Hey! They're Doing it Right!

I've seen a lot of "you're doing it wrong" statements recently, but for social media it isn't very helpful to just say what people are doing "wrong." Instead, let's focus on who's doing it right when it comes to quality content in social media.

I think the best starting point for this post is a reminder of the fact that social media marketing is NOT traditional marketing.  It's not a billboard or radio spot or magazine ad. That's all one sided, and the concept of social media marketing is somewhat like the phenomena that is Girl Scout cookies. Bear with me, here, there is a method to my madness.

Let's suppose that - use your imaginations with me - that Girl Scout cookies are absolutely calorie free and taste just like the cookies you know. But, these Girl Scout cookies are $25 a box. So theoretically you can eat as many of these cookies as you want (and they won't rot your teeth either). However, most of us can't afford to buy unlimited numbers of boxes. So, rank the choices below by who you purchase the most boxes of cookies from:

a.) your daughter/granddaughter/niece
b.) your best friend's daughter/granddaughter/niece
c.) your next door neighbor's kids
d.) your colleague's kids
e.) your poker buddies' kids
f.) some kid you don't know who shows up at your front door one afternoon
e.) the Girl Scout pack that ambushes you outside the grocery store

Does anyone see where I'm going with this? When you have so incredibly many choices of books you could buy - but you can't realistically buy them all - how do you start to decide which books you'll part with your hard-earned money for? Then throw into the mix the used book stores, library sales, library loans, loans from friends...people make special choices about what books they choose to spend their money on. (I for one know there are certain authors who will be easily available at the used book store in less than a month after release. I don't buy their books new most times.) The first factor is obviously going to be - do they want to consume it? (Like those yummy, calorie-free cookies).  So after you've created the quality product...Your mom, dad, neighbors and friends are going to run out and buy your book. That's where the idea of social media marketing comes in - if you've made friends, they're going to buy your book - the idea is to make friends, not sales pitches. Readers are able to feel like they're making connections and building relationships with the people who write the books. The stronger the connection, the stronger the commitment.

One of the first reactions I know I will get is, "but I don't want to share my personal life with those people."

If you don't want to share any element of who you are personally with your fans on Facebook, that's fine, then you shouldn't be on Facebook. Regardless of what your Publishing PR person says, you shouldn't be on Facebook. You don't have to read further. Just a tiny reminder, though...those people allow you to do what you do. Just sayin'.

If you want to get a great benefit from social media, I offer up this advice: don't think of the people who like your page as "fans." Think of them as "friends." Stop using the word "fans." Stop having the attitude "me" and "them." If you truly come across someone who is scary and you feel might threaten your well-being, then take the appropriate steps any person would take to protect themselves. In the meantime, don't assume every person who likes your page is a psycho stalker/murderer.

Here are a couple examples of people who are opening themselves up to their friends on Facebook - and to my knowledge no one has killed them or threatened their families:

Tom Schreck! Doesn't this picture make you smile? And like Tom? If you are "friends" with Tom, you know he loves Basset hounds, is a boxing judge and is probably the biggest Elvis fan I know. I'll have to ask Tom what bad things have happened because people know that about him.

Shana Galen! I just adore this woman. And blasted if I don't admire her for letting her husband post this picture. I think it's a stunning picture and boy do I feel like she thinks I'm important to her. Shana had her husband post to her author page, so not only does she let the world know who he is, she includes him. I love that he is willing to do that, too.

I'm not saying everyone should run out and post pictures like this. I'm merely showing you that the world does not end because you share this kind of thing with your "friends."

Don't be afraid to laugh at yourself! You'll really gain respect...and the best part is, no one will see you blush if you're embarrassed.  AND, like Alafair Burke, you might get some media coverage from it:

Let's look at other examples of people who are doing things right and that may not scare y'all quite as much. ;-)

Marcia Clark. Y'all, this lady is doing it right! She posted regular updates about a hummingbird baby that was in a nest outside her house...she had pictures and video and everything.

Then she posted this picture:

Let me count the ways Marcia is doing this right. 1.) She took suggestions from her "friends" about what they should name the hummer - they picked "Busby" from all the submitted names. 2.) When people commented on the pictures and video, she came back and recognized that they did so by liking their comments or responding to questions or adding her own additional comments. You don't want to just talk AT people, take the time to listen to what they say, too; show that you value their thoughts, opinions and input or they'll stop giving it.

