(A social media addendum for intrepid authors trying to work it on Facebook.)
I recently hit a brick wall in trying to help an author suss out her Facebook page, so what did I do but call another one of my authors, Arielle Eckstut, who has spoken to every social media expert you can shake a stick at.
The question? Here goes: On Twitter, it’s easy for authors to connect with other, like-minded authors and what the social media crowd calls “influencers” (basically, people with large, active online followings who have the power to steer conversations). On Facebook, if authors have set up a dedicated book page—as opposed to a personal profile—not so much. A quirk of FB’s professional pages is that they don’t allow you to “friend” or “like” other people or pages. And, as authors will learn from Arielle and David’s thorough chapter on social media, virtual friending and liking is an essential component of getting online love!
So what’s a Facebooking author to do? Arielle to the rescue:
1. Email everyone you know and ask them to “like” your page. (Don’t rely on Facebook’s “invite your friends” function.)
2. Through your personal FB account, find fellow authors, people with interests related to the topic of your book, influencers and big-mouths, and friend away.
3. Post status updates inviting all your friends to “like” your book page and/or send individual messages to same effect.
* Advanced technique: Ask a friendly influencer to tell his fans to migrate to your page. (Best if you have a carrot to wave, say, a particularly exciting dialogue, or a book giveaway.)
Whew. Lots of work, but until the next evolution of the book of faces, that’s how you work the system. Thanks, David and Arielle!
No Comments