Week 3 of our 6 Simple Facebook Contests you can set up in 5 minutes and it time for Solve to Win!

This was the photo and the question was--"How many wolves are in the picture?"

The answer: 3

By now my author has determined that the effort is not worth the yields and wants to direct her efforts in a different direction. But I love the idea of Facebook engagement. Sometimes, though, your fans just want you--and that's okay.

Will I stop using Facebook as a platform? No. I don't subscribe to the method that authors need to be in all places at once. I believe they need to concentrate on the platform, or platforms, that they feel most comfortable in and work it! My favorite is twitter but I also love Facebook. I don't cross promote on the platforms very much so it keeps both places fresh and different, but sometimes cross promoting is best for you. I don't know--it's only a suggestion. 

But the important thing to remember is, know what you want to do on your platforms. Do you want interaction or promotion? Either one takes a unique approach on any platform. This experiment we did was under the promotion category and we found out our fans want interaction as their engagement. So fans get what fans want!

ACTION ITEM: Take from this what type of interaction your fans want from you on each platform. 

Two weeks ago we started our 6 Simple Facebook Contests you can set up in 5 minutes. This past week we tried Simple Facebook Contest #2 - Comment to Win.

For us, this wasn't as popular as the Like to Win Contest. Which means the question was too difficult or the prize wasn't appealing.

I believe it has to do with the question. It probably wasn't something that many people could think of from the top of their heads and had to go looking for the answer. Now that I think of it, I wasn't sure how to answer and I'm a huge Snow Blood fan! Hence, I'm thinking we made the question too difficult for our fans.

Lived and learned! Continuing forth with Contest #3 for Snow Blood: Episode 4!!

ACTION ITEM: Try the Contest -- Comment to Win -- just give a very obvious question that anyone can answer. Something like what color is blue? The point is engagement, not necessarily sales. These are your fans who, have probably already bought your book (maybe, maybe not) but the goal is for them NOT to forget you. These are your peeps. Treat them well and they become your advocates. Advocates talk you up to others, share your content and pay attention to what you're saying because your entertaining, give them a thing of value and inspire them to DO (something).

See what I've done? I'm promoting my author and giving you an example of the Pay-with-a-Tweet promotion! Yeah, I think I'm slick :)

If you'd like a free ebook download...click the pay with a tweet button at the top of this post and see the receiving end of Pay-with-a-Tweet promotion. Or just click the picture and it'll take you there too.

When you make your own pay-with-a-tweet, they give you a URL as well as html codes so you choose the best button/method of driving traffic to your promotion. The URL you can slap on the back of your book and it's a fantastic way to get the word out!!

Imagine after one of your readers finished your book and there's a little URL with a message saying... receive my novella just by pay-with-a-tweet and receive "book name here" !!

And then they tweet a message you pre-made to go out with a hashtag and a message and a link that promotes your paid book and viola free press!

Am I making sense?

ACTION ITEM: Click the "Pay with a Tweet or Facebook" button and go through the process of the system. Then go to http://www.paywithatweet.com/ and do your own!

I’ve been a marketing junkie for six or seven years now and I’ve read what the guru’s say, joe-blow says and all those authorities say. And they are saying pretty much the same thing. Reading articles and such I see very little “case studies” or the secrets and reasoning behind the general ra-ra.

There is no formula because marketing is a creative form. You will not find an itemized bullet list for success. There are no connect-the-dots in marketing. This is why you can find generic tactics and strategies, but no “do this and money pours out” manuals.

I’ve heard—get on social media and gain an audience. But how? Ads? When they say connect person to person, how is an introvert going to connect over the wire?

I can answer these questions for me—but not for you, which is why marketing is creative. You decide what you are going to do.

If you’re tired of reading about tactics and strategies, then you’re thinking about it wrong. You will only find what works for other people. It’s up to you to see beyond the tactic to the strategy and find out if it will work for you.

ACTION ITEM: So chin-up all those who have marketing article burn-out. Take a break, find you strategy and follow that!

I came across Avinash Kaushik and his ladder of Awesomeness! I had to share!

If you want to see his 9 steps of Awesome...travel HERE!

It's as simple as you see it above.

1. Build a website.
2. Make it mobile.
3. Collect emails.
4. Run some ads.
5. Do some promoting.
6. Get social.
7. Promote in your niche.
8. Automate.
9. Reward your true fans.

Now we all are probably doing 1 - 7 but 8 & 9?

Automate? How? Get a VA, hire someone part time.
Rewarding true fans will require some thinking, questions and socializing with your base. But I know you can think of creative ways to reward your people.

Any questions?

Action Item: Double check to see if you are on the ladder of Awesomeness!

All right you guys...I've been having a raging week of moving, funerals and bad family...so while I skipped out last week, I did some research this week. Okay, okay, my VA did research. *Hangs head* I can't even tend my own website.

But...I haz here 89 Book Marketing Ideas That Will Change Your Life! It's not an original TRP blog, but I'd feel guilty if I didn't give you something...so here it is!! Marketing Monday on a stick.

ACTION ITEM: Try one of these today. Try one of these every day for the next 89 days.

Really the title is 'nuff said.

Whether the plan is advertising in magazines, book sites or just taking your book on virtual tour I just can't stress enough that you must let people know about your book.

