Monday 11 August 2014

Social Media and Indie Authors

All authors know that social media is important. The fact is practically drilled into our heads. I've heard that you need to have a profile with Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Amazon Author Central, Pinterest, Instagram, Snapfish, Google+, Blogger, Wordpress and the list goes on. Some authors thrive while exploring the latest and greatest sites. Others run in the other direction when contemplating their online platform. So what is an Indie Author to do? Here is a list of 4 tips to focus your attention.
1. Focus on just one or two social media outlets. I'm not saying don't participate in other ones, but to focus on quality not quantity. Instead of spreading yourself too thin across multiple platforms, spend quality time on a just a few.

2. Make meaningful connections. Never use social media outlets to be an incessant commercial. Don't spam people or constantly talk about the book you have for sale. Comment on what other people are talking about. Contribute if you can and make friends. BUT you can provide a link back to your preferred social media outlet so that when someone likes what you have to say, they have a means of learning more about you.
3. Multitask. Even though your focus should be on your preferred social media outlet, you should still have a presence on many more. Simplify things by planning a post ahead of time, or using the same post on multiple platforms. I like using Hootsuite.com because you can schedule the day, time and place you want a post to be.

4. Set a timer. I could literally spend the entire day on Goodreads and a handful of my favorite blogs. Although, I would have lots of fun, it wouldn't be the most productive way to use my time. So set a timer to spend on your preferred social media sites and stick with it to make the most of your time.
Hopefully, with these tips you can have a sturdier online platform and make the most of your time.

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