Social Media Platforms Authors Should Explore
Wikipedia states Web 2.0 is a term which describes the trend in the use of World Wide Web technology and web design that aims to enhance creativity, information sharing, and, most notably, collaboration among users. These concepts have led to the development and evolution of web-based communities and hosted services, such as social-networking sites, wikis, blogs, and folksonomies. For more information, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0 Another term for you … Social media is an umbrella term that defines the various activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio. This interaction, and the manner in which information is presented, depends on the varied perspectives and "building" of shared meaning among communities, as people share their stories, and understandings.
Let’s Explore … Blogging
Watch this video by The CommonCraft Show. What is a blog? http://www.tywebbin.com/next/2007/11/whatis-a-blog/ Popular platforms: blogger.com, wordpress.com or wordpress.org (self-hosted), typepad.com (pay) Many authors will use blogs to help other writers by posting about their personal publishing journey. Visit www.stacyhawkinsadams.com to view how her blog was seamlessly included in the site’s design. If you have a certain niche or topic that you write about in your books, you can use this a jump off point for creating a blog. A good example of this is Linda Leigh Hargrove and her 17seeds.com blog where she talks about racial reconciliation. This is a topic also found in her Christian Fiction books, The Making of Isaac Hunt and Loving Cee Cee Johnson can be found at http://www.llhargrove.com/ (self-hosted wordpress).
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Okay, so suppose you are not published yet. IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY TOO MARKET! I would still encourage you to set-up a blog as starters. Two author friends that I know developed a “following” online BEFORE they were published.
Camy Tang (blogger.com) Read Camy’s publication testimony at http://camys-loft.blogspot.com/2006/03/i-gotcontract.html. She also gives back to other writers, with an excellent blog for writers called Story Sensei.
Claudia Mair Burney (blogger.com) Claudia’s, Ragamuffin Diva blog has a rare, but beautiful story of being discovered through her blog. SO, IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY TOO MARKET or at least get your name out there as you network and learn more about the industry.
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How to Keep Readers Coming Back
Do keep in mind if you decide to blog, post content regularly at least 2-4 times a week. People do get busy, so even if they have your blog bookmarked, they might not always remember to visit. That’s where RSS Feeds and feed aggregators, like Google Reader and Bloglines can help. I could go into more details about how you use RSS feeds to keep people updated, but that could take a whole other seminar. Keep in mind if you don’t want to put together a newsletter, you can use services like Feedblitz.com or Feedburner.com to send your blog posts out to people via email. Remember email is still the major form of online communication for most adults.
Let’s Explore … Micro-blogging
Popular platforms: twitter.com, plurk.com By you may have heard about the phenomenon Twitter. Don’t knock it until you try it. I think I had a twitter account for months before I decided to really check it out. Most people that I know, once you get started, it’s a whole lot of fun – and easy! Twitter is like blogging, but it's different. Microblogging is a concise way of posting information in a few characters. So, if you’re not interested in creating a full-blown blog, but you want to jump into using social media, you might like Twitter. Other microblogging platforms that compete with (or tried to) are Pownce and Plurk account. Pownce went out of business end of 2008. There are microblogging platforms like Yammer created especially for businesses. Twitter officially went mainstream. Mainstream means that it's no longer a tool for just the "geeks" or business minded folks looking to network heavily. You are allowed to send or tweet 140 characters. This seems strange, but as a writer you are encouraged to write tight and this is the perfect platform to put that skill to work. You can almost thinking of it like pitching or like the elevator conversation, because you want to say something meaningful to encourage people to follow you in as few words as possible.
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Twitter is the best when it comes to networking. You can follow other people and if people like what you are saying, they will follow you. Sounds a bit like stalking I know, but really just try it. You can control who follows you, by blocking unwanted persons. If an author has posted an excerpt for their upcoming book release to their Web site, you can draw traffic to your site by posting a twitter announcement. For more about Twitter, please feel free to download Twitter Tips for Authors.
Let’s Explore … Social Networking
Popular platforms: myspace.com, facebook.com, ning.com Watch this video by The CommonCraft Show. What is Social Networking? http://www.tywebbin.com/next/2007/06/what-is-social-networking/ There are so many social networks these days. You really have to check them out for yourself to see what you really like and are comfortable joining. The KEY is to find one you enjoy, participate and network. I recommend choosing at least 3 social networks to participate on a regular basis. In this guide we will explore the top two, Facebook and MySpace, and a few other bookworm hubs.
Facebook.com
Facebook is now the largest social network. I can see why? It’s by far the easiest one to set-up a profile and connect. It only takes one person requesting to be your friend and then you are connecting with who they have connected with and vice versa. This is a basic break-down on how to use Facebook in your marketing plans: Facebook Profile Page Most authors I see, use their own individual page as the main spot for fans to see their activity. If you only stick with using your individual profile, you are limited on the number of people you can send a message to. You also have to keep in mind whatever you post on your wall is visible to people who you may not want as much knowledge about your life as you would like. I am connected to family and friends, but I decided to use my profile page mainly for professional networking and book promotion. Every once in awhile, I will post something outside of that realm, but it’s pretty obvious I’m all about literary projects.
