Frances Caballo's Blog: 10 Twitter Tips Writers Need to Know, page 34
October 2, 2017
3 Basic Rules of Social Media Plus 5 Best Practices
Dan Zarrella, author of The Science of Marketing, said in his book, “I’ve long been interested in the idea that engaging in conversation is the single most important function of social media marketing.”
He’s right. That is why it’s so important to schedule time in the afternoon or early evening to converse with our readers, friends, and influencers in your sphere. If you don’t allocate time to converse, you are missing the point.
Social media at its essence is social so to engage in social media and not allocate time to socializing, well, it’s antithetical to the very premise of social media.
Social media at its essence is socialClick To Tweet
Take Twitter, for example. It began as a texting platform. Sure, it’s matured, evolved, and changed. You can include images and video now, and you can even advertise. But at its essence, it’s still a medium for conveying messages.
This premise is true with other social media platforms as well.
Which takes me to those 3 basic rules of social media I promised to discuss.
3 Basic Rules of Social Media
Be a social butterfly, in the best sense possible. Social media was never designed to be a broadcast messaging system the way radio and television are. Conversations are the backbone of social media and that is what distinguishes it and that is what has fueled its dominance in marketing. The beauty of social media for authors is that it allows you to converse with your readership in a manner that was never possible before Facebook was created. Indie authors have a powerful medium with which they can market their books, converse with their readers, answer questions in a matter of minutes, and further their relationships with their loyal readers, even though it’s all done virtually. Don’t attempt to be the prom queen; strive to always be authentic and to care about others.
Play nicely. If you have a friend who posts cute kitten photos ad nauseam, don’t leave a sarcastic remark; ignore them and leave a comment when she later posts substantive information that you like. There are examples everyday of people resorting to name-calling and blasphemy on Facebook and other networks. Someone once called me a phony on Twitter. I didn’t block him or reply with a nasty note. I merely moved on to the next message, a friendly one from a reader.
Ignore some people. You aren’t going to like all the messages that you read on social media networks and you may even find some to be obscene or not aligned with your political views. There were plenty of political posts during the recent presidential election. It’s best to not react negatively and to instead set an admirable example. In other words, ignore the negative politics or statements you don’t agree with. Always strive to be sincere, generous, and tolerant.
Don't attempt to be the prom queen; be authentic on social mediaClick To Tweet
Tips for Being Social
When people first hear that they need 30 minutes a day to be effective on social media, they usually complain, “But I don’t have an extra 30 minutes in my day.”
That isn’t entirely true.
Yes, these days we have more items on our to-do lists than we can possibly accomplish in a day. However, we can take just 15 minutes in the morning to curate, write and schedule our posts. All that’s needed in the afternoon is another 10 – 15 minutes to check your newsfeeds, Like your friends’ Facebook posts, leave an occasional comment, retweet and reply to your readers’ messages, and review your LinkedIn and Google+ newsfeeds. Use the applications, such as ManageFlitter, to unfollow users and kill off bots, and spam and fake accounts. Look through your newsfeeds to be social.
Always strive to be sincere, generous, and tolerant Click To Tweet
You can do this on a mobile device while watching a movie at home, waiting at your doctor’s office, letting the color set on your hair at your stylist’s salon, waiting for a friend to arrive at a coffee shop, or while standing in line at Costco. Whether you have an iPad, iPhone, Android or other device, you can socialize online whenever you have some idle time. If you don’t have idle time, then it’s important to schedule some in.
Maybe you’re the type of person who needs to schedule the time into your day. A perfect time might be 4 or 4:30 pm, when your energy is waning. Take a break from your regular work, go online, and interact with your readers.
Social media is all about nurturing relationships. Did someone retweet one of your messages? Find a tweet that they wrote that you like and return the favor. Send a note of thanks to all of your retweeters too.
Social media is all about nurturing relationshipsClick To Tweet
Is there an agent or editor on LinkedIn with whom you’d like to connect but can’t because they are a 3rd degree connection? Ask a friend to introduce you. Did a colleague just publish a new book? Let your friends and connections know about it. Socializing on social media involves these three steps: meet, connect, and repeat. You are constantly meeting new people, connecting with them, and then repeating the process with someone else. Be friendly, be positive, and be open to meeting new people.
5 Best Practices
Don’t engage with people who send you negative messages. Take a keep breath, move on to another task, and forget about them.
You will inevitably receive invitations to play Farmville, Scrabble and other online games. Unless you find these games relaxing, you won’t want to use these diversions because they tend to consume your time that you could instead use connecting with your Facebook friends or writing your next book.
Do you feel pressured to use every social media network available to you? Don’t fall for that trap. If you don’t have the time to manage LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Tumblr, Instagram and RebelMouse, determine which platforms best enable you to connect with your readers. In order not to become lost in the time suck, you will need to learn how to manage your time. Maybe you don’t have the time to schedule more than 4 tweets daily. Don’t worry. You don’t need to maximize your efforts on every social media network. Use the ones where you are most likely to encounter your readers.
It can be difficult for new authors to think of themselves as a brand but you are and your readers are watching you. Keep your messaging consistent. If you write about traveling abroad on $30/day, give tips throughout the year. If your novel takes place in Italy, pin some of your travel photos from Rome, Venice and Milan. If you wrote a novel about a single mom, post information about single mothers, women entrepreneurs and maybe efforts to penetrate the glass ceiling. If you wrote a cookbook, share recipes and photographs of your latest creations.
