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Amanda’s Golden Rules of Social Media & Marketing for Authors

by | Oct 17, 2015 | Author Platform, Marketing Strategies for Authors, Websites

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:

  1. Use social media for its intended purpose!
  2. All roads lead to your website.
  3. Stealth promotion, not self promotion.
  4. The best way to get attention is to give attention.
  5. Know, Like, Trust: Your goals with each webpage, blog, and tweet.
  6. Know who your audience is, how to find them, and then engage your audience. Follow, reply, like.
  7. Know who already has your audience’s attention, and imitate them.
  8. Social media is not the most important thing you do in your day, it shouldn’t be the first thing you do.
  9. Always fill out a your profile completely, including pic, bio, link to your website (refer to #2).
  10. If you have an event, new product, or announcement, don’t keep it to yourself.
  11. 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.
  12. Your blog’s primary purpose in life is not to be read, but to create fresh content for Google robots.
  13. The best way to promote your current book, is to write your next book. ABBYBL (Always be building your backlist).
  14. Choose your keywords and hashtags with as much care and attention as you choose your similes and metaphors.
  15. Customers want need to be told what to do, so put a Call to Action on your website, today!
  16. Believe in the bear! Whether you are selling a teddy bear, or your next book, believe people want it.
  17. 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