Promoting through online social media is the hottest trend in marketing today, embraced by everyone from solo entrepreneurs to major corporations.
A recent survey shows that authors and publishers are anxious to leverage the benefits of social media. An overwhelming 94 percent of respondents said they plan to use social media to promote their books and themselves in 2010. Here you'll find a wealth of resources to help you harness the power of social media to promote your book.
How-to Guides
The Savvy Book Marketer's Guide to Successful Social Marketing - ebook
Twitter Guide for Authors - ebook
Facebook Guide to Authors - ebook
Free Podcasts and Articles
Twitter Book Marketing, Authors Access podcast hosted by Irene Watson and Victor Volkman.
Sample Daily Routine for Facebook - Downloadable checklist
21 Things for Authors to Tweet About on Twitter
Social Media Marketing Articles for Authors
Social Networking
Social networks are online communities where people with common interests meet, develop relationships, communicate, and share. Social networking is all about interaction, and it can be a powerful tool to promote your book and yourself.
Facebook – Create a Facebook Profile in your own name to get started in social networking.
Facebook Fan Pages – Create a Facebook Page to promote your book or business. Novelists can even create a Page in the name of a character in their novel.
Twitter – The hottest microblogging community.
LinkedIn – The largest professional networking site.
Virtual Reader Communities – Social networks where readers and authors network and recommend books to others.
Other Networks – Search Google and Ning for niche networks in your area of interest.
Social Networking Tools
These tools let you post to multiple social networks at once:
HootSuite (my top choice)
Friendfeed
Online Forums
Forums are online communities where people who are interested in a particular subject can ask questions, offer solutions, and share experiences. Forums are a good way to network with others who share your interests, building your expert reputation, and keep up with what others are saying about your area of interest or book genre. Here are two good places to look for forums to join:
Yahoo Groups
Google Groups
Expert Sites
Expert sites are websites where anyone can create pages or articles about topics in which they have expertise, free of charge. They are a great platform for nonfiction authors to develop their status as an expert in their subject area, build a brand and promote a book. Fiction authors might also build a presence around a theme related to their book. Here are some popular content sharing sites:
eHow
Media and Content Sharing
Online media and content sharing sites allow users to upload and share various types of content, including videos, photos, podcasts, and documents. Some sites allow visitors to vote and/or comment on the content. Here are some resources for using media and content sharing to promote your book:
YouTube – Largest video sharing site, owned by Google.
Tube Mogul – Free service to upload videos to multiple sites.
iTunes – The most popular podcast sharing site.
Flickr – The biggest photo and image sharing site, owned by Yahoo.
Social News and Bookmarking
Social news and social bookmarking sites are communities where users rate and/or submit links to web pages, blog posts, news stories, videos, and other content and share it with others. Many of these sites have social features such as the ability to add friends, join groups, and send messages. Here are some of the most popular sites:
StumbleUpon
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