Ok I have been coming up with these Golden Rules for a while. My passions are writing, marketing, sales and social media. So I have come up with quite a few snippets of wisdom over the years. I did a talk about social media for authors at the Skagit Valley Writers League recently and I found myself saying frequently: “Ok, here is another one of my Golden Rules.” I realized, although you can find these scattered among various blog articles on my site, I don’t have them gathered up into one neat and tidy place. I will add to this list as I remember/create new rules.
Amanda’s Golden Rules:
- Use social media for its intended purpose!
- All roads lead to your website.
- Stealth promotion, not self promotion.
- The best way to get attention is to give attention.
- Know, Like, Trust: Your goals with each webpage, blog, and tweet.
- Know who your audience is, how to find them, and then engage your audience. Follow, reply, like.
- Know who already has your audience’s attention, and imitate them.
- Social media is not the most important thing you do in your day, it shouldn’t be the first thing you do.
- Always fill out a your profile completely, including pic, bio, link to your website (refer to #2).
- If you have an event, new product, or announcement, don’t keep it to yourself.
- Don’t like Twitter? Don’t force yourself to do it. Why fight an uphill battle with procrastination? Pick 2-3 you enjoy and use them well–pick one of those and invest yourself in it. Become a part of the community, make connections with people.
- Your blog’s primary purpose in life is not to be read, but to create fresh content for Google robots.
- The best way to promote your current book, is to write your next book. ABBYBL (Always be building your backlist).
- Choose your keywords and hashtags with as much care and attention as you choose your similes and metaphors.
- Customers
wantneed to be told what to do, so put a Call to Action on your website, today! - Believe in the bear! Whether you are selling a teddy bear, or your next book, believe people want it.
- Selling is not a passive act (it’s a verb, not an adjective), and you can’t be a best-selling author if you don’t sell.
Updated as of 09-27-17