Don’t use your book jacket as your avatar. People want to see the face behind the book so put on some blush, brush your hair, and smile for the camera.
Author of this blog: Frances Caballo is an author and social media strategist and manager for writers. She’s a regular speaker at the San Francisco Writers Conference. In addition, she’s a contributing writer at TheBookDesigner.com, and blogger and Social Media Expert for BookWorks. She’s written several social media books including the 2nd edition of Social Media Just for Writers and The Author’s Guide to Goodreads. Her focus is on helping authors surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online, building their platform, finding new readers, and selling more books. Her clients include authors of every genre and writers’ conferences. Not sure how you’re doing online? Sign up for my free email course.
Practical tips for marketing your books on the social web
Join me for the next Conversations with Frances when I’ll interview Chris Well of Build Your Brand Academy. Chris will teach you how and when to contact the media, how to build a media kit, and how to build a brand as an author. Bring your questions, goo. Register for the webinar by clicking here.
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The post 3 Basic Rules of Social Media Plus 5 Best Practices appeared first on Social Media Just for Writers.
September 29, 2017
Indie Author Weekly Update – September 29, 2017
This week’s Indie Author Update includes posts from Adam Connell, Joanna Penn, Ali Luke, Buffer, and Writers in the Storm. I hope you enjoy the selections.
Well, we are firmly into fall, my favorite season. How does your writing change with the seasons? I’d love to know!
Indie Author Updates
How To Launch Your Own Facebook Group And Get Loyal Fans from Adam Connell: “Facebook groups are powerful. They’re a perfect place to start real conversations about things that matter to you. And because your audience members are already on Facebook (Facebook addiction is a real thing, people), they are far more likely to engage with you and your brand in Facebook groups than they are on your blog. With Facebook Live, you can now do live training right inside of your group.”
5 Easy Steps to Hone Your Instagram from Writers in the Storm: “It’s Autumn (finally) and for me, that means a time of reflecting. I like to take the first weeks of September and look back over my organizer and see where I need to make improvements in the new year. Last year it was learning to use Instagram, which I’m happy to say I’ve been doing much better at.”
Top 5 Mistakes of Indie Authors with Richardo Fayet of Reedsy and from Joanna Penn: “Learn from the most common mistakes that indie authors make and save yourself time, money and heartache in today’s show with Ricardo Fayet from Reedsy.”
How to Set Up and Email List by Ali Luke from Ali Luke: “Whatever you write, and whether or not you have a blog or even a website, it’s a great idea to have an email list. You might have heard this called an “email newsletter” or “mailing list” – it’s basically the same thing. The idea is that you let interested readers enter their email address on your site, so you can send them updates.”
The Ideal Cover Photo Size for Each of the Major Social Media Platforms from Buffer: “One of the first few things people see when they visit your social media profiles is your cover photo. Whether it’s your Facebook Page, LinkedIn Company Page, or YouTube channel, your cover photo is the biggest image on the page. And people will see your cover photo even before they see any of your posts.”
Why eBook Promotions are Indie Author Gold by Penny Sansevieri: “As an indie author, you have full control over your book’s success, which isn’t a responsibility to take lightly. Many authors still dream of that publisher deal. Once you sign that contract, you’ll be limited in what you can do. Being able to do discount eBook promotions play a big role in the level of exposure you’re able to achieve and the options you have to grown your fan base.”
Resource Watch
Reedsy book promotion sites: Discover the ideal book promotion sites for your price range. Our database is vetted with care so that you can eliminate the scammers, while our tier system is designed to give you a better picture of the sites that tend to deliver the best value for money. Is there a book promotion site we should know about?
Twitter News
So why oh why is Twitter doing 280? from TechCrunch: “Late yesterday Twitter announced the unthinkable for time-pressed journalists everywhere by revealing it is testing doubling the character length of tweets. Farewell sweet brevity of 140chars. Hello pointless extra blah-blah-blah #280.”
Quote of the Week
Author of this blog: Frances Caballo is an author and social media strategist and manager for writers. She’s a regular speaker at the San Francisco Writers Conference. In addition, she’s a contributing writer at TheBookDesigner.com, and blogger and Social Media Expert for BookWorks. She’s written several social media books including the 2nd edition of Social Media Just for Writers and The Author’s Guide to Goodreads. Her focus is on helping authors surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online, building their platform, finding new readers, and selling more books. Her clients include authors of every genre and writers’ conferences. Not sure how you’re doing online? Sign up for my free email course.
Practical tips for marketing your books on the social web
Join me for the next Conversations with Franceswhen I’ll interview Chris Well of Build Your Brand Academy. Chris will teach you how and when to contact the media, how to build a media kit, and how to build a brand as an author. Bring your questions, goo. Register for the webinar by clicking here.
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The post Indie Author Weekly Update – September 29, 2017 appeared first on Social Media Just for Writers.
September 25, 2017
Update: How to Host a Goodreads Giveaway
Goodreads giveaways are always free to list, that is if you don’t count the cost of your paperbacks and the postage you use to send your books to the winners.