Please notice what she says, "Our little guy is all grown up and out zinging..." OUR - yours and mine. We shared this together. I love it - and she didn't even have to share any "personal" details.

Marcia also posts fairly regularly about legal cases that are in the news...and not in formal legal-eeze, but like she's talking to "friends" about the cases. Obviously that's a big part of who she is:

Let me give some non-author page examples. Many of you probably know Connie Schultz, right? (actually she is an author but she's not out selling books, so we'll put her in a different category) And most of us, especially Ohioans, know she's married to Sherrod Brown. She talks some politics on her Facebook page - they're a big part of who she is. She also shares things like this:

You can't see the whole text portion of the post, but it's quite funny. I would draw your attention to: 142 comments, 640+ likes and 23 shares. Granted Connie is known by many, many people, but she's authentic on her Facebook page - as authentic as she is in life. And she doesn't shy away from that. So people WANT to interact with her. The lesson from Connie: Be who you are.

Here's another great example of Connie asking for input from her "friends."

Since I'm a big animal advocate, I follow a number of Facebook pages that deal with rescues, zoos, advocacy organizations, etc. The Big Cat Rescue in Florida does a great job with their Facebook page. Their posts encourage people to interact with them. Like this one:

I'd say 95 to 98% of their posts are pictures of the cats, videos of the cats, updates on what the volunteers are doing, etc. I think I recall one maybe two posts in the entire time I've followed them that pushed any of their products in the store. They are more likely to share info with their followers on legislation or the embarrassing lack thereof. So where's the ROI for them on social media? Their interaction with their "friends" makes people - like me - want to visit the sanctuary. Think I'm kidding? When I visited, a family with me on the tour came from New York. The woman said to the volunteer, "I follow you regularly on Facebook. I was so excited to come here." The other big thing it does...it drives "friends" to their website.

Here are a few more screenshots of people doing it right:

Jonathan Hayes:

Tim Green:

Hank Phillippi Ryan (she always cracks me up):

Mutts - Patrick McDonnell

 

 

Here's a publisher doing it right! They KNOW their friends and what interests them:

I love that RC does it right! Note how he refers to the fans:

O.k., those are just a few examples. Lots of people are doing it right out there. Share with us in the comments people YOU think are doing it right and why. I've linked all of these examples to their Facebook pages if you want to like their pages and follow along. But I want to wrap up with a few common "errors" I observe and offer alternatives.

1.) Don't post every nice review you get. Even if you're alternating those with other posts, it comes across as pompous and really, only your Mom is going to check them all out. Instead, pick one that's very special to you...maybe it's the first time you've been reviewed by the NY Times or the first time you've gotten an AP review or the first time you're reviewed in People Magazine. We get excited for our friends when they have a significant accomplishment. We get disgusted with our friends when they start sounding like, "look how great I am!"

What can you do with those nice reviews? Put excerpts from a handful on your website and create content that encourages your "friends" to visit your website. If they're interested in your reviews they'll read them there.

2.) Don't continually post your Amazon/B&N rankings. Again, Mom is thrilled for you, share that info with her. But in general your "friends" lose interest in that FAST!


3.) Don't continually post buy links and tell people to go buy your book...or worse yet, try to guilt or bully them into doing so. If you want to mention a pre-order promotion you're doing, mention it once or twice and again just before it's over. Then make sure it's very visible on your website, send out a newsletter, but don't beat people over the head with it on your Facebook page. When your book comes out, be creative about mentioning it...show a picture of you celebrating or something, have a release day contest, but don't post links every hour on the hour hoping they'll stay in people's news feeds. Again, use your traditional media forums to talk AT people.

4.) Don't include in your post - "please spread the word, please retweet, please share with your friends." Create great content and let people decide for themselves what they want to share with others.

You seriously could have seen my jaw hit the floor when a friend informed people she was going to moderate a social media panel and she wanted folks to tell her what they wanted to know about social media so she could put her questions together. Someone wanted to know "how do you get your minions to sell your books for you?" That isn't the exact wording but it's darn close and the whole meaning is there. Most people on Facebook aren't so dumb that they don't realize when you're just using them. If that's all you want to do and you don't want to make authentic connections with your readers - close your Facebook page. Please.

5.) Don't ignore what your "friends" tell you by their interaction or lack thereof with your posts. If a post goes totally ignored, see if that's similar to other posts that have done the same and start staying away from that type of content.

