6 Reasons Writers See No Value In Facebook

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On yesterday’s post a few of you had questions regarding Facebook. Thus, I deferred to our WANA International Facebook expert, Lisa Hall-Wilson to address your concerns.

Take it away, Lisa!

***

Facebook is my happy place. I spend a lot of time there and manage pages for nonprofits and curate content on a few other pages including the MyWANA page. Yesterday, there were a few comments here about Facebook, so Kristen asked me step in. Time to go all Crazy Canuck.

Tough Love with Lisa

You’re asking the wrong questions when it comes to Facebook. Time to take off the ski gloves and tuque. Let’s get some things straight. Facebook is about relationships.

Here’s some tough love. *pats pet beaver on head*

There’s a reason your Facebook page isn’t doing well. Don’t blame edge rank. Don’t blame the Zuck. If you go canoeing on Lake Superior without a paddle you’re… well, we know how that ends. Superior is a big a$$ lake that changes its mood without warning, you’re competing with giant ships and freighters on the radar and all you’re doing is waving your arms in the air.

You know what the little boats do to navigate a big lake? They stick together! WANAs stick together.

This is what a WANA platform looks like and YES, we have a Bouncy House.

This is what a WANA platform looks like and YES, we have a Bouncy House.

It’s time to take the string off your mittens and put away the kiddie snow shovel. I’m going to really dish here on what’s not working. *Throws extra paddle*

This is stuff I typically save for my 6 week course on Facebook, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

We’re writers! We Are Not Alone. Chin up. Pen out.

1.     You have no plan.

How do you measure success if you don’t know what you want your page to do for you? Where’s the line between pass and fail? Writers/Authors on social media, essentially, are selling themselves (your humor, your insights, your knowledge, your expertise), not what your product can do.

What are the BIG authors using Facebook for? They’re NOT using Facebook to sell books. They’re using FB to build community/tribe (aka: relationships), give inside scoops/info/deals, drive traffic to another site (like their website or Amazon), and they’re using it to build an email list.

2.     You aren’t meeting a need.

Fans connect with authors on Facebook for access. They want a look behind the curtain – they want to see OZ. When you post a comment on a favorite writer/artist/band’s page, how elated are you if they respond to YOUR comment? Nonfiction authors are offering their expertise – their wisdom. They give loads of advice away – for FREE. And…wait for it…people still buy their books. Where do you get your ideas? What are you researching? What opportunities are you excited about?

Identify your brand, and stick to it. Have a plan to answer these needs. Be intentional. Be approachable. Be REAL.

3.     Your content sucks.

I mean this in the nicest possible way. *here’s a piece of maple fudge* Would you share the stuff you’re posting? Be honest. Blog titles are huge factors in share-ability, so are images. Is it all about you all the time – your blog, your books, your contests, etc.? Always always provide value. This is the WANA way. For every ten posts, only one should be self-promotional – at best! Don’t be that lone canoe on Superior!

  • Share things YOU care about, are meaningful to YOU. What makes you mad, what makes you shake your fist at the world, what makes you laugh, what makes you cry. (Because people want to see OZ – they want to get to know you.)
  • Fans are drawn to writers because we’re thinkers and observers – share your quirky humor, your passions, editorial comments, etc.
  • Be positive. Nobody wants to hang out with the guy on a soap-box, the Debbie-downer, or listen to constant cries for help.

4.     You’re splitting your brand.

You have how many pages? You know how many you need? One. 1. Uno. That’s it. When you’re Nicholas Sparks and Hollywood options every book you publish you can set up pages for your books, until then you need one author page. You don’t need one for your blog(s), for your cat, for your book.

Seriously.

Just one.

5.     You never show up!

Remember the main reason why fans search out authors on Facebook? They want to see OZ. They want access to you they ordinarily would have to travel to a book signing or writer’s conference to have. Respond quickly. Respond compassionately. Actually care. Just posting a link to your blog is not showing up. Blasting BUY MY BOOK spam is not showing up. Why should fans show up if you never do?