Why even engage in a Goodreads giveaway? I’ve found that I always reap a bump in sales. Besides, giveaways increase awareness of your titles and you as an author, and let’s admit it; giveaways are popular.
Host Giveaways of Your Books
Contests are easy to create and run on Goodreads because Goodreads is a partner in the endeavor. Follow these steps:
Navigate to the arrow next to Browse, click it, and select Giveaways. On the right column, you’ll find a green link that says List a Giveaway.
Next, you will arrive at a Giveaways page. On the right will be a list of green hyperlinked titles. Click List a Giveaway
Once you click List a Giveaway, you’ll arrive at a new page where you’ll list the particulars about your book. Determine which day your giveaway will commence and end. Write a description, indicate the number of copies you’ll give away and provide information about the genre. There will be other items to complete as well. Also, Goodreads provides a slideshow on best practices.
Agree to the Goodreads terms and click Save. Goodreads should review and approve your giveaway in about two days.
Goodreads Book Giveaway Reminders
There are a few best practices to keep in mind.
You can give your book away at any time. Goodreads recommends setting up your giveaway six weeks before your book is published. If you do this, there will be early reviews on Goodreads but there won’t be any way for your readers to include reviews on Amazon. I recommend that you give your books away as part of your launch and once your book is available on all of your online retail sites.
How many books can you afford to give away? Remember, Goodreads enables U.S. publishers to give away both hard copies and ebooks. Goodreads’ data indicates that a 20-copy giveaway will attract 940 entries in the United States. There are various giveaway strategies. Some people like to give away three to five books at two-week intervals. I suggest that you experiment with your giveaways and determine how many copies bring you the results your want.
Goodreads now recommends that authors who are offering a giveaway also buy advertising. In my view, that’s a little self-serving. I do support using your social media channels and newsletter to announce your giveaway to increase sign-ups.
You can host a giveaway of a book as many times as you’d like but remember that the first giveaway may have the most sign-ups.
You can host as many giveaways of your various books at the same time.
Don’t ignore Goodreads’s email verification. Your giveaway won’t start until Goodreads approves of your giveaway and you formally agree to the terms.
Goodreads will notify you of the winners and their addresses. When you send them a copy of your book, do not market to the winner. You may send them a bookmark, but you can’t ask them to write a review of your book.
When was the last time you hosted a Goodreads giveaway?
Author of this blog: Frances Caballo is an author and social media strategist and manager for writers. She’s a regular speaker at the San Francisco Writers Conference. In addition, she’s a contributing writer at TheBookDesigner.com, and blogger and Social Media Expert for BookWorks. She’s written several social media books including the 2nd edition of Social Media Just for Writers and The Author’s Guide to Goodreads. Her focus is on helping authors surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online, building their platform, finding new readers, and selling more books. Her clients include authors of every genre and writers’ conferences. Not sure how you’re doing online? Sign up for my free email course.
Practical tips for marketing your books on the social web
Want Avoid Social Media Time Suck for free? Get it on Smashwords.
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The post Update: How to Host a Goodreads Giveaway appeared first on Social Media Just for Writers.
September 22, 2017
Indie Author Weekly Update – September 22, 2017
Welcome to this week’s Indie Author Update. Be sure to listen to the podcast with Dave Chesson. It’s awesome. I also love the post by Susan Wolfe because it teaches us to never give up as writers.
Well, summer is definitely coming to an end. I hope you enjoyed the season.
[Podcast] Amazon Keywords Learning Lab with Dave Chesson from Chris Syme: “Hear Dave’s story and how he got into self-publishing. What the heck is a keyword anyway and why you need to know. Where you should be using Amazon keywords. And more.”
Don’t Upload Your Ebook To An Online Bookstore Without Reviewing This Checklist from Digital Book World: “Are you a self-published author who’s getting ready to post your digital book to an online store? A little bit of preparation can save you a lot of frustration—and ensure that your book is being presented in the most effective way.”
If You Write a Book That Nobody Reads, Are You Really a Writer? from Writer Unboxed and by Susan Wolfe: “Most writers start every story with the hope of writing either a blockbuster or a story that transforms readers’ lives. Very few books meet those high expectations. When our readership falls far short of our dreams, what if anything keeps us writing? Should we try to dial our hopes back? Should we go look for a different way to make an impact? If a tree falls in the forest, how many people need to hear it for the tree to have really fallen?”
Post Less, Boost Top Posts, and More: 14 Ways to Increase Your Facebook Page Engagement from Buffer: “Engagement on Facebook Pages has fallen by 70 percent since the start of 2017, according to BuzzSumo who analyzed over 880 million Facebook posts by brands and publishers.”
How To Reinvigorate Your Book Marketing from BookBaby: “In the world of publishing, as with everything in life, persistence can pay off. There’s no way to keep a book at the top of the charts forever, but if you keep reviving it, you might exceed your sales’ expectations. Or your marketing efforts for one book may propel your next one to greater heights.”
Quote of the Week
Author of this blog: Frances Caballo is an author and social media strategist and manager for writers. She’s a regular speaker at the San Francisco Writers Conference. In addition, she’s a contributing writer at TheBookDesigner.com, and blogger and Social Media Expert for BookWorks. She’s written several social media books including the 2nd edition of Social Media Just for Writers and The Author’s Guide to Goodreads. Her focus is on helping authors surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online, building their platform, finding new readers, and selling more books. Her clients include authors of every genre and writers’ conferences. Not sure how you’re doing online? Sign up for my free email course.
