First Word

What are the easiest ways authors can promote books on their own? Now many of you may read these 15 things and feel daunted. Just know that 3L Publishing (www.3LPublishing.com) offers marketing and public relations services, too. We can help you and guide you through this process. Social Media (it's free)-Facebook, Twitter are great starts. The jury is out on SnapChat and Instagram. Goodreads (social media for readers and authors to connect) Blog ( blogger.com )-blogging services are free, too, but you have to provide your own content Book launches -it's a party so why not celebrate your accomplishment and sell books Book signings via your regional independent bookstores. Leave some books on consignment if they're open to it or maybe they will purchase the books on their own. Newsletters like this one focused on promoting your book reviews and signings and sharing excerpts and experiences with your book. Regional nonprofit book festivals (not all boo...

When I speak to audiences I often get asked, "Should I have a fan page or a personal page?" The answer depends on you and what you want to do with the personal page. I do not have a personal page, but rather a professional page with a "personal touch," which means I do include some personal information or reflections. My rationale is I don't want to maintain two different pages, and I'm not using social media to "socialize". I am using social media to promote our business 3L Publishing ( www.3LPublishing.com ). I don't have time to maintain a personal page and another business page. Also, most people aren't as interested in professional-only information. They use social media often to get to know the person they are going to do business with. I suggest if you're going to "mix business with pleasure" you set your own guidelines and rules about it. I like to keep my page "interesting" so I pull a general audienc...

The Daily Cup: Issue 6 ​ Q: Is social media replacing traditional networking to attract business? A: In some respects, yes. When it comes to social media vs. networking you almost have a chicken before the egg situation. You have to build following in social media to effectively market, and you can't build an adequate following without networking -- and round it goes. My advice is to start by doing traditional networking and have your fan pages set up ahead of time. Make sure you've got the requisite "find me" on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. on your marketing promo. As you're networking encourage people to follow you. Once you've got a big enough following then you can begin to enjoy the results on social media. Remember, though, to participate in your social media community. While in-person networking can be slowed down once your social media is established, you still have to be a "member" of that social media community. In...

Many of my readers know that I have been a loyal user of Facebook. I do believe we attract certain energies, and my Facebook account has unceremoniously become a magnet for inappropriate posts and distracting and uninvited "come-ons". Now my relationship status did change, and that brought about a deluge of unwelcome attention. I also encountered some "haters," which is common (so don't take it personally). You should never take anything personally, and especially from someone you don't even know. Unhappy people equal unhappy and negative lives. I mutinied to Twitter. Why? Well outside of the Facebook behavior that became (how shall we say) unruly, I noticed my "reach" diminishing. Facebook restricting numbers and requiring paid "boosts". Also, I noticed the hip and in-the-know users had migrated to Twitter. My favorite TV shows ( John Oliver on HBO among them) began using hash tags strategically to promote their efforts. My business p...

Here I am awake and ready to blog. I check my stats every time I go online. My curiosity piques as I see that in one day I had 350 page views, which for this blog is way off the charts. Now I'm curious, "Why?" I ask myself. What appeared and where that drove up traffic? Blogger allows you to see sources, but most of these sources came from Google, which is nonspecific. These systems rarely come with classes. When it comes to blogs or even social media, it's all "figure it out." Asking questions of others is always good, but the answers are varied and sometimes inaccurate. I think it's more trial-by-fire. We had a writers' group meeting last night. The focus was on building your followers on social media. What I noticed that was missing from the discussion was traditional marketing and promotion. So much emphasis exists on using the free and seemingly easy resources with Blogger, Facebook, Twitter and the many other tools that charge nothing but y...

It has been a while since I've just quipped or been interesting on my blog. Why, you ask? Well, have you ever had your brain so full it's leaking? We have so much going on right now with the national exposure of the book Chocolate Flowers . The phone calls and requests for ghost-writing services and full-service publishing (see our company at www.3LPublishing.com) have been nonstop. I just got off the phone with a woman from South Carolina. So many compelling and important stories to tell from people who call in from across the country. Most of the interest is coming from social media since the Dr. Phil show didn't directly promote Chocolate Flowers or even reveal its title. The social media attention has proven the importance of having a strong presence. I'm about to max out my "friends" on Facebook . I think the biggest lesson: Don't automatically exclude someone on Facebook and accept "new" friends if you want to grow your business. I o...

What is social media etiquette when it comes to marketing your business in this growing area of community connection? We don't have a rule book on what is appropriate, but we do have common sense and a pretty good idea of what we don't like to see done. Here are some basic "rules" when it comes to using your social media "ecosystem" to promote business and not lose "friends": Marketing Promo Shared or Tagged on My Wall -- Big No, No ! I call this "hijacking" another person's social media connections. When you hijack another person's wall for your promotional purposes and post what is essentially a billboard on his or her wall you run the risk of being "de-friended". I find it very offensive when someone posts what is nothing more than an advertisement on my wall. Now... there are exceptions: The person is someone I really do know and talk to either in-person or on social media . This real friend hijacks my wall for h...

