This is a blog post from CreateSpace which is the publishing company for my book. It has some great information and best practice on how social media can help you promote any product or service you might have. This covers Facebook which the writer considers the granddaddy of social media. I would agree that any social media promotion should start with Facebook. Please feel free to comment with your thoughts after reading the article posted below. -Dennis Social Networking Tour ““ Facebook You’ve often heard me talk about social networking on this blog. It’s an important cog in the web 2.0 machinery, and as a result, it should be an important cog in your marketing strategy. Social networking sites offer you a way to have a conversation with readers and potential readers. In short, it’s an ideal tool to help you keep your word-of-mouth campaign in constant motion. Your friends, virtual or otherwise, are anxious to help you succeed. There are many social media sites out there, so I’ve decided to break this topic up into a five-part series. We’ll look at a different social networking site each week to learn a little bit more about them. I’ll be providing some of my experiences as an author and offer up some basic ideas for how to use them to promote yourself and your book. First up is what I’d call the granddaddy of all the sites: Facebook. It’s so socially relevant, they made a big-budget movie about it. It started out as a networking site for colleges and blew up into a worldwide phenomenon that shows no signs of slowing down. Here are some interesting facts as of the time of this writing: Facebook currently has an estimated 550,000,000 unique monthly visitors. The most current numbers reveal that the age group with the biggest presence is 35-54. Women make up 54.3 percent of the members. The fastest-growing segment is the 55-and-older age group. The average user spends more than 55 minutes per day on Facebook. The average user is a member of 12 groups. In my opinion, the best way to approach Facebook as a personal branding tool is to keep in mind that it is a social network, meaning you should treat it like any other social gathering. This isn’t the best arena for the hard sell or constant pitch. I’ve seen authors do this, and invariably someone complains, or they lose valuable Facebook connections. The most successful authors use Facebook as a platform to draw readers into their world through common interests. Posting news links, funny or inspirational quotes, pictures from signings, and updates about your experiences as an author are all good options for Facebook content. If you have a personal appearance coming up, notify your friends. They may even share your post with their friends, especially if the event is in their area. Also, start joining groups and interacting with those who participate in them. I’ve joined a number of groups that have nothing to do with my book, but from them, I’ve added people to my pool of friends. More friends means more people reading my updates and discovering that I am an author. How? I’ve identified myself as such in my profile, and a lot of my updates pertain to whatever book I am writing at the time. I’m always sure to keep the updates purely informational, so they don’t come off as sales pitches for the book. Since it has more than 500,000,000 users, there’s a very good chance that you’re already a member of the site. However, I’ve found that many authors who have accounts are hesitant to actually use them. I wholeheartedly recommend that you start using the valuable free tools and networking opportunities that Facebook presents. People want to connect with you. That’s what friends do”¦even Facebook friends! -Richard Richard Ridley is an award-winning author and paid CreateSpace contributor. Original Post is located on the CreateSpace Facebook Fan Page
