Social Media - Why?

There are a lot of people that don't understand how or why using social media is an important business strategy. When you mention Twitter or Facebook their faces screw up and they look at you like you have just laid an egg.

"Isn't Twitter that site where people text about what they are doing? . . . I'm in the car on the way to grandma's house . . . just checking out that new movie . . ." they say.

Well, yes and no. Twitter is much more than that. And Facebook? Facebook is more than just a site to connect with your old school chums. They are networking tools that if used well can help you generate traffic to your Web page, attract readers and generate book sales.

What about YouTube? Oh boy, get me started please!

Businesses use social networking to drive traffic to their sites and to interest people in their products and so can you, using many of the same techniques.

Authors that are looking to self promote can't afford to neglect any opportunity to get their name and their titles in front of potential readers. Having a Twitter account, using Facebook to network and using You Tube to post videos, and audio clips, sharing content and information is vitally important in promoting your work.
Why? Because people, that read books are using Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Your readers are surfing these sites and you want your presence and your book to be where they can find you.
If they can't find you, they aren't going to read your book.

If you aren't already sold on social media or don't know how to use it to promote your book there are some quick tips that you need to know.

To promote yourself and your book you need to master utilization of several avenues of social media:
Facebook
Twitter
You Tube and
BlogSpot or one of the other blogging tools available free on the web.

Social media integration is KEY to making money using social media networking for marketing your book.
If you don’t have time to master the use of these tools yourself, hire someone to do it for you. The cost of hiring it out is less than the expense of not doing it at all or of doing it poorly.

Tips when using social media to promote your book:

- Keep your personal and business accounts separate.
Create Twitter, Facebook, and You Tube accounts that are devoted to your work, your book and related activities. Do not post personal details and pictures of the family in these accounts.
- Create an Author site that gives information about you, your book, and your public speaking and signing events. Make sure that this site includes a blog or links to a blog; where you can post information, articles and excerpts of written work such as poetry or share intriguing new character and story development details for current projects.
- When blogging, don't crowd your readers. Make your book available but don't burden visitors with aggressive sales tactics. Win their interest and their trust.
- Give your blogs visitors something that will engage their interest. If they like your blog they will seek out your book.
- Be a host for Author Virtual Tours; network with other others. By hosting and promoting others you create relationships and expand your visibility.


Use Twitter, Facebook and You Tube to drive traffic to your blog and your main "author" site.
Visit other authors' sites and leave comments or become a fan, doing this creates back links to your site and accounts, potentially attracting visitors who may then buy your book.

For more about using video and audio clips to promote your book through YouTube come back next week!