Hello,
I never thought I would be so heavily involved in social media. I have always valued my privacy and the thought of putting myself and business/book out into the world for all to see was definitely scary. Scary or not....using social media for marketing and selling your book is vital.
While I am no social media pro yet, I have seen my efforts begin to "pay-off" both personally and for my book and business. I began with Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/PugStory, then Linkedin, this blog, and I recently joined Twitter; https://twitter.com/jfearheller. Create profiles that will grab attention and be creative but honest. It requires a lot of work and some trial and error to keep your social media platforms updated, so make sure you have some fun while you are doing it. If you are unsure about how some of these sites work consider reaching out to some local schools/colleges to find someone who can help you.
For example: On Twitter I began "following" and was then "followed" by some Pug and dog rescue groups who have ordered books from me and even invited me to their events....The Pug Rescue group invited us to sign and sell books at the Milwaukee Pug Festival later this month. Teaming up with the right people and groups will be essential as you share and sell your book. I quickly learned that my book did not only appeal to parents buying it for their kids but for Pug and dog lovers too.
On Facebook I set up a personal page first. I thought this would help me connect with people from my past and in my life now, and it did. I began to re connect with people and let them know about Pug Story etc. Seek out certain groups and or people that will reciprocate your efforts and help raise awareness about you and your book.
Linkedin is a great networking site. I have worked with some wonderful people in all facets of my business with whom I connected. You can find just about anyone or anything you might need for your business on this platform and in return the right people can find you and learn more about your book.
Keep your posts, tweets etc. relevant and interesting. Let people know who you are and what you are all about. Make sure to use fun and appropriate pictures to illustrate and highlight you and your book. Offer poignant tips and helpful information as you go so as not to simply promote yourself but truly offer your following something they might not have gotten anywhere else.
Social media can be a lucrative and wonderful sales vehicle if used properly. The reach, exposure, and rapid sharing of information, for free I might add, far exceeds that of traditional marketing or advertising strategies. There are webinars, seminars, literature etc. to help us understand how these platforms work and how we can make them work for us as self-published authors. If you have a website, www.pugstory.com, make sure you link up all of your social media sites with it as one platform should funnel into the next ever so seamlessly.
Hopefully some of this was helpful but if you would like more detailed or specific information please contact me and let me know how I can help.
Dont forget to WRITE, WRITE, WRITE!
JACI
