I’m answering social media questions from the Berrett-Koehler Author Co-Op Book Marketing event. You can read Part One, Part Two, and Part Three. This week’s post wraps the questions from the event. However, if you like this feature, please leave a comment or email me your questions and I can write more questions and answers in this Monday spot.
Here are today’s questions.
Does it make sense for authors to produce book-specific newsletters as part of a social media strategy? Yes. Your mailing list is one of your most powerful tools in marketing your book. Briefly, my recommendation is to produce content as a supplement to your book that you can use as a lead generation tool. Create a landing page and use social media to send traffic to the landing page, where people can give their email address in exchange for your content.Then write and set up an auto-responder of emails that is centered on your book/content in a way that adds value to your subscribers. You can also create a series of emails to your existing list, letting them know about your book.
How much time does it take each day to “service” an integrated social media presence? As you probably know, interacting on social media channels takes time. The more time you invest, the more results you will see. Rather than planning an amount of time per day, I recommend that you set aside a weekly allotment of time. You can spend time each week creating and then scheduling content (perhaps 2 hours, depending on if writing blog posts or creating video is a part of your strategy) and then allocate a minimum of 15 minutes per day to show up, respond, and interact. Or, you can hire a assistant, internal to your company or outsource to a team, like mine, to support the time you are able to devote to social media.
How can I really use Twitter well? This is a big question, answered in book length works rather than a brief blog post. If you will email me, I will send you a free copy of my Twitter Tips e-book to get you started.
How do you find time for social media? Participating in social media needs to be intentional. You don’t find time, you make it, if you see the value of using social media. For example, unless I am convinced that exercise is important, I’ll never find the time to exercise. Instead, I’ll allow other activities to fill my time. I recommend that you schedule time for social media, just like you would for other important activities in your life.
Tell me something! What other social media questions do you have?
I am the founder/CEO of the Weaving Influence team, the author of Reach: Creating the Biggest Possible Audience for Your Message, Book, or Cause, and the host of the Book Marketing Action Podcast. I’m a wife and mom of three kids, and I enjoy running, reading, writing, coffee, and dark chocolate.