SOCIAL MEDIA AND MARKETING CHANNELS FOR AUTHORS
So one of the requirements that my publisher requests of me on signing the publishing contract with them is to have a twitter account up and running (got to get my social media channels on the go and buzzing).
Twitter has a very straightforward account system set up, note “parental guidance” as even a five year old would be able to open an account with his / her eyes closed.
Simple really: Just log in your e-mail; choose you’re password and account name and your done and dusted. Except for me, of course, who in the space of about 2 minutes managed to set up an account, block the account, change the original e-mail address to another one as well as modifying the password, and all in the blink of an eye! So by punching in my original password about 10 times to no avail, I managed to almost hack my own account and was warned by Twitter, in polite, pink little letters, that someone / something “non-authorized” was seemingly trying to access my account and that I wouldn’t be allowed to open it again for the next 60 minutes. The Twitter team obviously thought I was some “political target” or something and I’m now probably on their “One to watch” list.
I was thinking of setting up my own Webpage, but all considered, if I was able to balls it up so much with just a simple twitter account, I’d probably be capable of innocently hacking the White House if I attempted anything more complex. What would President Trump do then?
Mind you, saying that, I must have got something right, because before my whole Twitter account collapsed, I did manage to see that I instantaneously had five followers: my local athletics club, triathlon club, tennis club, my local gym and my local swimming club…hhhmmm..I hadn’t really appreciated, until then, what a complete fitness freak I am…
But please feel free to follow me, I am harmless: @HodgsonCristina
What are the best social media channels?
Apart from Twitter and Facebook, you really do need to expand your social media channels as much as possible. There is not time to be a “shy” girl and have principles. It’s time to get everyone buzzing over you, after all it’s all about marketing darling! So really don’t be shy! (Which is actually quite hard for the majority of writers, who are shy by nature).
What I have discovered is that it’s overwhelming having to try and balance your normal life with getting an active presence on social media.
Write out a check-list. See what works for you (Facebook / Twitter / Instagram etc Check the analytics for each site and for what you’re posting, see what achieves more impressions / reaches a wider audience).
I’ve also found the following quite helpful in trying to achieve an active presence in the writing world: (A world which is pretty much on the same spectrum, in terms of difficulty, as getting to the Moon).
- Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/HodgsonCristina/
I felt a bit ridiculous setting up my author page. Me an author? My book isn’t even out yet! But if you want people to take you and your writing seriously, you have to believe in what you’re doing. Also, you can only activate Facebook ads and “reach” a wider public from a Facebook “Page” something that can’t be done from a “profile.”
- Set up a Facebook event: Do an online launch event for the day your book’s released. You can find the link to my event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/562545000610837/
Check it out for ideas. Or better still come along! This is where you can attract and interact with potential readers. Run a few competitions / give snippets of your work to give people a teaser of what to expect in the book / include interviews / vlogs etc. Basically anything to engage readers and give them that little nudge towards buying your end product.
- Goodreads: Again another great site to run a giveaway and attract potential readers.
- Check out Bloggers who read your genre. Interact with them, see if any are willing to review your book.
- Book Tours. This is a paid service, some are quite economical and will spread the word about your book over the contracted period of time.
- Friend other authors, most are quite willing to help fellow authors and will pass on tips and ideas.
Another extremely helpful link in regards to learning about on-line marketing is:
http://www.digitalbusinessacademyuk.com/ (This is a link to various FREE on-line marketing courses)
If you think I can help further, remember, don’t be shy, send me an e-mail, I don’t bite…yet! ; )