Practical tips for marketing your books on the social web
Join me for the next Conversations with Frances when I’ll interview Chris Well of Build Your Brand Academy. Chris will teach you how and when to contact the media, how to build a media kit, and how to build a brand as an author. Bring your questions, goo. Register for the webinar by clicking here.
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The post Indie Author Weekly Update – September 22, 2017 appeared first on Social Media Just for Writers.
September 18, 2017
How to Sell More Books with Less Social Media with Chris Syme
Last week, Chris Syme of CKSyme Media Group was my guest on Conversations with Frances. The hour-long webinar was wide-ranging but mostly focused on Chris’s belief that social media needn’t be time consuming as long as you have goal-focused strategies.
Here are a few notes from the webinar. Be sure to watch the video to hear all of Chris’s advice and suggestions.
The best ways to use social media to sell books: Use social media wisely. Social media is just another tool; a community-based tool that has revolutionized everything. It is a powerful tool for both sales and engagement. It’s the only tool that does that.
When it comes to time suck, look at:
(1) Come to grips with FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), which is real. FOMO drives a lot of that time suck. There’s always a new tactic that someone misses out on so educate yourself that you don’t have to be everywhere. Choose your presence strategically. The quest for information is great, but there’s a line that crosses over to something dark: if I don’t do this, I won’t succeed. That’s not true. Work your strategy.
(2) You have to separate your personal social media time from your business social media time. Don’t get stuck on social media by mixing the two. You have to be judicious and strict with yourself. Schedule your marketing time. Take care of your social media and get out.
(3) Understand that management styles can be a time suck. You can save a ton of time my going to your page and clicking the inbox. If there’s nothing there, get out of there. Find that productivity groove that works well for you. It’s not about finding the right tool; it’s about using a productive way to manage your time.
Trust on social media: We need to understand what people want, and then give it to them. Follow the 80/20 rule: 80% of the time provide great content of high value; 20% of the time you can sell. Engagement and sales work together. So if you give them value, they’ll want to sell your books.
Tip: On your profile, instead of putting author under “works at,” direct people to your Facebook page.
Build strategies that are driven by goals. This doesn’t have anything to do with genre. It does depend on how much time you have every day to devote to marketing. If you’ve written a series, your strategy will be different than someone who has written just one book. How much do you have to learn? Or do you have a learning curve? You need to take a look at your specific criteria. All this will dictate the type of strategy you need to learn.
Level One Authors: Get a website, get a Facebook page, and get an email list going. Then you can figure the rest out later. Strategies depending on where you’re at in the business.
There aren’t any platforms that aren’t saturated. The important factor is learning how to use them well.
A lot of people can feel overwhelmed in their lives. But with social media, we don’t need to feel overwhelmed. Often, the cause of the anxiety is FOMO – the Fear Of Missing Out. Also, there is often a lack of understanding about the real cost of social media. It’s not exactly free because there is the cost of our time, especially for authors just starting out who need to rely on organic marketing. They put in a lot of time and don’t always quickly see any quick results. Also, we can succumb to peer pressure: “the succeed like me success stories.”
To learn more about Chris Syme’s new Facebook course, go to this link.
Author of this blog: Frances Caballo is an author and social media strategist and manager for writers. She’s a regular speaker at the San Francisco Writers Conference. In addition, she’s a contributing writer at TheBookDesigner.com, and blogger and Social Media Expert for BookWorks. She’s written several social media books including the 2nd edition of Social Media Just for Writers and The Author’s Guide to Goodreads. Her focus is on helping authors surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online, building their platform, finding new readers, and selling more books. Her clients include authors of every genre and writers’ conferences. Not sure how you’re doing online? Sign up for my free email course.
Practical tips for marketing your books on the social web
Want to be efficient and effective on social media? Get Avoid Social Media Time Suck.
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September 15, 2017
Indie Author Weekly Update – September 15, 2017
This week’s Indie Author Weekly Update contains six posts that should kick your book marketing up a few notches. Notable posts are from Dave Chesson, Writer Unboxed, and Jane Friedman.
Well we are seeing summer come to a close. I feel for the people in the wake of hurricane Harvey and Irma. Locally, it can be sunny and hot one day and the next we have lightning, thunder, and rain. Summer is definitely ending on a tumultuous note.
Indie Author Update
Book Advertising – Free Amazon Marketing Services Course by Dave Chesson: “As many of you have heard, advertising your book on Amazon Marketing Services or AMS has become one the best ways for authors to get their book discovered and even thrive in a crowded Amazon market. Through AMS, you can now choose when and where you want your book to show up on Amazon – anywhere in search results or even next to another book on their own sales page.”
What’s More Important: Author Websites or Social Media? by Jane Friedman: “In 2013, I observed a conversation on Twitter where a publisher said they didn’t believe in author websites “for a lot of authors”—that social was a better place for authors to spend time from a marketing perspective. It bothered me, and I ended up writing a blog post about it, exploring why a publisher might think this—rightly or wrongly.”
