Social Networking Tips for Authors. Guest Post by D'vorah Lansky

Social Networking Tips for Authors

Social networking is a powerful way to grow your business, reach, readers, and sales. As an author, you want to become known for your area of expertise and as the go-to person for your topic. The purpose of social networking is not to constantly promote your book, but rather to be seen as someone who interacts and offers value to the community.

You want to network with people who are interested in you and your topic as well as with other authors. By networking with other authors you will gain ideas and suggestions for additional ways to promote your book. Networking with people interested in the topic you write about allows you to grow your readership as well as the sales of your books and programs. Engage your readers in conversations that lead to more referrals and sales.


By taking the time to set up your profile on several of the key networks, you will benefit in many ways. You will meet and connect with more people and become known as an authority on your topic. You will also gain exposure to people who are looking for speakers or people to interview, as they will have greater access to you. You will also benefit from additional links to your blog, as you are able to list links on your social networking profiles.

Tips for Enhancing Your Social Networking Profiles and Experience

• Brand yourself across the social networks, whenever possible, by using the same profile ID and photograph. Your profile ID can represent your name, your book, your topic, or your product.
• Create a professional-looking profile with a professional headshot photo of yourself. Make sure to select a photo where you are smiling, as this makes a positive impact and draws people to you.
• Schedule fifteen minutes several times a week—as well as one longer, weekly session—to interact on your social networks.
• Join a few groups on topics of interest to you, ask questions, and participate in discussions.
  
  

• Set up your signature to include your book title, subtitle, and Web address.

• Consider setting your email preferences so that the bulk of the messages from your social networks stay on the network and are not sent to your email box. This allows you to focus on these messages when you have scheduled time for social networking.
• Sell people on you, not on your business. Build relationships and be of help to others.

Grow Your Social-Networking Presence

You can grow a vibrant, social-networking presence in as little as fifteen minutes, several times per week. The trick is to schedule this time in your calendar. If you don’t, you may find that 1) you either never seem to get around to networking online or that 2) you end up spending way too much time on the social networks, thus taking time away from writing and other key book marketing activities. By scheduling your social networking time, you’ll stay focused and you’ll prioritize this time. Following are a few activities to choose from:

• Visit your social networks.
• Check your network inbox messages.
• Post a status update in which you share something about yourself or something that you are working on. Do this in a way that will create interest and not sound like a sales pitch.
• Visit one or more of your groups and comment on discussions.
• Visit the website of someone you’ve been interacting with and comment about his or her work or something you have in common.
• Begin a discussion topic and encourage others to chime in.

I have found that I get more responses when I share something interesting but not too personal. For example, when I’ve shared about a great book I read or course that I took, people generally comment back and join in the conversation. I also find that when I share something humorous I get the most responses.


Look for me on the social networks, I’d love to connect with you. I spend a high percentage of my online networking time on Facebook. You can connect with me there at: http://Facebook.com/dvorah.lansky

D’vorah is the bestselling author of Book Marketing Made Easy: Simple Strategies for Selling Your Nonfiction Book Online - Visit her book blog and check out the full virtual book tour schedule at: www.BookMarketingMadeEasy.com.
D’vorah offers programs for nonfiction authors interested in growing their brand and their book sales through online book marketing practices and strategies. You can purchase her book on Amazon at: www.BookMarketingMadeEasy.com/amazon