| A.E. Albert: A Writer's Blog

How to Create a Social Platform

How to Create

A Social Platform

by A.E. Albert

"Marketing is no longer about the stuff

you make, but the stories you tell"

-Seth Godin

Writing is easy, it's the after part that's hard. Ok, this is somewhat of an overstatement. Writing is hard. Very hard. The difference is writing comes naturally.

There's a story inside waiting to come out and when we get into that zone, it feels almost effortless. However, it's still intellectually and emotionally tiring.

What made the after part so difficult was my ignorance. Yes, it's easy to press 'publish' on Amazon or Smashwords. But how is anyone going to know about you or your book. It's all about promoting yourself.

We all know what I'm going to say. Yes, social media. And no, it's not as scary as it seems.

So if you're thinking about writing a book or are half way done, start creating your media plan now!

Start Out With A Small Platform:

Facebook:

Create an author page.

Send it out into the world and ask them to like the page and if they would be so kind as to share it.

Don't spam your friends and family. Be social, periodically talk about your book and share your blog post when you publish it.

Twitter:
Create your account and right away follow 5-10 people who are like minded- professionally and personally.

Twitter 3 times a day (it takes only minutes of your time)
Don't focus on telling everyone about your book. It's annoying. Focus on the people out there like you, the people who want to be heard and found. In other words, re-tweet.
If sending out your own twitter makes you nervous, make one twitter a day your goal. It could be about anything.
Create an 'Author List.' This keeps all your fellow authors on one list and easier to re-tweet.
Again, don't just promote yourself constantly, only do it periodically.
Put your books link in your 'about' paragraph.
Remember: Think about others. I know this sounds insincere. When I started, I had no idea what I was doing. But when I saw all those people just like me, I didn't re-tweet because I should, I did it because I wanted to.

Google+:

I love Google+ because I can build a contact list that doesn't include my friends and family. This is my professional platform.
Right after you sign up you can choose from a huge list of people to follow to get you started. Take a few minutes a day to read people's posts and leave comments where applicable.

Blog:

Having a blog is a great hub for you promotion platform. There's great free ones out there like Blogger or WordPress.
As you browse the net, jot down ideas for blogs as you go.
Ideas can stem from concepts in your book, to what you learned about writing throughout your journey. It's up to you. But be sure to create your own niche.
Blog at least once a week and have a months worth ready to go in your draft list.
When you publish a post make sure you share it with your other social media platforms.
Read other blogs. Leave comments and start building relationships and getting seen.
Remember: It's overwhelming at first. Don't' think you have to be as good as the best blogs out there. There's only one you.

I know what you're thinking, 'What I want to say has already been said.' We're dealing with the internet, this is probably true. But no one can say it the way you're going to say it.

YouTube:

Make a book trailer and put it on social media and other accounts.
Make videos of you reading your book.
I know this sounds like a lot of work. Just do it. You're done and they're out there.

Figure Out What Platform Works For You

I would also recommend creating accounts at StumbleUpon, Author Central Amazon, Shelfari and Goodreads. These are great places to showcase your work and they're good for link building.

You can also create accounts at sites like about.me and LinkedIn. I recommend them, but honestly, start out small.

Get really good at navigating and utilizing them. Don't be discouraged, everything worth having has to be earned. Then branch out. It's all about growing, but you can't be the best in one day.

Start out small and be good at it!

Read: How to Create a Social Media Marketing Plan From Scratch.

Did I miss anything? Let me know?

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