Social Media for Authors Overview by Bennett Gavin Social Media Strategist for eBooks2go

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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:

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Contact Us Today Interested in one of our packages? Call us at 1 (847) or us at and let eBooks2go be your one-stop solution provider.