6.) Don't view social media as a burden or an inconvenience. Have fun. Make friends. If you go in with a negative attitude, it shows and you aren't helping yourself.

I saw this article yesterday and thought it was outstanding. It isn't written specifically for social media, but it really does hold true with social media, too. I guess interacting with people boils down to the same precedents no matter what venue.

One of the most important pieces of advice I would offer in my professional development course on social media marketing is this: "Remember, it's not about you." If you keep that in mind, you'll find a lot more success than if all you do is talk about you. Think more about what your "friends" want to know than what YOU want to tell. If you show those people you genuinely care about them, they'll care back and buy YOUR box of Girl Scout Cookies. They might even buy a few boxes for their friends!

O.k. let's fill the comments now...tell me who you know is doing it right. And if you have their FB link, provide it for others to check out...THANKS!!

The Facebook Edge Rank (no sugar coating)

Excuse me a second while I hop up on my soapbox...

If you frequent Facebook, you've probably noticed a deluge recently of "pages" posting something about Facebook wanting you to pay for your posts... "please hover over the like button"... "leave me a comment"... etc., etc., etc.

Beyond that "promote your post option" on the Facebook page (I'm referring to fan pages, not personal profiles - but fans, keep reading because I'll talk to you, too), I'm not sure what started this panic.

 
The fact is Facebook is not demoting people's posts anymore than they have since pages started. The Edge Rank has always existed. This was an element I taught in my social media marketing class at my previous job.

In a nutshell, this is what Edge Rank is - it's a score you get as a "fan page" based on a variety of different things:

1.) the variation in your posts - do you use pictures, video, audio, status updates, links, etc? Or do you mostly just post one kind of thing? "Today my book is #12,000 on Amazon's list. Please buy it so I can be #11,999 tomorrow."

2.) the activity with your posts - do people like your posts? do they comment on your posts? do they share your posts? This is very important to you Edge Rank.

3.) auto-posting - do you autopost everything? Is everything directly posted to your Facebook page from your blog or your Twitter feed by some great application you found so you don't have to spend the time doing it yourself? Guess what? You're not only annoying people, you're bringing your Edge Rank down. Facebook automatically demotes  your autoposts!

So then what does your Edge Rank DO? It determines how long your posts will stay in people's news feeds. And it isn't the same for every person. If you have the top Edge Rank of all of the fan pages I follow, then your post stays in my news feed for days. But if SuziQ likes a bunch of pages that have a better Edge Rank than you, you don't stay in her news feed as long. Maybe just a few minutes even.
 
As a fan, I'm glad Facebook does this. I don't want to see my newsfeed completely full of posts from Mr. Clueless Author who just posted 40 events he's doing in 2012, each as a separate post. Yuck! Or Mr. Pompous Author who posts link after link after link to EVERY review he gets for his new book. And before Miss New Author yells, "that's not fair to people just starting out," I say, if you're posting great content, you have NOTHING to worry about. Does it take work to build your following? YEP! Does John Grisham's page get 10,000+ fans in the first minutes it's live? YEP!  But that's because he worked hard back when he first started writing. We just didn't happen to have Facebook then. You'll get to reap your due rewards later, too.

The "promote" option is a way for people to pay to go to the front of the line. You know how people buy special seating on an airline? Special line passes at Disney World? At my library's book sales, you can even buy a pass to shop before the general public. As a society, that's what we do. If we have money, we use it to bypass the rules for the common man. Like it or not, WE are the ones who created this mindset in our society, so now WE have to deal with the repercussions.  On the flip side of that, Twitter users, how many of you pay attention to promoted Tweets or Twitter Accounts? No, me neither. It's likely to be a waste of money. The key is always going to be good content.

Tomorrow I'm going to post about developing good content and I'm hoping to get some input from others as well. So while you may not necessarily hear what you want to hear, hopefully you can take some good info home with you.

But before I finish this post, I want to direct something to all the fans reading this...

If you want to support your favorite fan pages - obviously you like these people, organizations, businesses, etc. or you wouldn't have liked their pages (or maybe you liked them just to enter a contest?) - then interact with content that you like or appreciate!! Leave a comment, like the post, share it with your friends. In other words, STOP LURKING! Social media is about being social; it's not called "anti-social media."