6.     You’re forcing yourself to be something you’re not.

Some of you started a page because somebody who sells ‘stuff’ (like vacuum cleaners, or blenders, or shoes) told you to. This is why you need a plan. (See #1) Decide what you want a page to do. Maybe you’re better using a profile?

I posted about whether you should use a profile or a page on Jami Gold’s site. I’m also giving away a free 1hr webinar which answers whether you should use a profile or page sponsored by TechSurgeons. If you read the post on Jami’s site and want to know more, the webinar goes deeper into the topic. Currently, that webinar is only available to my newsletter subscribers. Subscribe here .

As a way to share some WANA love, I’m offering two free critiques of your Facebook platform (page or profile). Leave the url for your page or profile in the comments, and I’ll draw names on Friday May, 31 from all the entries.  If you want to dive deeper into running a Facebook page, I’m offering a two-part webinar which will answer the most frequently asked questions I get from writers about running a page on Facebook. Use the code Lisa20 for 20% off.

Are you guilty of any of these problems? Do you wish you also had a pet beaver? If you have a question related to Facebook, I’ll hang out here and do my best to answer.

65 comments

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    • Laurie on May 29, 2013 at 8:30 am
    • Reply

    7. You’re in the wrong time zone.

  1. I have a personal “friends” page and an author page. I also have a “tribe” page dedicated only to those who are helping me promote my first book. So is that too thin? I am active on all three. http://facebook.com/karlaakins http://facebook.com/karlakakins http://https://www.facebook.com/groups/516315515091663/

  2. Perfect! Hey Lisa, thanks for answering so many of the questions swirling around in my FB head. I so have another burning question. Back before I had a clue and knew better–like I do now–I started a page for my debut novel. (I believe it was suggested to me by a vacuum salesman I bumped into at Walmart.)

    With book #2, understanding that FB pages for individual books was overkill, I started an author page hoping followers from #1 book page would migrate over.to page #2, leaving page #1 to gracefully fade away. That hasn’t happened. Thus, my question, is there a way that book page #1 might be combined with author page #2 without losing sheep–or beavers???

    And, yes aside from #1 & #2, there is my #3 regular person personal page (I know, I know, serious abuse of FB 🙁

    Thanks for sharing the WANA love. *Crossing fingers* my pages:..

    https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Secret-of-Lies-Novel/195421757151252?fref=ts
    https://www.facebook.com/pages/Barbara-Forte-Abate-Author/240280349379870?fref=ts

    1. FB does allow you to merge pages (thereby keeping all the followers). But there are rules… The pages must have similar names, same administrator/owner, etc. I recommend this post from Jon Loomer Digital – he goes through the process step by step. Unfortunately, if you don’t meet the requirements, you’ll have to appeal to the FB powers that be…and FB isn’t known for it’s customer service. Good luck.
      http://www.jonloomer.com/2012/10/25/how-to-merge-facebook-pages/

  3. Timezone can be an issue, especially if your fans are spread out over two or more continents. The majority of Facebook users are in EST. Facebook has a native scheduler so you can post any time of day, or you can use another third party app provider like post planner. Facebook no longer penalizes pages who use scheduled posts from outside Facebook – but the third party app labels are still appearing on mobile (though hopefully those will disappear soon too).

  4. OMG! You nailed it! Sorry, I get carried away. Mind if I share this with my writer friends? Pet beavers – lol. Thanks so much for sharing your insight. As an Indie author, I believe in social media and do my best. Your pointers are greatly appreciated. Drop by my page anytime. http://www.catherinewolffe.wordpress.com.

