4 Ways to Leverage Social Media to Promote Your Book- Resource for Entrepreneur Moms

Writing a book is the dream of many... but not everyone gets the book out of their head to share with the world. Today's guest blog post is by Debra Kasowski, the co-author of our book GPS Your Best Life.  Today, she is launching her new book for entrepreneur moms...

 

http://www.amazon.com/Entrepreneurial-Growing-Business-Raising-Creating/dp/193633254X

Guest Post By Debra Kasowski:

Writing a book is definitely a labor of love. Love is not enough to let others know about your compelling content or personal story. When it comes to marketing your book, you need to create a plan of action.  You will want to get creative in how you position yourself so you can boost your credibility and increase your visibility in the marketplace.

1.     Create an online presence. Think about all of the social media platforms out there and ask yourself: “Where is my audience hanging out?” “What social media tools are they using?” By creating an online presence, you are also creating your own community of followers. Remember that word of mouth is the most powerful form of marketing.

You can start developing your presence before your book is even published. Create a fan page for your book and share the page with your online community.Visit blogs and forums and start getting involved in the conversations. Keep them up to date with your speaking engagements, book signings, or virtual book tour activities.

Do not sell. Share valuable tips and content that can help others.

Build your online relationships. Start by choosing one to three platforms that best suit you. Get to know each platform well. Focus on one platform to start with for the next 30 days and watch what happens. My favorites are Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Developing a global presence opens up the marketplace.

2.     Create and use a hash tag for your book. Hash tags are a great way to see who is talking about your book. The hash tag helps you search, share, and file the entire buzz about your book. You can also take notice if your book is a trending topic on Twitter.

3.     Post content regularly. By posting consistently and sharing valuable content with others, you are increasing your personal visibility to be seen as an expert you are. Not only that you also increase your rankings when people search for you. I would say you should be posting a minimum of 2 to 3 times per week. You can pre-set your posts with www.HootSuite.com

orwww.buffer.com. This can save you time but remember that is it is important to go on the platforms and respond to comments and engage your audience.

4.     Incorporate social media sharing buttons on your website. I know you have written great content but the content is only good if others are aware of it. Don't be a hoarder. Let the world hear about your message whether it be a blog, tweet, or Facebook post. You want to make it easy for others to share information about your book. Endorsements from others act as social proof for others to also purchase your book.

There are many ways you can be using social media to attract booklovers, new clients, and community without breaking the bank when promoting your book. I would love to know how you leverage social media to promote your book.

Debra Kasowski is the author of TheEntrepreneurial Mom’s Guide to Growing a Business, Raising a Family, andCreating a Life You Love.

Debra is a professional speaker, avid blogger, and business strategist/coach is known for provoking thought and inspiring many women and men to take action and live their life rich from the inside out!  You can purchase this book at http://www.amazon.com/Entrepreneurial-Growing-Business-Raising-Creating/dp/193633254X

Does Size REALLY Matter?

Is sure does! Well at least as it relates to the size of your data bases, list of contacts, your followers and platform and how big you plan.

Today I had a great interview with Randy Peyser (www.authoronestop.com) who is an author, and also provides “book appendectomies” to get the book inside you, out.

Randy offered a wealth of information in her interview. For authors, it is critical that they build a platform and create buzz about their book. The same applies in pretty much any business. You need a platform, and identity and some buzz about the product or service you provide.

Randy shared her “secret sauce” for authors. She emailed her list of about 2800 and asked if her contacts would be willing to send out a predesigned short copy of the book announcement to their lists. From this, nearly one million contacts were emailing out for Randy.  You see, size does matter! Randy gives the details on her interview (see below).

So what can you do today to size things up?

•        Go on and friend a few more contacts on twitter, Re-tweet some postings (perhaps they will follow you back)
•        Comment on some blogs
•        Report a great example of customer service on social media
•        Follow up with past customers and clients
•        Invite people to join your newsletter list
•        Have a contest
•        Keep closer track of your numbers…in every aspect of your business

Find out more about Randy Peyser at www.authoronestop.com , she is also on Facebook. To listen to the fabulous show with Randy, follow: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/your-book-as-a-business/2012/04/07/guest-randy-peyser

You can follow me on Twitter at:  @hammondgroupbiz and @ontobysterms

For authors, also check out our www.howtosellandmarketyourbook.com website, it is full of helpful tips to sell more books!

How You Show up is Everything!

My friend, and media coach, Shawne Duperon is an expert at helping people refine their message, manage their fear, and get more publicity. Shawne says “People do business with people they like. People buy from people they like. People talk about people and services they like. People post and tag people they like on Facebook. People re-tweet people they like. Reporters cover stories over and over again with people they like. Word-of-mouth epidemics build momentum when you leverage your marketing strategies and SEO with social media, video and media coverage.” 

There is a quote that says people won’t remember the exact words that you said, but they will remember how you left them feeling. That is so important in terms of working with the media, communicating with others, and in the process of forgiveness. Blaming yourself or others after a mistake, hanging onto it for years, or avoiding opportunities for fear of making the same mistake will not help your business grow and certainly won’t help you build meaningful connections.  Forgiveness is key… to forgive yourself, and others.

For most of my adult life I was a perfectionist, now I say that I am a recovering perfectionist. Becoming comfortable with vulnerability and taking risks, making mistakes, taking responsibility, and moving forward was probably one of my biggest learning curves, however, the ripple effects of results was well worth the work. 

One of my clients, a leader in a big organization summed it up so well…. “When you have a hard time acknowledging mistakes, those around you will struggle as well. As a leader, we need to create an environment whereby our team members can acknowledge their mistake, learn and grow from it and move forward. Otherwise, the risk is that leaders don’t hear of the mistake until it has become a crisis.” I thought this was wise advice.

Another great way to learn from  Shawne Duperon, and to sign up for her webinar. I have participated in this webinar several times and have learned a great deal that has helped me excel with media.  Set aside an hour starting at 4:00 PM  April 12, 2012 to participate in:

What Are You Broadcasting? The Business of Marketing Forgiveness

Ready to land more social media buzz, free publicity and media exposure for your business, non-profit or even your career?

Are you tired of:

• Watching your competitors thrive when you have a BETTER product, service or mission?
• Spending a ton of money for nothing?
• Struggling to move on in your marketing because of really dumb mistakes?

Then this media marketing webinar is for you – and it’s like no other. The game is to forgive yourself quickly after taking business risks that didn’t work while stepping into marketing actions that have you thrive.  I hope you will participate in this webinar, the investment is only $27 and 100% of that goes to supporting Project Forgive.

http://shawnetv.com/attend-an-event/4-18-12-webinar

In February I got the chance to interview my media coach, Shawne, how fun.  The best part was that I applied everything I had learned from her.  You can listen to Shawne Duperon talk about being a rockstar when you are being interviewed by the media, and she also offers some great tips to manage nervousness, and communicate clearly with confidence!  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/charmainehammond/2012/02/22/guests-marilyn-suttle-and-shawne-duperon

Project Forgive:  http://shawnetv.com/attend-an-event/4-12-12-webinar

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/330494084/project-forgive