Podcasts: Will They Help You Sell Books? by Anne R. Allen: “In this post, Allison gives us the ins and outs, and pros and cons of starting your own podcast, as well as tips for securing interviews on other people’s podcasts.”
WordPress for Writers: 10 Most Useful Plugins For Your Author Website from Joanna Penn: “I’ve been using WordPress since 2008, and it’s one of those tools that enables writers to make a living, reach more readers and make a living online. But although the framework can be set up easily and quickly, there are plugins (like little apps) that can make your author website work more efficiently and with more functionality.”
What bestselling authors can teach you about marketing self-published books from Belinda Griffin: “Do you struggle to know where to begin with book marketing? Do you scour books and blogs in search of a step-by-step plan for marketing self-published books, only to find a never ending list of tricks to try and tactics to tackle? Knowing where to begin and what to focus on can be a challenge.”
Indie authors: Your Pub Date is Not As Important as You Think from Writer Unboxed: “The pub date: THE big day of an author’s life, right? All of the toiling, editing, revising and decision-making comes down to a fateful 24 hours — a speck on the calendar, but a very important speck. Or so they say. But that’s not necessarily the case, at least, not for us indie authors.”
Resource Watch
Of Note
2017 Man Book Prize Fiction Shortlist from Publishing Perspectives
Quote of the Week
Author of this blog: Frances Caballo is an author and social media strategist and manager for writers. She’s a regular speaker at the San Francisco Writers Conference. In addition, she’s a contributing writer at TheBookDesigner.com, and blogger and Social Media Expert for BookWorks. She’s written several social media books including the 2nd edition of Social Media Just for Writers and The Author’s Guide to Goodreads. Her focus is on helping authors surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online, building their platform, finding new readers, and selling more books. Her clients include authors of every genre and writers’ conferences. Not sure how you’re doing online? Sign up for my free email course.
Practical tips for marketing your books on the social web
Want to be efficient and effective on social media? Get Avoid Social Media Time Suck.
Photo Credit: Ethan Robertson
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September 11, 2017
5 Reasons Why You Should Be a Social Media Minimalist
By Chris Syme
There’s something inside all of us that says when we do less, we get less in return. More work means more return, right? Not when it comes to marketing. Especially not when it comes to social media. In marketing, it pays to be a minimalist.
What the Heck Is a Minimalist?
If you look in the dictionary, a minimalist is a person who favors a moderate approach to the achievement of a set of goals. But I don’t think that is focused enough. So, mind if I expand that a little? I believe a social media minimalist is a person that favors a strategic approach to marketing that requires three things:
Knowing which social media channel or channels produce the best return for my time and money
Knowing how to optimize those channels for engagement and sales
Implementing a system of primary and outpost channels to give maximum exposure of my brand with a minimal amount of work.
Know which social media channels to use to promote your booksClick To Tweet
A social media minimalist needs five important skills:
Know how to conduct basic audience research—where area readers globally and where are your readers?
Know the basics of how to sell (psychological triggers, sales funnel 101).
Know how to evaluate which social media platform is the best primary channel to sell their books.
Know how to optimize a primary social media channel for engagement and sales (you must engage where you want to sell).
Know how to set up secondary social media channels as outposts that redirect fans back to the primary channel of engagement. These are placeholders where you do not engage.
What a Minimalist is Not
There is a mistaken idea that authors (and that be you) can just choose any old social media channel they like and stick to that and be fine. After all, they’re all the same, right? There is only one instance where that is true: if you don’t care if you sell any books. If your only mission on social media is to have a place to connect with some fans (notice I didn’t say the most you can reach), then choosing any social media channel should work for that. There is nothing wrong with this approach. You just have to be careful you don’t expect a return on something you are not developing.
There is another mistaken idea that social media is only for connecting with your fans. This one is mostly championed by people who don’t like selling. The truth about social media is that it has two pieces that work together best if combined: engaging and selling. The trick is, these two entities are seldom implemented in the right proportion.
To succeed at selling without being sleazy or invasive, you need to follow the 80-20 Content Rule—80% of your content gives value to your followers and 20% is about selling. Following this formula earns you the right to sell. It’s one of the most potent psychological buying triggers: reciprocity. It decreases the chances that people feel bullied into buying and increases their desire to give back to someone who has given more than they asked for. That be you.
So why should you consider being a social media minimalist?
The more time you spend on social media, the less time you'll have to write another bookClick To Tweet
5 Reasons You Should Be a Social Media Minimalist
The current social media landscape is such that there is one major platform that rises heads and shoulders above them all when it comes to audience reach, audience diversity (age and gender), time spent on the platform, and ample sales tools designed to help you sell right on your page. I’m tellin’ ya: Facebook is all you need when it comes to social media.
The more time you spend trying to engage and keep up with every social media platform, the less time you have to write. Your best marketing strategy is writing your next book.
With the rapid pace of new channels and changes to present social media channels, the less social media you have to keep up with, the better.
Similar to number two: Distractions are the biggest killer of writing productivity. And social media has a terrible habit of fueling FOMO (fear of missing out) because everything is happening now. The less social media channels you have to manage, the less FOMO you have to deal with.
Social media is just one of several other strategies you need to sell your books. And it isn’t nearly as effective as let’s say, email. Your marketing time should not be dominated by social media management.
