As weekends go this last one was certainly eventful. My book, "The Book Of Small Changes" was due to launch on Saturday morning and then, late on Friday night, disaster. Darkness, total and technology crippling.
54 hours. No power, no internet, lots of problem.
Fortunately I have some very understanding friends who loaned me the use of their power sockets, broadband and kettle while I flooded my corner of the social networks with my quiet announcements.
Many words have been written by others on the subject of online marketing but, having now used these tools and launched myself up the Amazon as it were, the "top tips" are well worth repeating here.
1. Have a personal website.
Make it clear and concise. Make sure it is completely clear on the front page what you are about. Writer, designer, whatever it may me, say so in a big font and use a good picture of your product.
Here's mine: http://www.timjstevenson.com
2. Twitter.
I don't have that many followers on twitter, but those I do have are all either in my field or are agencies, groups or enthusiasts who have an established following. Asking politely for a re-tweet is always the best approach and with a little perseverance it is possible to reach a large number of twits in a very short time.
Twitter searching for groups or individuals who are interested in the kind of things you are doing is also very productive. Plus tweeting as the author - rather than having a publisher market for you - pays dividends with the personal touch.
Always remember to say thank you for a re-tweet and reply to your comments.
3. Facebook.
Some people have thousands of Facebook friends. My golden rule is that I have FB friends I actually know well, but this doesn't stop you from searching for writers' groups and posting a message on their page.
4. Pinterest.
I don't have a pinterest account. Yet. But I will and I will let you know how it goes and what, if any, the pitfalls are.
5. eMail.
Don't forget that, if you are of a certain age, you probably have more email contacts than FB or Twitter contacts. An informative email with images and a clear subject line will certainly do the trick.
6. Blogging.
Thank you for reading this one.
The tip for blogs I have heard most often is to post often and regularly. But regular and predictable beats often. Pick a day and stick to it. Write your posts in advance if you feel the urge (he says writing this on a monday for a post on wednesday).
And, for heaven's sake, make it interesting.
I may still be working on the 'interesting' bit - but I'm sure I'll find my stride one of these days.
7. An author page on Amazon.
This helps with what Wikipedia refers to as 'Disambiguation' or as I call it 'some other bugger out there with almost the same name as me confusion'.
Plus, if you have had work published in anthologies or other things in which you were one of many authors, it helps to show anyone who might be interested that you don't spend all day sitting in front of the TV watching re-runs of "Storage Wars".
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tim-Stevenson/e/B00IE8PO0G
If you want to know more about internet marketing try one of the following.
http://songoftheseagod.wordpress.com/ Chris Hill's excellent blog. @ChilledCH
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/web-marketing-for-dummies-cheat-sheet.html
The ever reliable "For Dummies" series is a great starting point.
And here are the top marketing trends for 2014 from Forbes magazine.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2013/09/17/the-top-7-online-marketing-trends-that-will-dominate-2014/
Thanks for reading and I'll see you next week.
Tim.
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