Well, we've come to the end of the Indie Block Party. I had a blast getting to know my neighbors and have even made some new friends, which is what a party is all about.
The last post of the party is a fitting one; tips for Social Media and Networking.
If you want to read the previous posts, click on the links below and don't forget to click on the linky below to see what my neighbors have been up to.
Hope summer was fab and here's to a great Fall!
Week 1: August 19-24
Post 1: Introduce Yourself
Post 2: Introduce Your WIP (Work in Progress)
Post 3: Interview one of your characters (I'll be featuring Sondra from "Live and Let Die")
Post 4: Interview one of your neighbors (I'll be interviewing Contemporary Romance Author, Susan Ann Wall)
Week 2: August 25-30
Post 5: What are you currently reading?
Post 6: Top 5 Books
Post 7: Writing Tips
Post 8: Social Media and Networking Tips
I'm pretty active on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Google+. There are a lot of great groups out there that provide support and information for Indie writers. The Indie Writers Unite group on Facebook and Support-a-Writer on Google+ are both lively and informative. The Kboards (formerly Kindle Boards) are also a great resource. There's no shortage of groups out there willing to offer support and information. Find the one that works best for you!
Most of my social media DON'T's are on Twitter:
DON'T Turn your Twitter feed into a 24-hour ad for your book
DON'T DM new followers thanking them for following you or directing them to your Facebook page or any kind of spam.
DO Be interesting
DO Say "Please" and "Thank You"
DO Be supportive
Do Engage with fans and followers
Very interesting about Twitter. I hardly use it as it ssems such a lot of hassle. I seem to have more interaction on Facebook, but that might be because I use Twitter wrong. :)
ReplyDeleteShort and sweet and right on! So nice to meet you! I hope we can continue to help each other along out here in the Indie writer world!
ReplyDeleteMaria - Twitter takes some getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, it's fun! I like it for the author community and I've made some friends over there.
ReplyDeleteMillie - it's been so nice to get to know you as well! Viva Indies! :D
"Do engage with fans and followers" - how do you recommend doing this on the twitter-verse. Its the open to everyone forum... do you mean more general engagement? Or do people feel like they're personally engaging over the twitterstream?
ReplyDeleteHi Elaine,
ReplyDeleteAt its best, Twitter is a conversation. When I say engage with followers on Twitter, I mean do more than just tweet about yourself or your books (or other product) all the time. Retweet tweets you find interesting, reply to people who mention you specifically, reply to people who tweet something you find interesting, favorite the tweets of others, mention other followers, say thank you. It's all about being interactive :)
Great tips on how to engage followers, Bianca. I find there's very little use to being part of multiple networks if you're just going to redirect followers to another link that basically says the same thing. Social media and networking doesn't stop at gaining a huge following. It can only be beneficial to all parties if you get followers to stick around by reacting and interacting. -Mamie @ Focused Local Marketing
ReplyDeleteHi Mamie,
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more. The "social" in media means just that - being social! :)