    • moxeyns on May 29, 2013 at 9:13 am
    • Reply

    Oo! I would love a critique of a page I set up for my as-yet-unpublished Hist Fic: http://www.facebook.com/WimertheChaplain

    Until you mentioned it, I was unaware of the huge differences between pages and profiles. Off to play…

  5. I’m definitely a FB loser, lol! I just haven’t been able to figure out what to do right. I’d love a look if you pick me.

    https://www.facebook.com/callene.mccunerapp

  6. So much to learn. After almost three years of getting into social media, I still feel like a baby in the midst of a bunch of coloured balloons, endlessly distracted, I would love a critique. Nay, I need a critique! Thanks for all your brilliant advice.

  7. THANK YOU! I’ve been saying (almost) the exact thing about Facebook (and Twitter). There are still a lot of writers who don’t/won’t get it, but hey, you can only lead a horse to water, eh?

    1. lol – you said it, eh! 😀

  8. Wow, talk about Internet karma. This is exactly the article I needed, I’m guilty of using my FB page as a catch all for all my blog posts but never strive to connect to my readers. Thanks for the timely advice, it will be put to good use!

  9. I’m glad to see that my facebook page isn’t guilty of too many of these! Great post, thank you!

  10. These are great tips and Facebook can be a good resource. I have gotten several reviews from connections I have made on FB. I

  11. James Rollins, NYTBS author, is a great example of how to use FB and Twitter. He never asked you to buy his books but instead post interesting things related to his books as well as just general content about his life, dogs, travel, etc. He has personally responded to several of my comments and inquiries which shows his approachability as a famous author and just shows us what a cool guy he is.

    1. This is a great point. There are a number of big authors using social media to great effect. Go stalk them! Seriously. See what kind of content they post. How often do they post? What do their fans resonate with? Find someone who writes in your genre and study how they’re using social media. Not to copy them, but to pick and choose what you’re comfortable with, what could work for you, what you can work towards, etc.

  12. Very interesting post, an definitely some good points. I’m very guilty of the “not showing up” point when it comes to Twitter…I can just never think of decent things to post…so I don’t. Awful, I know.

    I do actually have a question about Facebook pages; namely, is there any point in having one if you’re not really an established writer yet? Personally I’ve been working hard but I have not yet published anything. My whole public writing world is my blog (and occasionally twitter), for which I receive a grand total average of about 20 visits a day…so it seems a little pointless to create a second page for myself at this point.

    1. I don’t have a fiction novel published either. I’m mainly a journalist right now, though I’m hoping to have a novel out within the year. I cover this in the guest post for Jami Gold – make sure you check that out. Facebook recently made some interesting changes to encourage writers and journalists to spend more time on Facebook than Twitter. See if it might work for you too.

  13. I was going to leave my URL for my Facebook profile page and then I went and looked at the page. For the last 4-5 posts, I’ve had comments, but I haven’t jumped in to interact. After reading your blog post here, I don’t need you to tell me what I’m doing wrong. I can see for myself. But, as a typical introvert author, I find it difficult to jump in with the rah-rah comments. Sometimes I go look and read the comments and try to think of something to say in return that won’t sound fake, but I falter. And eventually I get distracted (squirrel!) and I’m off the page and reading something else.

    Thanks for the kick in the behind to remind me that I need to make the effort to build that community.

    1. What would you say if a friend complimented your blog in person? Be genuine.

  14. This is such a helpful post. Thank you Lisa. I have a personal page and a fan page on Facebook. I visit the personal page more than the fan page because only a percentage of readers see the posts on my fan page. I find that frustrating. On the personal page I am more, well, personal. Here’s my fan page. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Debra-Parmley/19909053561?ref=hl

    • Debbie on May 29, 2013 at 10:27 am
    • Reply

    What about the authors of board books for infants, toddlers? Is the Fb account necessary if the books are geared toward early readers at the most sophisticated reading level? What content would be appropriate? Local fun fairs, open house at the Police station, child friendly events? Does it still make sense for these authors to have an Fb account?

    1. I don’t write for that market, so others who do might jump in, but the infants and toddlers aren’t your target audience. They might be your target market, but they’re not the ones you have to convince to buy the book. There are more women than men on Facebook, and moms are very active on the platform.

