Authors who self publish can actually move books with social media like Facebook and a blog. I am and so can you. So forget about buzzing, engaging and “being more human” on social media and learn how to sell with it. Here are 3 things you can do tomorrow—to start making social media sell more books, speaking gigs and educational goods.
But first I need to say something that may surprise you. In the world of social media there is no shortage of bad advice posing as good, time-tested “best practices.” Too often “experts” offer social marketing tips that are actually huge time-wasters. Said plainly, you do not need to know what time of day to be re-Tweeted or Liked more often. You need a systematic way to apply social media to sell books. Right?
Avoid the Most Common Mistake I use Facebook as a listening post for readers and meeting planners, not just a place to broadcast. But just listening is not enough. This is where most authors go wrong. Respond to what you hear by publishing useful information to your target audience. And here's the most important part: publish in ways that always prompts readers, speaking bureaus or planners to ask more questions… that your books, DVDs or training products give answers to.
Make sure everything you publish either solves a problem or identifies a problem (so you can solve it). Most authors and business owners I interviewed in my book say it is most effective to answer questions in short form, on Facebook. Then simply link back to your blog site to provide additional detail—and a call-to-action that prompts the customer to give insight on purchase intent, for instance. Or lure them to exchange their email address for a chance to win a free book. Generate a lead.
Always-always-always be driving customers toward doing something that lets you database/index their purchase intent (at the moment), problems they need solved, etc. For instance, I use my site www.askjeffmolander.com to do exactly that. By giving away free advice (scratching my customers' itches) I earn more insight into my customers' pain and a chance to sell to them. Again, this is where most authors miss the boat.
Solve Problems, Get Back to Basics Don’t get caught up in worrying about what to blog or converse about on Facebook. That’s a trap that many authors who self publish fall into. Rather, get back to basics. Do what you do in your book online but in ways that interact with readers. Answer questions and/or appeal to the personal desires of your target market. Exploit secret desires or urgent needs.
For instance, your book and/or products may help kids achieve better reading comprehension in school and/or help them avoid being bullied in the classroom… all while giving parents a sense of confidence and better looking report cards. Play to these aspects, just as you might in traditional marketing. But also mix in a direct response element (call to action for some kind of registration).Think about how the illegal narcotics trade operates and mimic it. Your job as a social media wizard is to create and then nurture an addiction to whatever you publish — not to “engage” or be discovered.
Take Action, Ask Better Questions Ready to get going? Ask yourself: “What are my customers doing in social spaces, why and how? What is he/she demonstrating a clear need for? What itch can I scratch for him/her? What questions does he/she ask over and over that I can answer… in the form of a blog story that can be posted as a response to recurring Facebook questions, for instance?”
As Markus Sheridan of River Pools and Spas recommends in chapter one of my book, consider prioritizing questions your customers ask most often. Or focus on lesser-known tips — or often-overlooked tricks that you regularly provide customers.
Now it’s time to quickly pull together the beginnings of a “content marketing” asset. In other words, a blog, e-book, white paper or video that solves a common problem. Are you with me? Here’s the good news: You're already providing tips and tricks to customers. Consider: Are you already helping customers put fires out or do more with less? How, where?
Brainstorm a practical way to collect and organize this information using simple, accessible tools like a blog. Focus on providing practical information first. Then mix in creative ways to present the information… like blogging controversial opinions, appealing to “inner desires.”
Forget About Best Practices We’re all human. And that means we’re programmed to choose the path of least resistance. But cutting-and-pasting a social media “best practice” is never going to be the path toward better results. Instead, borrow ideas that “work” for others — applying them within your environment. Make mistakes and learn from them. You’ll create more of what you want by discovering processes that do not work and quickly fixing them.
“Our brains, contrary to what most people think, have been designed to learn much more from lessons learned… from what didn’t work; from conflicts; from situations that were everything but successful; from what would force us to re-think what we’ve just done and do it better, trying harder next time around,” says Luis Suarez, an IBM knowledge management consultant.
Testing and adapting is a more effective way to create sales. Forget about “perfect” practices that can be applied broadly. And remember to always be solving customers problems. Effective “content marketing” demands more than grabbing customers’ attention. You’ve got to do something with it.
About the Author Jeff Molander is a self-published author of Off the Hook Marketing: How to Make Social Media Sell for You and adjunct faculty at Loyola University Business School. He blogs at www.offthehookblog.com.