Please note that I did not say, "interact with ALL content." That will succeed in people turning YOUR posts off in their news feed. Don't go overboard sharing content because you feel obligated to do so. Pages have to earn the privilege of your interaction. I do NOT like to hear people say, "if you want other people to forward your stuff, you should forward their stuff." No, no, no! You shouldn't feel obligated to share anyone's content just for the purpose of reciprocation. Do it because you feel it's worthwhile for others to see. You all can tell who's forwarding info for the wrong reasons. I'm sure you've all turned a lot of those folks off...or unfriended them.

Think of this like your email. I know you all have the friend who sends you the silly jokes or the friend who guilts you with the religious messages; you don't forward those on to everyone in your address book every time you get one. You might not have many friends if you did that all the time, right? But say you get one that especially tickles your funny bone. Or you get a cause that you feel super strongly about. If you aren't sending emails indiscriminately before that special email, people read it. Same rules apply with forwarding social media posts.

Plus, by selecting which posts you interact with based on your appreciation of the content, you're telling those page administrators what content you feel is quality content, the content you're interested in and will pay attention to.

For social networks to be effective for everyone, both sides of the equation have to play their part. And here's the most important thing to remember, if you don't like your part, you don't have to play. That isn't meant to be vicious or caustic or anything. I say it with sincerity. Really, if you're Mr. Clueless Author who just posted those 40 events as separate posts and you don't care about how people react to that and you're opposed to doing anything differently, then you're better off not being on Facebook - it's a smart marketing move, close the page.

If you made those posts because you just didn't know better, then please take some time to learn how to improve. There are no shortage of resources. The one I recommended constantly in my class is a book called UNMARKETING by Scott Stratten. Scott Stratten understands social media marketing like no one I've come across. If you're on Twitter, follow this man! If you're one of the people who don't "get" Twitter, Scott may be just your ticket. When he started out, he didn't get it either.

O.k., so that's my primer on EdgeRank and how both fan page admins and fans alike can make the most out of what they do on Facebook. Tomorrow I'm going to have a post on what I consider to be quality content and I'm hoping you'll all chime in on what content gets you to interact on social media. Hopefully together we can make a great resource to help everyone.

Thanks y'all!

Social Media - What's It Good For?

Recently I got into a little snit regarding social media. I really enjoy social media. I enjoy the connections it allows me to make with people all over the world who share common interests. I've made some incredible friends through social media. I've had great opportunities arise for me through social media. I do not like, however, when people use social media for the wrong reasons. For the most part, I just unfollow, block, ignore those people who do so. But recently there have been some authors misusing social media and they are people I know personally and like. While some should know better than to behave the way they do, I realize that not everyone knows better.

So, this all led me to ask people to chime in on their feelings about social media. I teach a beginning social media class in my regular daytime job. So, I'll share some items with you that I teach our retailers and I'll share what others had to say about social media from their perspectives.

If this post helps one person to understand social media a little better then it will be worth it.

The most important thing to know about social media is that it is about BEING SOCIAL. It's about having conversations and exchanges. It is not a big billboard. The number one pet peeve of almost EVERY person who responded: excessive blatant self-promotion.

M.J. Rose wrote a nice post about authors using social media the other day that I felt was well done, but she compared social media to walking around in front of a bookstore with a sandwich board on. If that's the way you treat social media, don't waste your time. That's not the way social media should be viewed.

Whether you think you're doing social media right or not, I want EVERYONE to look at the last 20 posts they made to Twitter or Facebook or whatever forum you're using (FB fan pages withstanding). How many were about you - your book? your business? whatever. More than 2? Then you've posted too many about yourself. It doesn't matter if your book just came out, you're having a big sale, whatever. You've posted too many.

If you're using Twitter, how many tweets are a response to someone else? A retweet of something that did not promote you? If you aren't seeing many of those, you should be.

On Facebook, how many posts from your friends have you commented on or liked? How many have you shared? This goes for fan pages, too. If someone posts to your fan page wall, are you responding to them?

That's where the exchange takes place in social media. If you go to the bar at Bouchercon and someone starts talking to you non-stop about their book...they don't let you say a thing or if they do, they ignore you and keep talking as though you are not even there...how long do you hang out with that person? Social media is no different.

And automatically sending a person a direct message with a link to your book or webpage or blog or whatever you're selling immediately after friending or following or liking the person? Second biggest no-no from responders. "Hi, I don't know you but please buy my (fill in the blank)."