        • Debbie on May 31, 2013 at 2:24 pm
        • Reply

        A very good point. Thank you. Perhaps I shall take a gander at some Fb pages by children’s author’s that I admire.

  15. I enjoyed your blog today. I think FB can be a useful tool for building a fan base, but when you get into contraversial topics (as I’m prone to do) it can turn off as many readers as it you gain.

    https://www.facebook.com/david.erickson.986?ref=tn_tnmn

  16. Thank you for this ten-story building of wisdom. I love your honesty–it helps. And the maple fudge was splendid!
    Please critique my page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/JeanetteLevellie
    Thanks again,
    Jen

  17. Great post. My page is https://www.facebook.com/TashaTurnerCoaching . I think I’m posting too much content from others and not enough of my own or not introducing it in a way that invites discussion.

  18. I have debated the whole FB author page. I can’t decide if I need it when I have a tribe under my profile.

    And engagement is the thing. It totally made my day when one author I love wished me happy birthday on FB. Not sure that happens if it’s page to page, instead of profile to profile like we have.

  19. For some reason, I never thought about sharing other people’s content on the Facebook fan page I help admin, but it’s not a bad idea. Thanks! And I agree that building relationships trumps any and all Facebook promotional tools.

    You mentioned contests on Facebook. I want to point out that unless you’re running a third-party app contest, you’re not allowed to post ANYTHING about contests on Facebook (even if all you’re doing is promoting a contest on a blog), per their guidelines. If you do, you risk having your page shut down.

    1. You can promote contests and sweepstakes on Facebook, as long you’re not running the contest/sweepstake ON Facebook. You can post links to whatever you feel like. You can run ads to promote those contests/sweepstakes running on other sites on Facebook. You need a third party app to run a contest/sweepstakes where any action taken on Facebook constitutes an entry. So, all those ‘best caption wins’, like this status and a random winner will be picked, share this and you’re entered… Facebook roulette right there – cause if you’re caught they can shut you down and very few appeals are successful.
      You need a third party app to do any of that, and you can only run those from a page. You can’t use your profile for commercial gain or to run contests/sweepstakes at all. It’s also against FB rules to ask people to upload your cover photo on their own profiles to promote something. Seen that done too.

  20. Sorry Kristen

    Your spiel is presented negatively to the point I won’t read anymore.

    1. Your choice. Can’t please everyone. Best of luck.

    • annerallen on May 29, 2013 at 12:06 pm
    • Reply

    My problem with FB is that some troll keeps reporting my links to my own award winning blog as “spam”. I keep getting blocked, writing complaints, and things will be OK, then the cycle starts again. They have no mechanism in place for reporting people who abuse the “report abuse” button. It’s a nightmare. I can’t post my own blog links on my own pages. This is for one of Writers Digests Best 101 Sites. I’ve never posted spam in my life. Someone also put up a FB page claiming to be “Anne R. Allen’s Blog” complete with my photo and blog template. I did manage to get it taken down, but I assume the person who put it up is the one now reporting me for spam. If FB doesn’t put something in place to stop this kind of harassment, I’m going to have to leave FB altogether. Too bad. I have a lot of fans there.

    1. Wow! That sucks! I’ve never heard of that. Some people can be really vindictive. Since reporting abuse is ‘supposed’ to be anonymous – at least to the person being reported, I have no idea how to deal with this. I’ll ask around.

    2. This is happening to food bloggers I know, too. Trolls are reporting their sites/blogs as spam on Facebook, which is locking them out of being able to post on their own pages. So unfortunate and unnecessary.

