Social Media for Authors

1. SocialMediaforAuthors Overview by Bennett Gavin Social Media Strategist for eBooks2go

2. What is Social Media? • Interaction • People can create/share/exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks. • Mobile and web-based technologies • Individuals and communities share, co-create, discuss, and modify content right from their cell phone or tablet. • Line of contact • Social Networks present considerable changes to communication.

3. Not Your Everyday News • Social media contrasts heavily from traditional media • Aspects like reach, usability, and immediacy are more highly prevalent in the social sphere compared to conventional media. • Internet users continue to spend more time with social media sites than any other type of site • Benefits of participating in social media have altered • Gone beyond just sharing to building an image and bringing in monetary income.

4. A Quandary: Social Media vs. Social News • Easy to confuse social media with social news • We often refer to members of the news as "the media”. • Adding to the confusion is the fact that a social news site is also a social media site • Falls into that broader category. • Social Media encompasses a wide range of outlets • Any site that allows a user to interact with the site or with other users.

5. In Simpler Terms • Think of regular media as a one-way street • You can read a newspaper or watch the news, but the ability to give your thoughts on the matter is limited. • Conversely, social media is a two-way street • Gives you the ability to interact/react/communicate in real time.

6. Forms of Social Media • Examples of sites include: • Social Bookmarking - Del.icio.us, Blinklist • Tag websites and explore websites bookmarked by other people. • Social News - Digg, Reddit • Vote for articles as well as comment on them. • Social Networking - Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn • Add friends, join groups, and have dialogue. • Social Photo/Video Sharing - YouTube, Instagram • Share photos/videos and remark on other user submissions. • Wikis - Wikipedia, Wikia • Add articles and revise existing ones.

7. Benefits of Usage • Create buzz and generate communication • Drive traffic to your site • Remind customers/clients of your brand • Magnify your online influence • Spread the reach of your message • Notify your audience of special offers • Escalate your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) ranking

8. Why Do you Need Social Media? • 1. Connect you with compatible people and communities • Fans, readers, other authors, & publishers. • 2. Promote yourself, your organization, and your books • Let your connections know who you are and what you’re about. • 3. Help shape your online image • Become more noticeable in Google Search results and other search engines.

9. What are some Best Practices? • Up to this point, there is no tried and true method or perfect formula • Balancing act between your content and your audience. • There are, however, steps you can take to increase your chance to succeed in the digital space • Follow these guidelines to maintain a high understanding and good reputation within the realm of social media:

10. Build a Presence • Social media accounts should be logged into at least once per day to monitor and respond to posts, comments, mentions, etc. • Be existent and receptive • Will lead to credibility and value. • People that engage with you will anticipate a response. • Prospective customers asking about your latest book to fans inquiring about new projects/titles. • Deserting will reflect poorly on you. • Frequency of updates depend on the outlet • How much content do you have? • Don’t pile it on.

11. Measurement & Analytics • Key to judging your success in social media • Functions/services provided for almost every site • Software applications like TweetDeck or HootSuite can help you keep an eye on your Twitter activity. • Services like Social Mention allow you to control various social media outlets at the same time. • Study analytics intel • Compare against content and engagement. • Use this information to better understand your audience and to craft more effective content.

12. Grow Your Community • Having a personality will help you develop an audience • Be yourself! • Once you have established a presence, cross-promote in your various networks • Both online and offline. • Don’t judge your success on numbers alone • Quality trumps quantity. • Constructing a community through social media is a process

13. The Decision is Yours • Slowly but surely, the world is converting to all things digital • Even the sites are adapting (Trending Topics, News Feed). • A truly viable source to use for very little cost • Maintaining is FREE! • Ad-ons will come at a price (i.e. Facebook Ads) but could foster lead generation and income. • Limit scope without it • If you want to share your work, people have to know about it.

14. eBooks2go Can Guide You • Social Media is a difficult and even scary concept for someone to face • Don’t do it alone!!! • We can get you on the right path • From creation to recommendation, our Social Media Expert will provide you with everything it takes to be relevant in the social circle. • 3 package options to choose from • Choose what works best for you and your book.

15. Contact Us Today • Interested in one of our packages? • Call us at 1 (847) 598-1150 or e-mail us at info@ebooks2go.net and let eBooks2go be your one-stop solution provider.