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If you are an author who prefers to keep your profile page more for family and friends you actually know, then you definitely want to go the fan or group page route. Facebook Group Page Since I started coordinating blog tours or virtual book tours for authors this year, I have tried all types of social media campaigns. I chose the Facebook Group route for most of them, mainly because as a bookworm and a writer, I felt authors would want a sense of community with a reader’s group. I do like the inclusion of traditional type forums on the group pages for discussion. If the author doesn’t manage their group, you will want to think about including a moderator or virtual assistant to help keep the group active. I found out there is a limitation to the number of messages (limited to 5000) you can send to a group. This may not be a problem for authors unless you are really big-time already. I would like to see if Facebook will redesign the group pages in the future. There is a lack of intimacy you expect for a group, but the functionality is there. Facebook Fan Page As a business I set-up a Facebook Fan page for the blog tours. With the recent redesign, I really love how the interface for the fan page resembles the individual profile page. With each blog tour, I switch out the graphics to bring focus to the author being promoted that particular week. By importing the blog tour rss feed, all the day to day activity for the blog tours are included on the fan page wall. In a lot of ways, the fan page can be set-up to run with relative ease without a lot of manual interaction.
MySpace.com
I think authors should definitely consider having a MySpace page. One big asset to being on MySpace, there are a lot of readers, especially book clubs. If you are going to start a MySpace page, you don’t have to stay on there all the time, because some of that stuff isn’t healthy for you – but spend some time updating your page or ask for assistance. Request friendships from time to time, send bulletins or add a blog post.
Social Networks for Book Lovers
Social networks authors would benefit from joining are: • • • shelfari.com goodreads.com
Book Blogs
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Book Event Center Book Place
These sites are great for meeting bookworms and other authors. You can find a great support system willing to help you promote your book – using that word of mouth art form that has been around for years and years.
Let’s Explore … Video-Based Social Media
Popular platforms: youtube.com, vimeo.com, 12seconds.tv You might think of Youtube.com as a place where people post silly videos. If you have the time and the skill (or you can budget for this) create a book trailer. The cool thing about most video sites, you can take the embed code for your video and add it to your Web site. So you don’t necessarily have to draw traffic to Youtube, but you can still bring readers or future readers to your Web site. Post your video on as many places as possible that would attract readers. This is a part of viral marketing. Sounds gross, but here is a definition. Viral marketing and viral advertising refer to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives (such as product sales) through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of pathological and computer viruses. It can be word-of-mouth delivered or enhanced by the network effects of the Internet. Viral promotions may take the form of video clips, interactive Flash games, advergames, ebooks, brandable software, images, or even text messages. The basic form of viral marketing is not infinitely sustainable. If you want to experiment with making a movie trailer, here are Web sites • • http://animoto.com/ http://www.onetruemedia.com/
Some book trailers Web sites you might want to explore for ideas:
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http://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/fiction/index.asp http://www.bookvideos.tv/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_rX2Io4RjQ (unique video, very creative)
Let’s Explore … Audio-Based Social Media
Popular platforms: blogtalkRadio.com, utterli.com, snapvine.com You don’t necessarily have to start your own podcast or radio show, but if your platform calls for it, go for it! There are sources out there for you to get started. All you need is an account, and an assigned phone number. Like the videos, these sites provide embed codes so your audio files can be included on your site. You definitely want to consider being a guest on someone’s show as a part of your promotional tour.
Let’s Explore … Document Sharing Social Media
Popular platforms: docstoc.com, scribd.com, slideshare.net People like FREE stuff. Anytime you can provide a free resource that’s a promotion opportunity. Use these sites to upload excerpts, discussion questions for book clubs or articles.
Now do you really have to try all of these social media platforms?
No, but you should explore different types to find out what works for you. Remember I said, you should choose at least 3 social networks for regular participation (be sure Facebook is one of them). Stay active in your favorite community whether it’s around your personal blog or on a social networking site. The key to social media or Web 2.0, it should compliment your Web site, where your main online presence is located. Promotion should be more than posting announcements or PR releases. This is the time to get out there to meet your readers and let them meet you. Social media allows you to connect to people you might never meet in person. When a person has an experience with you, hopefully a good one AND then enjoy reading your books, you’ve created an INFLUENCER.
Someone who will tell others about your book.
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Now that’s marketing you can use!
Your Online Presence. Go for it!
Choose a social media platform that you have not tried yet. Here are a few below that I covered in this workshop. 1. Set up a blog. Free accounts are available at Blogger.com and WordPress.com. Set-up a schedule that works for you. Plan to blog for a month, maybe once or twice a week. Think about a topic you are passionate about and dive in. 2. Set up a Twitter account. Start following people. Feel free to follow me at www.twitter.com/cookieaisle (my writing blog). 3. Setup up a Facebook or MySpace page (or try another social network mentioned in this guide.) 4. Create a book trailer. Post to Youtube.com. It doesn't have to be a published book. 5. Set up an account with Utterli.com. Record a message by phone. If you want to jump into your own radio show, sign up for www.Blogtalkradio.com.
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About the Author
Tyora Moody is an online book promoter, graphic designer and writer. For the past ten years, her niche has been to assist authors and writers with establishing an online presence. A teacher at heart, she loves to share quick tips and teach newbies about internet marketing. She also is a social network enthusiast. You can find her online at two of her favorite social networks, Facebook and Twitter. Visit her online at Tywebbin.com.
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