  21. Lisa,
    I am learning more and more as I read posts like yours. But I decided to take the plunge and give you my Facebook Page to critique for Write!Canada. Sometimes I feel inundated with all the information flying around and would like a professional to point me in the right direction.
    Blessings,
    Janis http://www.janiscox.com

  22. Reblogged this on Morsels For Monsters and commented:
    In my tireless efforts to save you time and sweat, I’ve discovered another helpful bit of advice from the brilliant mind of Kristen Lamb. Besides the fact that I’m just totally taken with this woman’s attitude (I swear, she;s completely fearless), she somehow always gives me more concrete ways to continue to build my personal indie success. This article is about how to use Facebook to your benefit– and yes, it’s far more specific than just, “Hey, create a profile!” What I like about this advice is that it extrapolates to any efforts in which you might be engaged during your indie efforts. Also, I can’t say enough about her WANA group, which is a community of indie writers like us who reach out and support each other. Enjoy this rather funny article and give yourself some new ways to get the exposure you need. Happy writing, my fellows!

  23. I always appreciate your blogs, Lisa, because FB does seem a little like work to me. And I’ll definitely be checking out the blog you did for Jami because that’s my biggest question. I have a profile page that I started in college when FB first started getting big. But now I’m concerned about having fans able to access photos that were from college days. I’m not published yet, so any big changes are sort of on the back burner, but I’d still like to be prepared.

  24. This is great information! I’ll be sure to pass it along~

  25. Thanks for the kick in the pants. Great info here. Now I need to get busy. Thanks for the advice.

  26. Been in and out of hospital and making Dr. visits with my husband…sorry I’ve been a no-show lately.
    But I’m glad to have logged on today. What great information!!!
    I love FB, but your tips will make it work so much better for me 🙂

    Have a great evening!
    Tamara

  27. Great post, and some really interesting comments and responses. Sharing posts and saying thanks on my page is fine, but I find it hard to get personal, I’m a writer and I hide 🙂 Would love some advice/input! https://www.facebook.com/ZaraStoneley Off to check out Jami Gold’s site!

  28. A pet beaver, I have never had the pleasure. It was not intentional. Religious in getting married first not the world shaking event I get accused of. Trained and quick to respond all the time? I am 52, but something to look forward to before I die.

    People wonder why I write “no sex romances” (PG 13). The church probably came up with it because the Immaculate Conception happened at 13.

    Anyway, I just joined FACEBOOK yesterday. I am starting to understand Kristen and you – WANA ladies, why you promote it. After going through the tour, I wondered how one can really promote the writer. The software needs work with the auto plug-ins. Pictures of a self-published novel or writing about your works of art and then inviting you’re following to comment, I can see to be very valuable. Creating demographics is achievable with FACEBOOK with similar interests.

    I also joined GOODREADS at the same time. I not really a reader, but I plan on using the time mostly for research. Big Time publishing houses recommend reading their stuff to know what editors are looking for; I usually skim excerpts because I do not want to walk to the public library. Now, I have GOODREADS. They have reference materials for research so I can read non-fiction reference materials to do research for my fictional novels.

  29. Great advice. And very timely as I take a hard look at my FB page. It is a matter of learning as you go. Thanks for the great tips Lisa.

  30. I have a conundrum you may be able to help with. I have two blogs and 2 FB pages, (not including the Awesome Indies page, which I co-author) but it’s for a reason. I figured that the people who follow the Ripples in Water (mediation/philosophy) blog http://ripplesinwater.com wouldn’t want to read about writing or reviews of anything other than metaphysical fiction, and my readers of blogs about writing, reading & reviewing may be put off by my more metaphysical stuff, some of it quite Buddhist. The blog & the fb pages have a completely different feel.
    I started the Ripples blog specifically to draw in people interested in metaphysics who probably don’t read a lot of fiction, but it has only 100 followers & get less than 1000 hits each month.The fb page has only 60 followers, whereas my author page has nearly 300 fans. They’re almost like two different sides to my personality. I generally don’t have any problems providing content for both, but I wonder if it would be better to post everyday on one blog than everyday but on two different blogs. Part of me would like to have just one, but I may not carry the followers from Ripples over .

    I would have to redecorate my author blog, which it’s probably time I did anyway.I also share a lot of photos on FB & would run the risk of flooding one page with them.

