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Named to "Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites," this #SharingwithWriters blog is a way to connect with my readers and fellow writers, a way to give the teaching genes that populate my DNA free rein. Please join the conversation using the very tiny "comment" link. For those interested in editing and grammar, go to http://thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Special Reports on Social Media Campaigns for Writers

This article is guest blogged by Phyllis Zimbler Miller, a writer who has made an effort to put social media to work for her. It includes links to other articles that will help you, too! Phyllis spent many hundreds of dollars learning social networking from other experts. She talks about this experience and how she took her expensive lessons and reported on them so you could benefit frugally!

I got on LinkedIn because the niece of my business partner sent me an invite. I had no idea what it meant once I joined.

I got on Facebook because a cousin decided that we should have a family page on Facebook, whatever a family page meant.

And I got up the courage to join Twitter only because one of the Internet marketing gurus from whom I had begun to learn mentioned it.

Then I started blogging in preparation for the release of my novel Mrs. Leiutenant. And somehow I learned that I could use Twitterfeed.com to automatically bring a feed from my blog into Twitter and that I could also bring my blog feed into my Facebook page.

Then I got lucky – I had an epiphany and realized the power of using social media to market/promote my novel. I set off like a woman possessed to learn as much as possible about utilizing social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, blogging, etc.) to effectively market online.

I spent a fair amount of money and a huge amount of time learning from as many experts as I could find. And then I synthesized what everyone said into a workable social media marketing plan.

When I became comfortable with all of this, I decided to share what I’d learned by writing an easy-to-follow Special Report in order to save other writers the time and money I’d spent to learn this vital information.

The result of this decision is actually two Special Reports:

1) For book authors on using a social media campaign to market books -- http://www.queensofbookmarketing.com/page1.php

2) For screenwriters and directors on using a social media campaign to market films, tv shows and animation projects -- http://www.showmethescreenplay.com/special-reports-entertainment-industry-insiders/

The $14.95 price of the Special Report is a steal compared to what I spent on webinars, teleseminars, e-books, etc. before putting all the info together and directed at specific marketing goals. (And the report can save you from making major public gaffes.)

If you don’t want to reinvent the wheel--and instead want to easily learn how to start doing social media campaigns for your writing projects--get the Special Report that applies to you and get cracking now.

You can follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ZimblerMiller, and I’m on Facebook and LinkedIn as Phyllis Zimbler Miller. My two blogs are http://www.mrslieutenant.blogspot.com and http://www.dogooderscrooge.blogspot.com.

And I co-host the BlogTalkRadio show http://www.YourMilitaryLife.com.
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.

10 comments:

  1. Anonymous1:31 PM

    Thanks for sharing this resource with us Carolyn. I have been putting social networking on the backburner for so long. I am more than likely going to buy this report.

    I do have a question for Phyllis.

    I have put tons of effort into other marketing strategies (online and otherwise). Some have served me well...others have not been successful.

    I want to know if Phyllis things the time and effort she puts into social networking marketing is really worth it.

    If someone asked me about different strategies I have tried. I would have to say that booking speaking engagements has been the most beneficial. My online attempts would have to go (for the most part) in the unsuccessful slot.

    Thanks!

    Allyn

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for sharing this wonderful resource. I just ordered the social media for authors. I really want to try and understand how to use social media the best I can to promote my books. So much to learn... and I want to know how to do it correctly to produce results.

    Thanks again for sharing.

    ~Barbara Techel
    Author of the multi-award winning, Frankie, the Walk 'N Roll Dog
    www.frankiethewalknrolldog.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Allyn -

    How many hours do you have to discuss the answer to your question for me?

    Just kidding -- but it's not a simple answer, especially as I have different goals for different parts of my social media marketing.

    The short answer: Twitter has been very worthwhile for me. LinkedIn has only become worthwhile after I finally realized that the action is in the groups. Facebook doesn't seem to work well for my brand. And many of the other sites that I'm on don't seem to be worth the time.

    That's why I feel it's important to have a social media marketing plan for your book. What target audiences do you want to get in front of and for what purposes?

    I'm planning to start a book marketing membership club in a few weeks because I'm frustrated not being able to answer these questions in a few paragraphs. I'm hoping that my format for the book marketing membership club will be able to address questions such as this one.

    Email me at pzmiller@millermosaicllc.com with questions.

    Phyllis

    ReplyDelete
  4. Barb --

    Thanks for ordering my social media for authors report. Much of the material is information I wish I had known when I started marketing MRS. LIEUTENANT.

    Phyllis

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for the link to the report, Phyllis!
    Sorry I didn't catch you here on Saturday - I was on the road promoting in the real world...

    L. Diane Wolfe
    www.circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com
    www.spunkonastick.net
    www.thecircleoffriends.net

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous7:32 AM

    Hi, Pamela!

    I am interested in the book marketing membership club and after reading your answer to my question will buy your report.

    I have thrown so much money, time and effort at marketing and seen very limited results, except with speaking.

    I am finally going to break down and get on Facebook. I have avoided it like the plague, but I think I am missing the opportunity to stay connected to old contacts, like high school classmates, former colleagues, etc., who are certainly a market.

    And Twitter. I keep hearing from colleagues that Twitter is working for them, but don't understand how it could. But okay...I'm planning to gear up for Twitter.

    And then there is LinkedIn. I am using LinkedIn too, but so far I'm not seeing results from simply being "on there." I am a member of several groups, but I am not actively doing anything with them.

    Then there's is also this issue of time. How much time does it take for the return?

    Thanks, Pamela. And thanks Carolyn for providing the resources you do.

    Allyn

    ReplyDelete
  7. Allyn, I'm sure that the result time depends on what you are promoting and how you promote it. But I find it is quite immedidate--at least for my Amazon short on book proposals. And that is one reason that I know it can work and work well. The price, of course, is low on that short. I also see sales on my Amazon account for my other books holding steadier.

    An example of how I use it. I'll plug in the URL for this discussion and maybe see some more action, Phyllis will do the same. Each of us has over a thousand followers by now, and that helps but you can, too. Your followers would just be the ones you tend to select by following them. You'll learn tons from them, too1

    Carolyn
    www.howtodoitfrugally.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Allyn --

    First, I want to say that I built my Twitter followers over time. Very important not to just start following tons of people. So as I only followed a few people at first I had more time to learn how to use Twitter effectively. In fact, I read everything I could on using Twitter for business.

    Here are some free articles that my daughter/business partner has compiled about Twitter. Some will be technical -- but look for any that explain how to use Twitter effectively -- http://delicious.com/yaelkmiller/twitter

    In the membership club I will deal with using Twitter effectively. I luckily stumbled onto using it correctly because of my military-related brand. Then I branched out to my book marketing brand.

    You can have an immediate return on Twitter with only a few followers if you have targeted goals. Perhaps you could look at Carolyn's profile page and mine and see how we promote other people's projects and they promote ours.

    Regarding LinkedIn -- make sure you get notifications when someone posts a question on one of your groups. Then if you can answer the question -- do so. And it's important to choose the groups wisely. Did you join my Book Marketing group on LinkedIn?

    Phyllis

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous10:13 AM

    Thanks for the additional resources. I will check them out.

    And I will look for your group on LinkedIn.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Phyllis,

    I stumbled upon this post quite by accident, and through a related post on Twitter. Your journey into social media sounds much like mine, although I'm still in the learning mode. I appreciate the information you shared in the post and in your replies to other people's comments.

    ReplyDelete

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