Welcome to Writers Talkback. If you are a new user, your account will have to be approved manually to prevent spam. Please bear with us in the meantime
Been reading through that 'Facebook for Dummies' ebook and they were suggesting you have to actively go seeking out your target audience if you want to engage people onto your business page.
Things like finding out about their individual likes and dislikes via the search box. And coming up with an actual marketing strategy to allow you to pinpoint exactly what you are looking for in your audience and how to find them. To even use Facebook advertising as well as all the possible searches you can do to locate potential followers...
Do any of you use these tools and, if so, how successful are they at gathering new followers?? The suggestion that you ought to go ahead and request 'a friend' and 'like' on your Facebook button, to encourage participation on your page? Does anyone do that? Go seek, actively? Certainly sounds like the way to go, to be proactive?
Comments
Thinking of checking out some writers sites, and attaching some stuff and ideas on there, to see if I can gain some of their supporters...
After writing that short story for the competition, 'Balance', on here, I've decided to do some more of those and attach them to all my sites, as freebies, to see if that attracts any followers. To give them a hint of my creativity for future reference on my ebook/s.
That's given them something without them having to do or buy anything, and a bit of 'entertainment' for them too. That might encourage some?
My personal page is where I have fun with friends, although I will share whatever takes my fancy... and sometimes that might be a quirky quote about writers, for example.
I don't post anything other than writing/book-related information on my Author Page. I might leave snippets of my books, bits of flash fiction or poetry, links to my websites or details about promotions. I sometimes mention reviews or competition placements, and I ask advice occasionally.
As it happens, most of my 'friends' have liked this page anyway, but as I also engage in groups for writers, many of them have liked it, too - and they are not my friends.
Have already typed up the short story I wrote for the competition thread on here, onto my page and am going to try and type up more short stories of about that length, 200 words, as sort of 'freebies' for anyone interested in learning about my writing style and topics of interest to me...
Is there anything else I can put on there? Other writers books etc? Is it best not to write anything, if it is not related to my ebook idea/s or anything connected to that?
There is one writer I follow who uses humour and fun images off the internet that has nothing to do with her writing and she seems to get an audience for that. Is that not recommended if you want to be taken seriously?
I also have an author page on which I post news of my books, my interest in sustainable matters, and which anyone at all can follow, and my website and blog also post here. Everything on this page is public.
The two are very different.
If you have both a timeline page and an home page on your facebook, what you have is a private page, not a public one. Anyone could post to your timeline something which you might not want the public to know abut you. If what you have is a private page, it is better to make yourself an author page.
I know she was referring to my personal Facebook account as my profile page. Is that what you mean by a private page? Where anyone can post anything on there? Is that right? Would it be better to call that a personal page, because private would seem to imply that it is not public, and therefore not available for just anyone to write anything down on there...? Bit confused by the language being used here...
Lydia, I think the best thing in your position might be to put a sample chapter on the site (we know it won't be the last one because you haven't had time to finish it) but the first one or two will give any visitors to your page an insight into your particular genre and skills. Then, if THEY believe your work to be good, they will point their friends to your page. A very, very long process.
What you also get out of that is the prospect for 'feedback' from your work, so when you finally get that sought-after agent, you will have a breadth of readers' views to pass on to him/her.
All the best with it.
Went on a writer's facebook page, and tried to 'share' a video she had on there, to my Facebook page, but it only allowed for it to be sent to my profile page.
There was another part which said you could send it as a message, so I put my pen name on there, LH Thorn, but it didn't accept that name. Can someone tell me what I am doing wrong here...?
What you can share from AN Other's page will depend on their settings; do they allow their content to be shared?
You can share the vide to your page and then share it via your page to your author page i suspect Try that and if it doesn't work see if it's a YouTube video and go to Youtube and share it from there.
There is one writer, whose writing isn't that 'sparkling', but who uses almost humour all the time and things totally irrelevant to writing, and also updates her fans on what she is doing day to day. All that seems to please her followers. So what makes the difference for her as she has had a reasonable amount of success coming her way, her book having just crossed over into mainstream territory, but not the way to go, you advise?
And yes, thanks for that, Liz, I 'shared' the video by using my profile page. Didn't think of that! No logic at times!
So continue as I am going, but add some stories and be more regular with my topics etc, seems to be what is being said... Keep experimenting to find out what works, and what doesn't...
Instagram also has a 75% better engagement rate than twitter and a 25% better engagement rate than Facebook. People like visual things, and once you have a particular niche on what you post, then followers from particular pages will start flowing in.
I've read that in order to have an impact on your business then you need to have at least 15,000 followers (on Facebook) so theoretically on Instagram that would be 11,250.
Once my book comes out - hopefully before Christmas - then I plan to add the word 'author' in to my user name, and have my details and links in the information section.
The key to acquiring a following is consistent, daily posts, and again, focusing on a certain area. I know that most of my followers are art based, but I'm hoping that at least a few of them enjoy a good read! Like Liz said, people generally are drawn towards art, food, wildlife. Not often are people going to follow someone to see constant updates on a book.
So my advice is find a niche, build on it, create a persona that people know, and then once published throw the book in the mix! Not sure how it's going to effect sales, but I'll be sure to update who ever wants info when the time comes.
I follow some singing stars from yesteryear and there Facebook etc are much more engaging than some of the writers. I believe I read that Lionel Shriver doesn't even do social media. Such a profound writer, but probably a bit 'sang froid' to interact with 'real people...'. Love her persona, though. Such a show of strength... Something I lack, and admire in others. Self control..
Instagram, you reckon? I'll look into that, but not being an artist all I can think of is to post images that inspire me to see if that can captured any gazers eyes? Thanks for the tip and good luck with your book when it comes out..