    Do you think I should stop spending energy on the blog with the small following & move both sides of what I’m about into one blog and one page?

    I’d like to hear both Kirsten & Lisa’s ideas on this.

    1. I’m not an expert on blogging, so maybe Kristen will pop on. It’ll be difficult to run a successful page unless you can identify your brand and have a plan for how you’ll deliver unique value to fans.

  31. Great post Lisa, thanks.

    I thought I’d share my Big Mistake to help others not emulate me. When I first set up my page, I linked my Twitter feed into it. I thought this was good because it meant I was always updating my FB page.

    Fortunately a non-writer very close girlfriend took me aside and said, Quit spamming my newsfeed with your twitter chat. If I wanted to be on Twitter, I would be.

    Talk about tough love, but I started looking at my stats and playing with the type of posts that work and watching other authors to figure out what constitutes ‘quality’ content.

    I find I get the most hits and engagement if I update my status once every day or two with content about my writing progress, some good news about me or a writing friend, or a teaser from my WIP.

    I try not to link away from FB as I’ve noticed they don’t like that so much and it doesn’t seem to wind up getting as many views. Like, 1/10 the views. However, I do post when I have a new blog up, with the link, esp if I have a guest or I’m guesting elsewhere.

    I ‘liked’ some great pages with pretty photos so I can hit ‘Share’ and have lots of colorful stuff populating my pages. Other cool stuff to share is photos of my covers and any photos I take when I’m out and about. Those seem popular and they are easy peasy.

    Hope that’s helpful for anyone struggling with jazzing up their page 🙂

    1. I thank you on FACEBOOK. I just started. I did not realize that I could update on my writing progress. Can you share your Harlequin experience? Do you self-publish? Do you have a preferred word count or do you just write until you stop? The word count helps me plot to know how many words I need to write in completing the novel.

  32. I love this. Tough love is always good. And I agree about relationships and community. There’s a reason it’s called “social” media.

  33. Kristen – this admirer of yours lives in OZ (Australia), writing published & self-published non-fiction and aspiring to publish a ‘romance’.

    Four years ago I set up a webpage http://www.louisewilson.com.au and despite all the Louise Wilsons in the world, I’ve somehow figured out how to get that page pretty high on Google searches (No 2 at last check). To avoid too much ‘noise’ and clutter on each webpage, I also link to separate blogs where I post occasional updates specific to each of my books, or relevant to myself as an author.

    About nine months ago I began to grapple with the world of social media. My Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/LouiseWilsonAuthor has already proved useful by proving what I suspected – the statistics provided by FB prove that most readers of my family histories are in the technologically-challenged age group. Of course, I am too, but although I’m a grandmother I like a challenge. I’d like to figure out how to reach younger readers through my FB page.

    I’ve also been experimenting to see which of my webpages, blog and FB posts attract the most interest from readers – very instructive. Google Analytics, blog stats and FB Insights have all proved invaluable. I won’t bore you with my specific findings.

    More recently, I joined Goodreads.

    Finally, a few weeks ago I joined Twitter, to learn what that ‘new world’ was all about. I got a big fright when something I posted on FB turned up automatically as my third Tweet – but not written with the Twitter platform in mind. I’ll have to be extra careful with the first 140 characters of any future FB posts and I’ve practised at the start of this message, in case it becomes my fourth Tweet by accident.

    I’ve now reached the stage where I need to draw all my efforts together into a more coherent structure as my overall ‘brand’. I know I need technical help with solving the structural problem, but I also need help from someone like you, with more marketing flair in their little finger than I have in my whole body. Therefore I’m really hoping that I will be one of the lucky recipients of your draw on 31 May.

    Thanks so much for all the wonderful advice you promulgate in Kristen Lamb’s Blog.

