Page 22 - Social Media Marketing

Judith Thomson
An Author’s View of Social Media
The first social media platform I went on was Twitter, where I am @ JudithThomson14, although I never really took it too seriously until I started to publish my books. Another author gave me a piece of good advice which was not use Twitter as a shop window, but to use it instead like a café, where people might pop in to talk to you and see your books beside you on the table.
You are not just an author, you are also, say, a gardener, a dog owner, a jogger, and if you want to build up a relationship with what are usually, let’s face it, total strangers, then I reckon it is a good idea to make them your friends, because friends will buy your books and tell their friends about them. I don’t believe that just posting about your book is going to sell it. Certainly post photos of your lovely cover, but occasionally post a picture of the sunset or the sea (or your dog!). By all means, when you get a good review put it out there with a link to your website or Amazon but don’t forget to retweet and leave replies when other people you are following say something interesting or funny.
I used to work in sales (not of books!) and there is an old saying that people will never buy from you if they don’t like you, so I think it is important to put yourself out there, not just your books. You don’t have to reveal too much, just enough to encourage people to want to get to know you. I have actually made some great friends on Twitter, friends I have since met or keep touch with privately. They have bought
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