In giving my marketing presentation (especially in front of older audiences), a theme has developed. A contingent of the audience has what I'll call the folded-arm social media "disgust" attitude. The demographic here usually consists of those whose hair (how shall we say) has grayed. They don't accept social media, and most of these folks don't even know what to post or more importantly "why" they should post at all. Social media has become a lynchpin to my marketing mix. For me not to post on social media I would be missing a tremendous and valuable percentage of the market segment. Now the gray-haired naysayers who typically look at me almost with an incredulous disdain when I say it's mission critical to have a social media presence don't seem to understand social media in general nor do they even want to deal with it. The next contingent of naysayers will look at me with their eyes glazed over and push back by saying, "Who has time?...

Tip 2: Leverage social media to the extreme.  Social media is free. Any tool you can leverage free-of-charge to market your book should be used. Create on Facebook an author page for your personal outreach to other authors, agents and "fans". Next create a fan page for your individual title. A secret trick: use Rocket Likes to invite hundreds of fans to your page. Make sure you create a Twitter account and a Linked-In profile. Focus your energy on the social media outlet that provides the most opportunities. Post on that outlet at least once or twice a day. Keep it up. The more you post, the more exposure for your book. Just make your posts a part of your daily routine, but do not get sucked into spending too much time on it. Remember, social media is a marketing tool not a toy. If you want to use it for social purposes, create a separate personal page for family and friends.

I've watched many authors and recognize their fail points when it comes to marketing and promoting their books. Most authors are not businesspeople. So I can't fault them for not knowing what to do to spread the word about their books. First and foremost, authors need to recognize that in being an author it's one part writer one part businessperson . Authors who believe their "craft" should be enough to sell a book typically don't sell any books. Whether it's fiction or nonfiction, please know the rule remains the same: one part art one part business. As an author/businessperson what do you need at your basic foundation to the promote and sell your book? Publicist : do you know book promotion? I doubt you understand it. It's an entire profession. Seek a book publicist. It's the best investment you can make in your book. Your publicist will use media contacts and lists to promote your book to the book reviewer media. Marketing tools : your publi...

Now with social media taking over the networking landscape, here are three things NOT to do on social media: Logos as your face on a professional page and not a fan page – never place a logo in place of a face. People don’t interact with brand names and swirly letters. They like to know they are talking to (e-gads) an actual warm-blooded human being. Fan pages are different. Liking a logo works in this case. I can think of a handful of “logos” I interact with and wonder, “Is this a guy or girl?” Mug shots are scary – don’t use your iPhone to snap what appears to be nothing more than another Lindsay Lohan mug shot. If you’re genuinely using your social media to market and network, try a nice and professional head shot that is appealing. I’m not saying you need to look like a super model or GQ guy just keep it nice and “in focus.” What ya got in your hands there Fred ? What are you doing in your profile picture or background shot? Drinking? Table dancing? Wearing a biki...

As an ardent social media user, I have learned trial by fire how to maximize its use to attract business. I have roughly 3,500 connections on Facebook, about 500 and 500 respectively on Linked-In and Twitter. I've not built up Linked-In and Twitter to the same degree as Facebook for my personal-use reasons. I do get weekly queries and questions about my company 3L Publishing via social media and specifically Facebook. Since I am now an expert by learning hands-on, I want to impart some advice for other prospective social media users who desire to build up business vs. socialize. How did I get 3,500 connections on Facebook . Am I famous? No. Did I create a sort of fame? Yes. Here is how I got that many connections over a three-year period. Public Relations -- in the beginning I did a lot of promotion for my company 3L Publishing . I still try to do a lot of promotion, but these days my time is more crunched in project work. One key exposure, though, will roll in interest and c...

I know there are many other social media experts out there who have better information on the subject. But the tips I am going to provide come from hands-on experience and a marketing background. You might argue that my approaches and philosophies about it are not the best or the latest intelligence, but these techniques are learned from real-world experience. My Facebook page has over 3,000 connections all organically made without any effort on my part (well, no direct effort). You might wonder how those organic connections were made with only 200 "friends" to start. Well, this is where the real-world marketing and public relations experience comes into play. If you would like to build up your social media, follow my tips. If you don't like my tips ... don't follow them LOL. It's sort'a simple that way. General marketing and public relations = increased visibility and awareness How do you create a personal or business brand unless people know you exist. Y...