You don' t have to yell. Tweet every 20 min. or accost strangers off the street. For instance, who doesn't know Doctor Sleep is available?

Getting around doesn't have to make or break the bank, but effort does need to be made.

If you find ezine ads, virtual book tours, tweeting your book or promoting your book too expensive, too time consuming or you have the feeling of treading water while drowning--try doing nothing.

If your book has legs, it will run away from you like a toddler and sell with a little bit of effort. If your book doesn't have legs, it's time to assess:

1. Does the book title explain what the book is about?
2. Does your description explain what the book is about?
3. Is your description intriguing?
4. What keywords and phrases did you use and did you check them against Amazon algorithms to see if they were popular?
5. Stop scanning this numbered list and read it.
6. Do you have ratings?
7. Are you priced competitively?
8. Did you celebrate the book along with the opening day promotion?
9. Look at what's next on your marketing plan and implement it.
10. Have you gone back to your book and included nifty tweet-a-book links at the end?

You're saying yes, Stephanie, yes all of that. Well, then...sounds like it's time to write the next book!

Today's reader follows authors, not titles, not genres. You. Tell your stories. Somebody somewhere told me it takes about 60 products to break in the "known" section of somebody's radar.

OMG! I have to write 60 books?!

Yep. It separates the writer/storytellers from the fop. When you're trying to get struck by lightning, the more rods you have in the air, the better.

ACTION ITEM: Take away from this what you will.

Here's a twist on how I think about my marketing team. There are the marketers that interact with me directly that are part of my team, then there are indirect marketers that help me through their acts of kindness.

One of the people that post on their blogs that helps me market is BK Walker and her newest vlog PHAT Tuesday.

Her videos give actionable items that can help you with marketing and really get you motivated to be successful in writing, publishing & life. What BK Walker imparts are things you can do personally or professionally and I love that!!

If you're interested in watching her PHAT Tuesday's here is a link:

CLICK HERE TO GO TO PHAT TUESDAY

One of the things I love about BK Walker is that she's real. She has a host of animals that happen to be her co-hosts on her vlog--whether she wants them as her co-hosts or not. I don't feel like she's an unreachable professional that has "done all this and now I'm telling you how it is..." she does this to help her clients and other authors. You can tell that while she's imparting great information, she's not sterile. Her office is her couch.

Leave the stuffy copy-written scripts of those that can give a good speech. Embrace the wisdom of marketing from the heart.

ACTION ITEM: Watch the video. Follow BK Walker's blog (if you're so inclined).

It's very easy. Marketing = anything that deals with the book or buying the book.

Promotions = anything that allows readers to get to know the author.

Social Media/Promotion.
Google ad/Marketing.

Now that we have that straight, let's get into the pitfalls of mixing up the two.

Social media is not marketing.

Facebook is where you get to engage your fans. Yes, tell them about your book, absolutely, but Facebook isn't going to buy your book. Facebook is going to be friends with you and it's a great place to be with that rowdy bunch that love you so much!

Amazon "others bought.." is not promotions.

This is where your readers are going to buy. Not every reader is going to see the same "others bought this book and you should too..." section. You get noticed, but you can't make a personable impression.

Promotions is where you can be personable. Marketing is mass wide plastering of your name.

So the point I'm getting at is: if you're on facebook/twitter thinking that's where you need to post things related to your book--you're wrong. This is where you post things related to YOU. Things you like. Things you stand up for. Things that make you laugh or make George Takei laugh. Whatever.

Marketing can be slightly more tricky because everyone asks -- what sells books?

Um... f8 and being there.

Meaning being prepared and putting the book out. But what really sells books is a marketing plan, word of mouth, social proof, making it easy to buy the book and good presentation.

For those who want to learn more about Marketing plans...here's another blog post that addresses that called: Book Planning 101: Marketing

ACTION ITEM: Make a marketing plan and a promotions plan.

Have you asked this question ~ What's a good markeing tool?

*Sigh*

I've been seeing questions asked such as this since the beginning of the Self-Publishing Revolution!
 
So I see these questions:


1. Are book giveaway's good marketing tool?
2. Is KDP Select still a good marketing tool?
3. Do book blog Tours sell books?

These are questions the traditional publishers want you to ask! They're suck ass questions! Meant to confuse you. Maybe instead of asking if they are a good marketing tools ask...

Is this an effective marketing approach for my goals?

1. Are book giveaway's a good marketing tool? I've seen it do a lot of good for one author and yet not so much for another. Depends on how you promote it. Are you doing an ARC? Are you on Goodreads? Do you have ads up? I've noticed that book giveaway's during a promotion CAN be good when done right. What's right? Making sure that you get an email for each entry of the give away. Seriously, that's the whole reason for a giveaway.

2. Is KDP Select still a good marketing tool? For brand spanking new authors, Yes AND when done right. Spur of the moment throwing your free days up~not so much. Planning, going to Author Marketing Club and filling out the forms~worth it!

3. Do book blog Tours sell books? When combined with free days, giveaways or actively directing people to the tour, Yes. But again. You need to do it right. Plan the event. Like months before.

Take a care.

Have a thought.

Study your own book buying habits. Study your friends book buy habits.

But the best marketing tool I've ever seen on the planet is word-of-mouth. But that kind of promotion is for another post. :)

Action Item:
Plan a promotion today! (My own authors don't count~they're all set for August - September.)