About the author of this blog post: Chris Syme helps authors spend less time marketing and more time writing by teaching a proven method of book marketing that is simple: you don’t have to be everywhere, just the right places doing the right things. Are you ready to become a social media minimalist? Her latest book, The Newbie’s Guide to Selling More Books With Less Marketing covers that and much more. Despite the title, seasoned marketers will learn something there as well. But check out the book description first to see if it’s a good fit for you. Remember, the best marketing strategy is writing your next book.
Author of this blog: Frances Caballo is an author and social media strategist and manager for writers. She’s a regular speaker at the San Francisco Writers Conference. In addition, she’s a contributing writer at TheBookDesigner.com, and blogger and Social Media Expert for BookWorks. She’s written several social media books including the 2nd edition of Social Media Just for Writers and The Author’s Guide to Goodreads. Her focus is on helping authors surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online, building their platform, finding new readers, and selling more books. Her clients include authors of every genre and writers’ conferences. Not sure how you’re doing online? Sign up for my free email course.
Practical tips for marketing your books on the social web
Conversations with Frances Features Chris Syme
The next Conversations with Frances is September 12th and will feature social media expert Chris Syme. Join us during our live webinar and ask your own questions.
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The post 5 Reasons Why You Should Be a Social Media Minimalist appeared first on Social Media Just for Writers.
September 8, 2017
Indie Author Weekly Update – September 8, 2017
This week’s Indie Author Weekly Update focuses on blogging and publishing strategies. I think you’ll enjoy the posts below from Adam Connell, Joan Stewart, Anne R. Allen and Writer Unboxed.
Was there a heat wave where you live? There was one in Northern California and thank goodness the temperature has returned to its more temperate moderate. I hope you enjoy the few days of summer that we have left.
How To Beat Blogger’s Block With Endless Blog Post Ideas from Adam Connell: “Blogging is supposed to be about inspiring your readers. So, how come your blog leaves you uninspired every time you have to write another blog post? You end up thinking: Another week’s gone by and I need to write a post. I have nothing to write about. I’ve written everything I can about my niche. When this happens, the mere thought of sitting down to write feels like there’s a mega-ton rock on your head – which you can’t seem to shake off. No amount of mustering, fighting or even trying some wacky things can make what you’re feeling go away.”
Don’t Fall Prey to Publishing Scams: 7 New Writer Mistakes to Avoid from Anne R. Allen: “We all make mistakes. It’s how people learn. But some new writer mistakes can end a writing career before it starts. They play into the hands of the predators who make money off the delusions of newbie writers.”
Do Daily Deal Services Work? One Author’s Experience with 19 Promo Sites from Writer Unboxed: “When Laura first pitched writing a piece on her experience with a large number of promo sites, we thought it could make for a fresh and interesting case study–and it does. Sales are a funny thing, and linked to variables that are often unknowable to us. Laura’s personal analysis of her sales numbers and their correlation with a roundup of ad runs provides food for thought and may introduce you to services you never knew existed.”
Tie into Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall for Timely Book Hooks by Joan Stewart from TheBookDesigner.com: “Each new season of the year doubles as a springboard for book marketing. Tie a title to winter, spring, summer or fall, and publicity is practically yours for the asking.”
Quote of the Week
Author of this blog: Frances Caballo is an author and social media strategist and manager for writers. She’s a regular speaker at the San Francisco Writers Conference. In addition, she’s a contributing writer at TheBookDesigner.com, and blogger and Social Media Expert for BookWorks. She’s written several social media books including the 2nd edition of Social Media Just for Writers and The Author’s Guide to Goodreads. Her focus is on helping authors surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online, building their platform, finding new readers, and selling more books. Her clients include authors of every genre and writers’ conferences. Not sure how you’re doing online? Sign up for my free email course.
Practical tips for marketing your books on the social web
Hear Chris Syme
The next Conversations with Frances will feature social media expert Chris Syme. Among the topics we cover will be how to sell more books with less social media marketing. Join us during this live webinar and ask your own questions.
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September 1, 2017
Indie Author Weekly Update – September 1, 2017
In this week’s Indie Author Weekly Update, posts range from Mark Coker’s views on cultivating superfans to Hugh Howey’s insightful Part IV of his series on writing and publishing. I hope you enjoy them all.
Where I live, September is starting with a heat wave. Wish me luck as I strive to stay cool and say a prayer — or send good thoughts — to all the people in Texas who are suffering due to Hurricane Harvey.
Indie Author Updates
How Indie Authors Can Cultivate Superfans from Publishers Weekly and by Mark Coker: “Most book marketing advice focuses on how to get readers to buy your books, yet ignores how to care for your readers once you’ve got them. With subtle tweaks to your publishing process, you have the opportunity to cultivate more passionate readers. I call these passionate readers superfans.”
How Indie Authors Can Get Podcast Interviews to Market their Self-published Books from the Alliance of Independent Authors: “Almost every author I know hates marketing . We’d love just to write, and have people magically find and buy our books. But it just doesn’t work that way. If we want to sell books, we need to do some marketing.”
