Establishing an Internet Presence Part 2: Social Media

In the last article, we discussed the basics of getting set up on the Internet. In this article, we will discuss some other places you can tell others about your work. I would strongly urge you to first create a website and/or a blog before creating any of these pages. The reason: you will want to reference your website in these sites. However, if you have already created these sites, don’t worry. When you do create your web page, you can always edit these sites and add your home page info.

The following sites are referred to as social media sites or social networking sites. They share common elements, but each has a different format and in many cases, difference audiences. The nice thing about them is that the search engines love them. That means you will have more opportunities to get your book in front of people if you utilize these social media sites.

Here are the common traits that these sites share:

1. They are free– Big plus in my book

2. The allow you to network with others

3. They allow you to update the site as often as you want with new information

4. They generally have groups you can join. In my opinion, this is one of the secret weapons for you in marketing your book. So what that a site has 20,000,000 members? If you can not connect to the ones who may be interested in your book, it may as well have 1 member. Groups allow you to search for people who are telling you that they are interested in the topic of your book. For example, Clive Cussler gave me a cover quote. When I joined MySpace, I joined all the Clive Cussler fan groups and introduced myself and my book. In the 1st three months of my book sales, Cussler fans were responsible for over 1/3 of my sales. It also led to an invitation to spotlight my book at the national Cussler Convention in Denver.

5. Many have blogs that you can update for your reader

6. Many have ways to send out a quick update to all your friends/connections.

There are also differences in each of the sites. They tend to have a different demographic. Some have young, hip members while others have more mature members. Some are easier to navigate and update. Some have a way that you can import/export info from your blogs. Chances are, you will settle into a few that you like and a few where you meet people interested in your book. That said, it is not a bad idea to start a presence on multiple sites and work them as you have opportunity.

Speaking of working them, do you remember what I said in my first article about needing a little elbow grease if you want to make the free/low cost marketing efforts work for you? well, this is what I was primarily referring to. You will need to put in the time to cultivate your social media pages. If you just open an account, put up your bio and info about your book, and that’s all you do, you will not have a lot of success in getting people to your book. You will need to find people, connect to them, and interact with them.

So, where do you find people on these sites? Here are a few suggestions:

1. I already mentioned groups. Not only can you join groups, you can contact their members and invite them to connect with you.

2. Let everyone you know that you are a member of that site. Post it on your webpage or blog and ask them to connect with you there.

3. Do a search on the site for people you know to see if they are a member.

4. Do a search on authors who writes in your genre and contact people who are friends with them. When you contact them, be respectful in your introduction. I say something like, “My name is Tony Eldridge. I write the same kind of books as James Rollins and I see that you’re one of his readers. If you have a moment, check out my site. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

5. Keep your eye out for people who let you know that they are on one of these sites.

In future articles, we will look at some of the specific social media sites and how to use the features in them to really hone your marketing on them. But for now, here are a list of some of the sites I am on. Most I have developed somewhat. Others, I am in the process of cultivating. Still others, I have just opened an account but plan on spending time developing the site more in the near future. I am also linking to other pages and blogs where you can get more info on these site.

Remember, these sites are a wonderful, free way to get your message out to those potential readers who are just waiting to meet you and your book. And the search engines are waiting to tell the rest of the world about you as well. Just continue to feed the search engines by putting out new content about you and your book, and it will share you with the world.

Sites Specifically Geared for Authors and Readers

Good Reads: Good Reads is a place for readers and authors to connect. You can apply as an author which links your book to your profile and let’s everyone on the site know that you are an author. I really like this site.

Authors Den: This is a popular service for authors. Its basic account is free but you can upgrade at a cost to add more functionality. Before you decide to pay for upgraded services, set up your free account and play with it. This is one of the sites that I have found that the search engines love. When I add new content on Author’s Den, it shows up in Search Engine results quickly. I put this at a high priority site to get on.

Amazon Connect: If you have a book listed on Amazon.com, here is a free service you can sign up for. You add info to your profile and you can communicate through it to readers. When people look at your book on Amazon.com, they can link to your profile page as well. This is a must if you have a book on Amazon.com

Shelfari: This is another site geared toward readers and writers. You can submit for an author profile and then when people find your book on it, your profile will show you as the author. It is a very visual oriented site. You can build bookshelves and add your favorite books to it. You can also export your bookshelf to your blog.

Urbis: Urbis is a hybrid site- not just a social media site, but a site where you are encouraged to submit writing to be reviewed by members. You are also encouraged to review fellow writers’ work. The reviews people have on your work will be locked until your review someone’s work and earn credit to unlock reviews on your work. However, you can set up a profile for free where you can introduce yourself and your book.

Popular, More General Social Media Sites

MySpace: Arguably, the biggest and most well know Social Media site. This site is geared toward musicians, but has a strong mainstream and author presence. It also has a deep offering of groups to mine.

Face Book: This is another big site with name recognition. This too, has groups and also makes updates to your connections very easy. If you write a blog, you can set Facebook up to import it for your Facebook friends to read. You set up the update once and it will automatically import your blog every time you update your blog. Many authors love Facebook because of its ease of use and breadth of features.

Gather: This site markets itself at the site for the over 30 crowd. This is also a place that the search engines seem to love. My writings and updates seem to appear in the search engines results quickly. It has an easy interface and has an active membership. I was even featured by Gather.com in one of their monthly newsletters.

Linked In: This is a place geared toward creating a professional networking tool for you. You build your resume and then invite people to be a connection. As people join your network, you can see who is in their network. You may be surprised at the people you know who are on LinkedIn.com. It has some great writing groups and members are very responsive to you and your posts. This was a site I neglected for a while when I started it, but I have been surprised at how much this has enhanced the marketing of my book.

Ning Sites: OK, I will focus a whole post on Ning sites, but I wanted to introduce them here. Ning is a company that allows you to create your own Social Media site for free where you can control the focus and invite people to join. While I don’t recommend you go out and start your own Ning networking site if this is all new to you, I do think you can find a lot of networking sites that authors and readers have created already. You can search these sites out, join them, and create a profile. Once you are on a Ning site, you can publish a blog and interact with fellow members of that Ning site. I encourage you to explore it to see what I mean. As I said earlier, I plan on devoting a whole article, or series of articles, on how to use Ning sites in your marketing plan.

Squidoo: This is a new site to me. I have a profile on it, but that’s about all. I have heard great things about Squiddoo from authors and marketers, so I wanted to make sure you knew about it. Based on what I am hearing, I plan on devoting time and elbow grease to develop this site soon.

I know there are many, many others, like Twitter for example, but I don’t have much experience with them yet. However, if there is a site you believe in that I have not listed, please leave it in a comment. I am always on the prowl for a new, free way to promote The Samson Effect.

Other Sites To Learn More About Social Media

5 Tips on Successful Social Networking

Free Social Media Marketing Tips for Authors

Quick Tips for Marketing your Title on Social Networking Sites

5 Reasons Every Writer Needs a Web Presence and Where to Start

**TIP** Is it better to have people do a search on Google or Yahoo and find your home page or find another person’s page that you are referenced on? The answer: It doesn’t matter. As long as that link will tell people about your book and how to buy it (maybe a link back to your homepage or blog), then you have scored a hit. That’s why it’s important to get your info out there as much as possible. Not only should you create your own web pages and social sites, but comment on other people’s blog, guest write a blog for someone, offer your book as a contest prize to other sites, submit your books to online reviewers. All of these things will help you get your info on the web and make it easier for people to find you. I will go into more details on these things and many more in future articles.

Tony Eldridge