So last update was last Monday. Which, considering the nature of what I’m getting myself into, isn’t really the best thing ever. But it’s been a busy week, and lots of other things have gotten done, so… hey. Go bounce an egg.
In any case, I attended the meeting for social media management and it was very enlightening. Our speaker was an expert in the field and has been coaching authors in promoting their work, not just online, for over a decade.
Apparently, as I’ve suspected, consistency and persistence are key. I can’t really think of a place in life where those don’t apply, but at least online marketing isn’t an exception.
Basically, the idea is to broadcast your message—that is you—on as many mediums and in as many places as you possibly can. Maximum Exposure. Sounds like a new Michael Bay film, eh? God I hope he’s not reading this.
Well, as long as Megan Fox has no speaking roles, I really don’t mind.
In any case, the presenter at the meeting handed us a packet with a litany of projects to work on, including the creation and maintenance of a Twitter account. Well, that’s pretty basic, I wasn’t surprised there. But she went on.
To be a successful writer, and to get your book out there and exposed to as many people as possible, you also need an Instagram account. Really? Instagram? But my book has nothing to do with what you ate last night.
You also need a Facebook page separate from your personal timeline, a Pinterest page with relevant material, a YouTube page with something like a book trailer for your novel, a Google+ page for SEO (Search Engine Optimisation, for those who didn’t know), a LinkedIn page, active participation in book review sites and blogs and engaging people on forums, adding Google Analytics to your website (which I still haven’t learned how to do), making podcasts, adding your book to Google Books, and creating an audio version of your novel.
But really, that’s all.
So, I’m doing my best to wrap my head around what all that means, especially because you’re really only “required” to spend about an hour a day updating all these things. I’ve nailed down a few of them, but I’m working on the rest. I agree that maximum exposure is an excellent policy, but I still feel like I’m mostly shooting in the dark here. Hopefully this all becomes clearer as we go along, and before too much longer I can start to say that some of it makes sense.
You know, kind of.
A little bit.
Pearson Sharp 