Podcast Episode 59 – 10 Tips to Sell More Books on Facebook by Chris Syme: “We review the “Golden Rule of Selling On Social Media” and why you can’t overlook it. Why Facebook is the best social media channel for selling your books. Learn the time commitment for getting maximum engagement on the three top social media channels.”
Writing Insights Part Four: Publishing Your Book by Hugh Howey: “Before I begin, it bears mentioning that I’ve written more on this topic than any other. My blog is one long history of writing about publishing, and the talks I give are usually about publishing. Attempting to consolidate my thoughts into ten mere insights has been a task of omission.”
The Surprising Truth About Pinterest Hashtags 2017 by Louise Myers: “Should you use Pinterest hashtags? That’s the question. For years, Pinterest has been telling us not to use them – unless it’s one, branded hashtag. For the past month, though, there’s been some weird goings-on where hashtags in Pin descriptions become clickable on desktop – then not. Hashtag buttons appear on mobile – sometimes. Now it’s official.”
Book Promotion: Do This, Not That – August 2017 by Amy Collins from TheBookDesigner.com: “I was speaking with Spencer Michaels, author of the popular Twin Flames Trilogy. His latest book, IF, has just been released and he has been promoting it to libraries and stores all over Virginia and North Carolina as well as nationally.”
Quote of the Week
Author of this blog: Frances Caballo is an author and social media strategist and manager for writers. She’s a regular speaker at the San Francisco Writers Conference. In addition, she’s a contributing writer at TheBookDesigner.com, and blogger and Social Media Expert for BookWorks. She’s written several social media books including the 2nd edition of Social Media Just for Writers and The Author’s Guide to Goodreads. Her focus is on helping authors surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online, building their platform, finding new readers, and selling more books. Her clients include authors of every genre and writers’ conferences. Not sure how you’re doing online? Sign up for my free email course.
Practical tips for marketing your books on the social web
The next Conversations with Frances will feature social media expert Chris Syme. Among the topics we cover will be how to sell more books with less social media marketing. Join us during this live webinar and ask your own questions.
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The post Indie Author Weekly Update – September 1, 2017 appeared first on Social Media Just for Writers.
August 28, 2017
On the Hashtag Anniversary Hashtags Just for Writers
Last Wednesday was the 10-year anniversary for the Twitter hashtag and Twitter acknowledged it with the trending hashtag #Hashtag10.
Formerly known as the pound sign, it’s reported that Chris Messina, a former Google designer, invented the hashtag.
According to Twitter, users share an average of 125 million hashtags daily.
Some popular tweets are #FollowFriday, which has been used half a billion times, and #ThrowbackThursday, which has been sent 120 million times. #NowPlaying has been tweeted more than a billion times.
Of course, hashtags eventually spread to Facebook, Google+, and Instagram. While hashtags on Facebook have never taken off, they are an integral part of Instagram where more the merrier seems to be the mantra.
On Twitter, a trim two are sufficient.
It’s always a good idea to check trending hashtags in the left column of your Home tab or newsfeed.
Sure, sometimes they’re about topics you might not be interested in but there are times when you’ll find hashtags that are related to writing, such as #1LineFriday.
Hashtags are actually quite cool. You can use a hashtag to have your tweet or book get discovered. And you can use hashtags as search terms in the search bar.
All hashtags are hyperlinked so when you click on a hashtag, you’ll navigate to a page filled with tweets that carry that hashtag.
For a hashtag to work, you can’t separate the words in a hashtag or add other symbols to it. For example, #FollowFriday! wouldn’t work as a hashtag because by adding the exclamation mark, you lose the search functionality.
Here is an updated list of hashtags just for writers:
#1K1H: This hashtag communicates that you’re about to write 1,000 words in one hour.
#1LineWednesday: Share the best line from one of your books on Wednesdays and use this hashtag.
#99c: If you have a spare $0.99 to spend on a new story, use this tag in your Twitter search bar and you’ll find a cheap eBook. You can also use this tag to find new readers if you’re selling an eBook for this price.
#Amazon / #GooglePlay / #Kobo / #iTunes / #Smashwords: Use these hashtags to let your readers know where your book is available for download or order.
#AmazonCart: You can encourage your readers to connect their Amazon and Twitter accounts. Then each time your readers include #AmazonCart in a tweet, Amazon will know to add the items with the corresponding Amazon link to your readers’ shopping carts.
#amwriting / #amediting: These terms are commonly used for Twitter chats you join. Johanna Harness is the creator of the term #amwriting as well as the www.amwriting.org website. Chats take place throughout the day. Some authors use #amediting to let their readers know that they are editing their next book.
#AuthorChat: This hashtag is used for ongoing conversations between authors.
#askagent / #askauthor: These are great tags for writers who don’t have an agent or editor, but have questions for them. Who knows? You just might find your next editor or agent on Twitter.
#askeditor: Similar to the above hashtag, use this one to ask an editing question.
#bestseller: Have you written a best seller? Let everyone know. Refrain from using this hashtag if you haven’t written a best seller. Are you reading a best seller? Show your readers that you read as well by including the title, a link, and this hashtag in a tweet.
#bibliophile / #bookworm / #reader: If you’re looking for a reader for your books, add one of these hashtags to a tweet about one of your books.
#bookgiveaway: Is your book listed for free during a Kindle promotion? Use this hashtag. Use it also for your Goodreads giveaways.
