Using Social Media

How do you use social media to its fullest?  Do you only use certain sites?  If so why?   I use social networking to promote my books and it has helped me immensely.  I network through a variety of places including:

Amazon:  Set up your Amazon Author Page

Blog:  I use blogger and post info about my books or random posts (can be used as your website too). 

Facebook:  Largest social networking site

Google+:  More exposure for you

LinkedIn:  Great place for networking

Pinterest:  Share your book covers or network with other authors

Twitter:  great for quick communication and networking

Smashwords:  Another great place to promote your books, set up your own page

Website:  Build a website for your work and promote yourself this way too (Wix is free and Weebly too)

For social media sites...share the work of others on your sites... pay it forward!

• Twitter - Retweet 5 or 6 different random tweets you see on your scroll every day or every other day, doing this will help others see you too.
• Facebook - Share Facebook posts about another author’s work... maybe 3 or 4 per day or every other day
• Pinterest - Repin another author’s book or info...4 to 6 per day or every other day
• Blogs - Join other author’s blog sites...5 or 6 per week or so. 
• Blogs and webs - Do interviews for other authors and share their work.  Get yourself interviewed so others know about you too.
• Google+ - Share posts from others 5 or 6 per day.  Join communities.
• Website – Build a website for your work.  Weebly and Wix offer free sites.  You can also use your blog as a website.  Whichever way you go, make sure you have the information about your work in the forefront.  Add the work of other authors to your site too (with their permission of course), share links so you can broaden your reach with readers.

The more people who see you, the more they are aware of who you are and what you do. 

Get involved in sharing what you do with the world...also share others work with the world.  It doesn't always have to be about you and what you do-make it about others too so they will want to share you and what you do too.  Do something every day to pay forward... sharing, liking, boosting the moral of someone who is down, retweeting, and staying involved socially keeps you and who you are in the forefront of those who will be interested, and hopefully follow along with you.  Share your daily social networking skills with others; help them pay it forward too.

Add your web links to your email signature.  You can also add a small image of each of your books to your signature.  Recognition is key to seeing pictures.  If people recall seeing your book cover, they will know what they are looking for when they go to purchase it.

Set up groups and pages on the various social networking sites to benefit you.  I have groups on Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, and Pinterest to show my support for authors and myself.  Also, don’t be afraid to stick your neck out to help another writer.  They can’t take your ability to write away from you so why not share what you know with them.

I also get involved with social events online and make new friends to show support.  The more people see your name, the more familiar you will be to others. 

Also, promote your books to the people who will read them.  If you write children’s books, promote to teachers or parents to share with the children too.  If you write romance, share with those who would be interested in reading them.  Put yourself out there for the world to see, be vulnerable and get yourself noticed in as many places as you can.

If you already have books published, benefit yourself by giving a book away for free – even if just for a day.  The more people who have your book, the more it is ‘out there’ for others.  Making it free shows the readers that you have faith in what you wrote and want then to have the chance to read it, especially with the economy the way it is today – free can make the difference between someone reading your book or passing it up because they don’t have the extra few bucks to spend on purchasing it.  Seriously, who doesn’t like a free book to read??

Last, but not least…. Never give up.  Keep writing every day and keep promoting yourself and others every day.  The more effort you put into it, the more you get out of it.  Share what you know with others and always be willing to try just a little harder to make yourself the best you can be. 

I hope this helps you… best of luck!

~T