Using Social Media to Promote your Writing Career
By James Henry Frazar
based on a presentation by D.B. Sterns to the San Gabriel Writers Guild Aug. 4, 2016
   Social media has become more important in promoting your book. But you can't just throw a blurb about your book on Facebook and expect it to do much.
   Author D.B. Sterns (Harmonic Wars: Guardians of the Crystal Skulls, published by 3L Publishing) spoke to the San Gabriel Writers Guild Aug. 4.
   Sterns said first you've got to set your social media account up correctly.
   If you're using Facebook, realize there are different kinds of Facebook pages/accounts.
   You should have a personal Facebook page that deals only with things you're personally interested in. This page is where you put your politics, family, and cat videos. It's stuff for your friends and relatives, not people you want to buy your book.
   Then you should have a fan page which is where you put your information about you as an author and your book(s).
   The third type is a public figure Facebook page. Most authors don't have to deal with this unless they get real big.
   With your fan page, you want to get involved with other groups and committees to get more people to see your posts.
   One way Facebook would like you to promote yourself is by “boosting” posts. This is a paid service. Sterns said it may not be worth it and it's difficult to stop them from charging your credit card once they start. So consider carefully.
   You want to look at “platform analytics” to find out when the traffic on Facebook is the heaviest. You want to post during those periods because if you post at 3 a.m., it'll be out there, but the post keeps going down in the news feed as the day progresses and your potential viewers may not see it at all.
   Don't compensate by over posting. Sterns said he doesn't post everyday, but rather posts Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
   Sterns said he posts his hardest hitting posts on Friday. A lot of time people check their Facebook account when they show up for work. It seems that people are more interested in social media Friday morning and they will read a little more, apparently in preparation for the weekend.
   He also recommends putting a photo with each Facebook post. People will stop and read a post with a photo more likely than a post with text alone.
   He also recommends having a blog. Blogs are easy to maintain. Again, don't over post. Every other day is good. You should also index your blog so people can find things easier. He suggested going to www.cainbrian.com to find information on indexing your blog.
   Note: the cainbrian website requires you to enter your email to view any content. There are probably other sources that can tell you how to index your blog. Search Google.
   If you can make contacts with one radio talk show host for an on-air interview, that can lead to other radio interviews. The hosts know each other and trade information. So make a good impression, a professional impression.
   When you go to a book signing or convention, take photos. Then post those photos to your website.
   Other social media platforms out there include Google Plus, Linkedin and Twitter.
   Note: Pinterest might also be another good one.