~By Rodger Johnson.
One of the most common questions authors ask me is this: “I’m about to launch my book and want to use Twitter to do it. Can you help?” Typically, if the author has a great book and backstory to that creation, my inclination is to help. But authors who want to got it alone and succeed online need to understand these three Twitter best practices.
It is possible to have short-term success on Twitter, but to build a community of passionate followers takes months—even years. So, I tell them, “If you’re in this for a short-term fix, you’ll be disappointed.”
Build Your Network
One point you should know about Twitter: its strength is built on weak links. That is, people on Twitter are part of many groups—some closer than others—and many people vacillate between groups. So, even if you build a Twitter following over many months of focused engagement, you are probably less likely to sell a single copy of your book using the social network. As one social media professional has advised, “These are people who are aware of you but probably won’t take a strong action like donate to a cause or buy something just because you ask.”
Like anything else, to be successful you need to be methodical and build a relevant audience to find those few who will buy your book. Here are a few tools you could us:
· Twitter Lists
· Advanced Twitter Search
· Twitter Chats
Create Content That Converts
Once you have built an audience of relevant people interested in what you’re doing, it’s time to start using content to convert them into buying customers. There are plenty of examples of good content, and to each author this approach may be different. However, let me share some broad ideas:
· Rich Content: This comes from your expertise and provided depth, voice and authority.
· Shared Content: Doing a good job surrounding yourself with good people means that you can use their content too. Or, you can bring new voices to your blog.
· Contests and Games: For one of my authors, we launched a writing contest around his book. The winner received a free copy of the author’s book and he offered to write the foreword. People get engaged with these because they want to win something; it also connects them to something bigger—a community of aspiring authors, in this case.
· Personal Engagement: Show people your personal side occasionally and reach out to chat, share moments from you life. This includes pictures.
Get In The Game, And Stay There
Like any social activity, it’s important to be social. In real life we build meaningful relationships all of the time. These become strong links as we continue engagement, maybe even years of it. Networking on the web is the same. It takes time and patience.
Managing Your Expectations And Be Optimistic – Always
Many get discouraged and think Twitter is something it’s not. There is no utopia where, magically, relationships develop without work. Twitter is just a machine that lets people connect and share information, like the telephone. When Graham Bell invented the telephone, he didn’t magically create new relationships; he worked for them. You need to have realistic expectations about how it works and what it takes to get there.
Twitter, rich content, an engaged audience and consistent relationship building over time is the secret formula to success using Twitter to build a market around your book. I hope this has been helpful.
One of the most common questions authors ask me is this: “I’m about to launch my book and want to use Twitter to do it. Can you help?” Typically, if the author has a great book and backstory to that creation, my inclination is to help. But authors who want to got it alone and succeed online need to understand these three Twitter best practices.
It is possible to have short-term success on Twitter, but to build a community of passionate followers takes months—even years. So, I tell them, “If you’re in this for a short-term fix, you’ll be disappointed.”
Build Your Network
One point you should know about Twitter: its strength is built on weak links. That is, people on Twitter are part of many groups—some closer than others—and many people vacillate between groups. So, even if you build a Twitter following over many months of focused engagement, you are probably less likely to sell a single copy of your book using the social network. As one social media professional has advised, “These are people who are aware of you but probably won’t take a strong action like donate to a cause or buy something just because you ask.”
Like anything else, to be successful you need to be methodical and build a relevant audience to find those few who will buy your book. Here are a few tools you could us:
· Twitter Lists
· Advanced Twitter Search
· Twitter Chats
Create Content That Converts
Once you have built an audience of relevant people interested in what you’re doing, it’s time to start using content to convert them into buying customers. There are plenty of examples of good content, and to each author this approach may be different. However, let me share some broad ideas:
· Rich Content: This comes from your expertise and provided depth, voice and authority.
· Shared Content: Doing a good job surrounding yourself with good people means that you can use their content too. Or, you can bring new voices to your blog.
· Contests and Games: For one of my authors, we launched a writing contest around his book. The winner received a free copy of the author’s book and he offered to write the foreword. People get engaged with these because they want to win something; it also connects them to something bigger—a community of aspiring authors, in this case.
· Personal Engagement: Show people your personal side occasionally and reach out to chat, share moments from you life. This includes pictures.
Get In The Game, And Stay There
Like any social activity, it’s important to be social. In real life we build meaningful relationships all of the time. These become strong links as we continue engagement, maybe even years of it. Networking on the web is the same. It takes time and patience.
Managing Your Expectations And Be Optimistic – Always
Many get discouraged and think Twitter is something it’s not. There is no utopia where, magically, relationships develop without work. Twitter is just a machine that lets people connect and share information, like the telephone. When Graham Bell invented the telephone, he didn’t magically create new relationships; he worked for them. You need to have realistic expectations about how it works and what it takes to get there.
Twitter, rich content, an engaged audience and consistent relationship building over time is the secret formula to success using Twitter to build a market around your book. I hope this has been helpful.