#bookmarket / #bookmarketing / #GetPublished: Search for this hashtag to learn more about marketing your books.
#bookworm: Looking for avid readers? Use this hashtag when tweeting about your books.
#BYNR (Book Your Next Read): Authors use this hashtag to promote their books.
#eBook: Did you release an ebook or recently convert a hard copy novel to an ebook? Use this hashtag so that iPad, Nook, Kobo, and Kindle users can download it.
#FollowFriday / #FF: This is a fun Twitter tradition for expressing gratitude to your retweeters by giving them exposure to a wider audience. On Friday mornings, write a message composed of the user names of your most loyal retweeters. You can also use #FF to connect with writers you admire or members of your critique group or book club.
#Free / #Giveaway: This has become a popular hashtag on Twitter. Let readers know when you’re offering your next book or story giveaway.
#FreeDownload: Use this hashtag when you want to promote your book as being free.
#FreebieFriday: If you offer a book giveaway on a Friday, use this hashtag.
#FridayRead: On Fridays, you can share what you’re reading. Refrain from using this hashtag for your own book. Authors use this hashtag to communicate their love of reading.
#Genre / #Romantic / #Comedy / #Suspense /#Mystery / #Erotica / Paranormal / Poetry / #DarkThriller / Dark Fantasy, etc.: Some readers search specifically by genre when looking for a new book. Use the hashtag that corresponds to your genre.\
#Goodreads: Use this hashtag when referring to a review, book giveaway, or favorite quote on Goodreads.
#Greatreads: You can use this hashtag for promoting your friends’ books or just sharing your impressions of the last book you read.
#Holidays: #Halloween, #Christmas, #Hanukkah, and other holidays are sometimes trending on Twitter. Use them in creative ways to promote your blog and books when you feature an event or blog post related to a holiday.
#HotTitles: Have you read some books lately that are selling like wildfire? Let your Tweeps know about them. (Don’t use this hashtag for your own books.)
#Instapoet: Use this hashtag to attract traffic to your Instagram account, to identify yourself as a poet who has risen through the ranks as an avid social media user, or to attract attention to similar poets.
#KidLit/#PictureBook: Authors of children’s books will want to use these hashtags.
#kindle: If you have a book on Kindle, let everyone know.
#KindleBargain: Use this hashtag when your book is listed temporarily for free.
#memoir: Connect with other memorists and readers by using this hashtag. Also, designate your latest memoir with this hashtag.
#nanowrimo: Every November, thousands of writers take part in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), the effort to write a novel in one month. The project started in 1989 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Over time, it became a national and then international effort. By 2013, NaNoWriMo attracted 310,000 adult novelists, plus an additional 89,500 young writers. You can keep in touch with other NaNoWriMo writers all over the world by using the #nanowrimo hashtag in your tweets or by searching for this term. Use it to let your readers know that you’re writing another volume in a series you write too.
#ShortStory: Do you prefer to write short stories? Attract new admirers with this hashtag.
#ThankfulThursday: Similar to #FF, use this hashtag to thank other users in your community.
#WhatToRead: Looking for a new book to read? Use this hashtag in Twitter’s search bar.
#WLCAuthor: The World Literary Café is a promotional website for authors. Similar to the Independent Author Network (#IAN), Indie authors who join these organizations help each other in their promotions. TIP: These types of hashtags are unfamiliar to your readers so use them thoughtfully, if at all.
#wordcount: With this hashtag you can share your progress with other writers on the book or story you’re writing.
#writegoal: Users include this hashtag to announce publicly how many words they intend to write that day.
#WriterWednesday / #WW: Use this hashtag to connect with writers you admire and authors who are your colleagues.
#WritersBlock / #WriteMotivation: Do you sometimes need a little motivation in the mornings to get your writing started? Use these hashtags to find your inspiration. If you’re also an editor, use these hashtags to inspire authors.
#WritersLife: If you have a fun image or quote to share about writing or the writing process, use this hashtag to amuse your author colleagues.
#writetip / #writingtip: If you don’t have time to take a workshop, trying using these hashtags to learn more about your craft. Authors who are book coaches or editors can use these hashtags to attract new clients.
#writing / #editing: These terms are similar to #amwriting and #amediting.
#writingblitz: Use this term to let your followers know that today you are writing as fast as you can.
#writingfiction: Fiction writers use this hashtag to meet each other or to share their books, goals, or ideas on writing fiction.
#writingprompt / #writeprompt: Is it hard to get started on the next chapter of your novel? Well, worry no more. Log on to Twitter, search for this tag, and you’ll find a great prompt to get those creative juices bubbling.
Author of this blog: Frances Caballo is an author and social media strategist and manager for writers. She’s a regular speaker at the San Francisco Writers Conference. In addition, she’s a contributing writer at TheBookDesigner.com, and blogger and Social Media Expert for BookWorks. She’s written several social media books including the 2nd edition of Social Media Just for Writers and The Author’s Guide to Goodreads. Her focus is on helping authors surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online, building their platform, finding new readers, and selling more books. Her clients include authors of every genre and writers’ conferences. Not sure how you’re doing online? Sign up for my free email course.
Practical tips for marketing your books on the social web
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10 Twitter Tips Writers Need to Know
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