Using Social Media for Your Book in 2020

Using social media for your book or business helps you boost website traffic, reach a wider audience, and provides an opportunity for potential readers to learn about you and your book.

Some statistics from Hubspot’s 2020 marketing report.

Facebook: As of Q1 2020, there are 2.6 billion monthly active Facebook users. (Statista, 2020)

LinkedIn: LinkedIn is the second-most popular social media platform used by B2B marketers, ranking only behind Facebook. (Statista, 2019)

Instagram: Instagram is the social channel with the second-highest ROI among marketers. (HubSpot, 2020)

Twitter: The largest U.S. Twitter audience by age group, as of September 2018, is tied between 25-34 and 55-64 year-olds. (Statista, 2019)

Pinterest: During a survey, 25% of responding social media marketers at B2B companies stated they used Pinterest to market their businesses. (Statista, 2019)

Actively using social media helps you build relationships with your readers. So, instead of viewing it primarily as a way to pitch your book, think of it as a way to connect with people. Answer questions, inform your audience with relevant content, engage authentically. You will even start building connections with influencers who may even become your promoters.

Take the time to develop your brand so all your social media platforms have a consistent look and feel. Start with just one platform and focus on developing a strategy for that platform where you not only build a following, you really connect and engage with your followers.

Audit Your Social Media Accounts

Audit Your Social Media AccountsYou want to be sure your social media accounts are updated so they always have your current information. Now is a good time before the start of the new year to audit your social media properties.
… more … “Audit Your Social Media Accounts”

5 Tips for Blog Posts

five tips for your blog postsSince your blog is your marketing foundation, you want to be sure to follow these five tips for your blog posts:

  1. Create a conversation. To do that ask questions, invite others to write guest posts, respond to reader comments.
  2. Add links to other sites with information relevant to your topic.
  3. Always add an image to your post. I take a lot of my own pictures and create images. People are more likely to read something visually appealing. Then you can also add it to your Pinterest board.
  4. Use an SEO plug in such as Yoast to be sure you’re getting good SEO on every blog post.
  5. Share your blog posts on all your social media networks.

Please share your tips in the comments section!

How to Pin to Pinterest

Google Chrome Pinterest Extension IconIt’s quite easy to pin an image to your Pinterest board from a website. Since I use Google Chrome as my default browser (which I highly recommend), I added the Google Chrome Pinterest Extension to make pinning images to Pinterest even easier. Below are simple instructions on how to Pin to Pinterest using the Google Chrome Pinterest Extension and additional instructions on how to pin without using the Google Chrome Pinterest Extension.

Adding Pins to Pinterest Boards with Google Chrome Pinterest Extension

  1. Log in to Pinterest.
  2. In upper right hand corner click on your account.
  3. Choose the board to pin on.
  4. In another tab on our browser open the web page that has the information you want to Pin.
  5. Click your Pinterest icon.
  6. Choose the correct image and click Pin It.
  7. Add an appropriate description.
  8. Pin It. You’re done!

Adding Pins to Pinterest Boards w/out Google Chrome Pinterest Extension

  1. Log in to Pinterest.
  2. In upper right hand corner click on your account.
  3. Choose the board to pin on.
  4. Click add a Pin.
  5. Choose The Web.
  6. Copy and paste the link from the website.
  7. Choose the correct board
  8. Add a description
  9. Click Pin It. You’re done!

If for any reason these simple instructions don’t work for you, please let me know!

Images a Growing Trend in Social Media Marketing

Images a growing trend in social media marketingAs social media networks like Slideshare and Pinterest grow, the use of images in social media marketing is a growing trend. We all know that old adage, “a picture’s worth a thousand words“.  Images can convey valuable information. A well-done graphic grabs a viewer’s attention quickly.

The words we use in our marketing will always be an important part of online marketing. However those words are more likely to be shared with others if they are found either on an image or in the description of an image.

Tips for Using Images in Social Media Marketing

  • Be sure to include an image in every blog post
  • When you upload images to your blog, be sure to include keywords in the title of the image, the description and the alt text
  • Use Pinterest and ‘pin’ all blog posts to Pinterest. When you do so, be sure to include a detailed description using your keywords
  • When posting to Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, and Twitter, be sure to use images in your updates

As you can see in this post, I’ve created an image that includes text on the image. This text is also used in the description, title, and alt text. I will pin it to Pinterest and use it in all my social media posts.

How will you use images in your social media marketing?