When I asked what people felt others should definitely do either on Facebook or Twitter, the answers were the same - ENGAGE, INTERACT, RESPOND. And by the way, you can't do that with automated posts!

Another question that arises at this point is "what about Twitter accounts and fan pages that are managed by someone other than the person whose name is on the account?" Overwhelmingly, people want to know that it isn't the person him/herself. People feel betrayed if they learn they haven't been interacting with the person they thought they were interacting with.

Then I asked, how are people using Facebook and Twitter well? Social media users like picture sharing. They like being asked their opinions and for input. They enjoy short Q&As, videos or hashtag discussions. People like giveaways in moderation. But again, the most common response was, "I like when people interact." A few authors have collected questions via social media and made videos where they answered the questions. This is a great use of social media!

Social media can be an effective marketing tool if it's used the right way. It's not the marketing tool of yesteryear. It isn't a billboard or a magazine ad or a commercial. The objective of social media is to build the relationships, to develop trust. When someone is invested in you through a relationship they want to see you do well.

I saw an author comment the other day on her Twitter feed about her "No Soliciting" sign on her front door. Just pretend every person on Facebook and Twitter has a "No Soliciting" sign. If you're their friend, they'll let you in their house. They're likely to buy girl scout cookies from your daughter or raffle tickets for your child's sporting team because it's a rare occasion-type thing and they want to support you; they may even sell to others for you. But if you are only coming to their door to sell to them, they'll either not answer the door or quickly kick you out.

When I asked if people had ever picked up a book because they learned about an author through a social media network almost all of the 40+ respondents said yes. Only about half said they bought a book because of hearing about it through a social network. But, if you're at least getting followers to try out your book by borrowing it from a friend or checking it out of the library, you have a good chance of gaining a fan.

Almost every one of the 40+ respondents also said they opted NOT to buy a book because of an author's presence on Facebook or Twitter. Simply being present isn't beneficial. You need to be present for the right reasons and you need to interact.

Think about it. What's the number one way people find out about new books? They hear about them from someone they trust - not from the solicitor at their front door, the telemarketer on their phone or the used car salesman...someone they trust.

Social media is not for everyone. And that's fine. No one should be there only because they "have to be there." No one wants those people around and it isn't helping them.

A vast majority of people who use social media, don't like all forms of social media. Some like Twitter and find Facebook useless. Others like Facebook and find Twitter useless. That's okay! Participate with what you enjoy. If you don't like what you're doing on social media, it shows; it really does.

This is my one caveat to the statement social media is not for everyone: actually give it a genuine try before you decide that. I'm a social klutz. I'm an introvert and I'm shy, but I enjoy social media. I also had to learn it.

This is a ridiculously long post, so I'll wrap up with some folks that the respondents feel do social media well. I can't list everyone, so I'm listing those people who showed up multiple times (I'm not familiar with all, but many):

• Alafair Burke
• Andy Gross
• Bill Cameron
• Jeff Abbott
• Beth Hoffman
• Tawna Fenske
• Joe Finder
• Harlan Coben
• Hilary Davidson
• Brad Parks
• Steve Mosby
• Duane Swierczynski
• Sophie Littlefield
• Laura Lippman
• Christa Faust
• Ian Rankin
• Gregg Hurwitz

And I'll chime in and add Jonathan Hayes to the mix. When I asked for non-author people using social media well, I got such a slew of various responses. So, my suggestion, if you want some people to watch for ideas, ask someone you know and trust who uses social media. I'm sure they'll offer you up quite a nice selection.


One final item before I call it quits on this post. This is for anyone using social media. Follow people because you're interested in what they have to share; because you're interested in them. With Twitter, don't expect them to automatically follow you back and DON'T unfollow and refollow to try to get their attention. You'll get the opposite reaction. Your best plan of attack - INTERACT!!

On that same note, don't pass along information with the belief that anyone has to "return the favor." Pass along information because you think it's worthy to be passed along and you want other people to know about it. Be authentic, interact and have fun.

I know this is a long post. And if you stuck with me, many, many thanks. I also know there are other related questions and topics that can be addressed. I'd be happy to discuss them in the comments if anyone wants to share. As always, I just ask that you be respectful of each other when commenting.

Thanks to everyone who shared their thoughts and opinions! Happy Reading.