogs:
YouTube—Do you like to make videos, provide instruction, etc? If so, create your own YouTube channel and start gathering subscribers. If you have valuable content, this is another good forum.
Wikipedia—Consider registering yourself on Wikipedia. I’m sure you’ve heard the old joke that Wikipedia is the last place you want find “facts,” but depending on the online presence you may have, it’s smart place to go so that you can get your own facts right. (There are a lot of rules about what you can and can’t do in terms of entries about yourself or your books on this forum, so read the rules.)
LinkedIn—Mostly for professionals, and great for nonfiction authors and coaches, this is fast and easy to set up and you’ll connect with hundreds of people fairly quickly. It’s a good idea to set up your profile before someone else with your same/similar name sets one up.
Instagram—Lots of people love sharing photos and connecting this way. If you enjoy this, then hop on board.
TikTok—Love it or hate it, lots of young people and readers hang out here. You could try the new BookTok aspect to connect with readers. If you’re game, check out TikTok here.
There are many, many more social outlets out there. But lots of them come and go (Flickr and Tumblr are still hanging on, but does anyone remember Google+?), so we won’t list them all here. Make sure you don’t spread yourself too thin. Many writers fall into the trap of losing their writing time to social media. I certainly could stand to improve in all of the outlets I’ve discussed, but at this point in my life, with young children, I choose to spend my tiny bit of spare time writing.
I hope these tips will help you get started and on the pathway to successful marketing that is enjoyable and effective! Next up will be offline marketing and other fun ideas. So watch for that!
Do This Now
- Make a list of all the social media sites you belong to. Now decide which ones will give you the most traffic.
- If you’re not already on the top six services, check them out and sign up.
- One of the best ways to get traffic to come to you is to go to them. Find sites you like and comment (be nice, helpful, insightful). If people like what you have to say, they may check you out. Just be sure to identify yourself in a way that makes it easy to find you.
- Check out more promotion posts in our archives (Click on the “Book Promotion & Platform Building” category.)
Share with us your marketing worries or success stories. What marketing tips would you like to see from us in the future?
Rachelle J. Christensen is a mother of four who writes suspense and enjoys online marketing. She has organized blog tours and book blasts, and is frequently sought out for her secrets on low-cost Internet marketing. Her clients include a multimillion-dollar worldwide company, publishers, and dozens of authors, including New York Times Bestseller David Farland and celebrity Merrill Osmond. Visit her website or Facebook.
I like Facebook myself, but I signed up for Twitter a few months ago for a contest and there are a ton of writers/agents/publishers on there, it’s a great resource for writers.
I like the idea of social networking being online play rather than marketing. When you take the pressure off–thinking everything you do has to have ROI outcome–it gets less overwhelming and uncomfortable. Too much pressure otherwise. We have to face that we can’t control everything and have a little faith in the timing of life. Social media is not about sales. So if you take a step back and just dabble here and there when and how you want to, and learn the ropes at your own pace, it becomes interesting and real connection takes place. I think the best marketing advice I’ve ever gotten and can pass on is to chill out! There’s a season for smart strategy, but once you’ve put the pieces in place, just enjoy the ride and see who wants to take the journey with you.
What a great article! It’s so fun to find authors who interact with their readers on different sites, it makes their books seem that much better when you can actually connect with the person who created them.
This is also great for those who really don’t know how to begin with social media. It may seem daunting at first with all the different websites and formats, but once you find your “forte”, it becomes more fun than work.