With social media, your website or blog, and your newsletter, your own image often becomes a part of your brand. One thing I swore when I left corporate America is that I would never wear a  suit ever again. I also wanted to do things my way. And I consider myself a lot of fun to work with and be around. So, when it came time to do the perfunctory head shots for social media, in particular, I was mindful of what exactly I wanted to convey about my image. (P.S., companies that put logos on social media instead of individual images, I think are missing the boat. I hate it when I'm talking back and forth with a logo ... it's impersonal and I don't know if you're a man or woman.) You will never see a boring head shot on any of my marketing materials. I am not a staid corporate executive. I will never be a vanilla girl who will bore you to work with me. And as you can see, I have played up in my image what I want the world to see -- fun, easygoing, not conservative, and ab...

When it comes to social media, it can't be ignored as an effective marketing and promotion mechanism. I run into people who still eschew its value. They look at social media like Facebook and mistakenly believe that it's only good for reconnecting with old high school flames or playing Farmville. The real value of social media works likes this (and if you're not participating you are missing out on a huge opportunity): Replacing the community newsletter or bulletin . In many ways social media like Twitter or Facebook have replaced the town crier. The news feed give equal access and lack censorship. I've often learned the headline news of the day on Facebook vs. the news. I don't like watching the news anyway, because it's so negative. On social media, you can read about the events as people react. You can also hear what is truly going on with your neighbors (if you're connected to them). While loaded with minutia, social media often provokes great discussi...

Many authors mistakenly believe the hardest part of writing a book is ... writing a book . They are creative geniuses and artists -- and most aren't business people. They don't think like business people. Hey, they are artists, which is perfectly okay. If you know your left/right brain don't party together then think of this way, hire a marketing and PR professional to promote your book. In the meantime, though, you can do two very easy things to promote your book. Blog . You are a writer, right (look the two different uses of the "right" LOL) so writing a blog should be like getting up every day for you. A blog can be set up for free on sites like this one. You don't have to spend a lot of money to have a graphic artist create a simple brand. You would be surprised how easy it is to set up a blog on this site. It's very easy. Set up a blog, but don't cry, "What do I write about?" You have plenty to write about whether it's fiction or n...

I overheard this discussion about Twitter. This guy was complaining about people who don't understand social media. He said, "Now I have to read about some guy eating a burger at McDonald's as if this event were news!" He's right. We've become a culture saturated with news-making events such as your friend's McDonald's-eating consumption. Now on the reverse, Twitter and Facebook have become a community news tool and have recently played instrumental roles in revolution and conflict. Now the same guy up the street who could Tweet about his latest taste of French fries can also Tweet about the war zone sometimes in his very own neighborhood. And it is the latter example of social media changing the world that is perhaps a good thing. But for the average social-media user, it's time to take heed. For the most part, how many fast-food burgers you eat or cups of coffee you drink, it's not Earth-shattering news. If you use social media as a business ...

I am faced with a question: Should I start Tweeting on top of all of my other social media activities? I know you can link all of your social media, but any good marketing person knows that if it's not personalized, it's a waste of time. You have to actually nurture and pay attention to your social media. Your posts should be specific to your audience, and you should participate in the community. Anything less than that is obvious to the community participants who will be turned off by your mass responses. So the question, "To Tweet or not to Tweet?" I've steered clear of Twitter, because I do things like write this blog, manage a Meetup group, and post daily on Facebook . I am a fan of Facebook, and I am a fan of Mark Zuckerberg, a huge fan. I admire his focus and dedication to his company. From what I've read, he's not all in it from wealth and fame. He's a passionate guy who loves what he does. I can relate. I love my company , and I love what I do...

or a stream :). Actually, I got a little jealous yesterday when I was looking at some popular blog spots that had lots of visuals and pictures. For the record, you can't just grab people's pictures and post them to your site. It got me to thinking about blogs, though, and how I needed to make mine more interesting to look at. Hence the stream picture from my weekend adventures; but here is the real deal on blogs. Some bloggers have huge followings. I've found with book promotions, don't under estimate the value of a really well-followed blogger. With the book, A Feast at the Beach , we've had several high-value bloggers review the book -- and the sales went crazy. A fabulous blog can offer a real sweet spot to create sales momentum for your products. And then I got to thinking that my following here in First Word land needs to ratchet up. I would love to create a bigger following to help promote our authors and what we're doing. So, if you're reading this an...

Did you know some marketing tools exist that cost either very little or nothing at all. Most small business owners in particular will whine they don't have a marketing budget (which I think is fool hearty no matter how much whining about lack of funds you insert into that conversation). What some of these folks don't know or don't take advantage of are the services that either don't cost much money or cost nothing at all. If you own a small business, at a minimum there is absolutely no reason you should use what is sometimes free to market or promote your business. Here are some of those inexpensive tools you should be using. Now your time is not free, but that is a whole other discussion. Blogger.com -- this blog is customized to blogger. It doesn't cost me a dime to have a blogspot . Other blog services such as Typepad cost a little extra and do have more bells and whistles such as built-in analytics; however, if you tie your blogspot site to google/analytics, ...