    Louise Wilson, http://www.facebook.com/LouiseWilsonAuthor

  34. Lisa, this was one of your most useful commentaries. Mahalo nui to you, and to Kristen for sharing her space. I have a FB profile page and a fan page. I post on profile page at least once daily, sometimes 2-3. It has about 100 followers. The fan page is less active. I post a minimum of once weekly, sometimes more. It’s a harder page for me to relax on. It has about 80 likes. I occasionally join a writer’s ladder, though I am not sure how useful those are.

    I understand that we are not on FB to “sell” and I agree. I have some followers who only say “buy my book” and I just skip them. On the other hand, I do refer to my writing side and sometimes to my subject. And I do notify folks when my blog is up. I presume within reason, such topics are OK?

    And here is the url for my profile page. I tried to send it to you when I did one of your workshops,but I think it got lost in the great snow storm. Anyway, perhaps I’ll have better luck next time. https://www.facebook.com/SandraWagnerWright

    Once again, mahalo for your insights — they do help me make peace with the social media concept.

  35. Yes, why WANA is top notch and all the things I’ve learned to use Facebook for.

  36. You always deliver. Your brand really shines through. That’s what I want for my readers.

    I’m at Emilycasey.com

  37. Would love to win a critique of my FB author page, Lisa. Thanks for the opportunity. 🙂
    http://www.facebook.com/marcialeelaycock
    Blessings, Marcia

  38. Thank you for a very informative post. I need to figure out how to post to my author page as often as posting to my personal page…but it seems redundant to constantly be posting to both at the same time…especially if I’m posting the same content to both.

  39. Very timely! I just started my author FB page yesterday! I’ve had a personal FB page for a few years, and can spend a lot of time playing, rather than writing. I go around my personal page liking and copying, and thought having an author page might be more useful. I’ll have to take a close look at my habits. Thanks.

  40. I have literally just started my author page, so this has been of great interest to me! You’ve got some great points that I intend to follow – thanks so much!!

  41. Great post! I’ll be sure to keep these things in mind as I try to improve my FB Page. I’d love some input. https://www.facebook.com/writer.rebecca.barray

  42. Yes, yes I do desperately want a pet beaver. But meanwhile, here’s my facebook info: https://www.facebook.com/home.php
    Thanks for a great post, Lisa. It IS about relationships.

  43. Brilliant post! I’m one who doesn’t show up nearly enough, and I know I need to work on that. I also shut off author pages that show up in my news feed if all they ever do is push their books or present themselves as experts on writing.

  44. Wow… LOVE your posts! My writing partner and I DEFINITELY need insight into how we can expand our platform. (We even have “research Twitter” on the to-do list. I know! We need a social media makeover.) I told her our odds were not good…since I never win contests…but we wanted to try anyway. And to tell everyone else out there that we’re all in this thing together. No judgment, just support. Thank YOU for all you do! Our blog is http://www.itsamatterofmoments.com.

  45. I am definitely a person who doesn’t show up enough – and I’m having trouble posting things that others will comment/like on. Not sure why….. http://www.facebook.com/Julia-Stevenson-Writer-Creativity-Coach Hope I’m not to late to enter the FB giveaway!

  46. Thanks to everyone who entered. I have picked two names from a hat for the free critique and notified them.

  47. Always appreciate your advice, Lisa. It was heartening to me to see that I do do some things right on FB. (smile)

    • Margaret Taylor on June 3, 2013 at 1:07 pm
    • Reply

    Wow, I’m late to the party as usual! But, in my defense, I was getting both my debut novels out this weekend, so I was kinda busy!

    Lisa, thank you so much for this insightful article. I’m only guilty of one thing up there. I have two Author pages, but only because I have two pen names. One, Lady Blade, already had a community specific following: BDSM and has been around since 2003. She’s known *only* for those types of works and I plan to keep it that way. Margaret Taylor, my new one – and the one that released both her novels this weekend – is my Paranormal/Sci-Fi self. I’ve spent the last couple of months being very active on both Twitter and FB but as a “get to know me peeps” and I must say my marketing strategy of “giving away virtual cookies” is paying off, a bit. My books just came out, yesterday, and being new, I didn’t expect them to skyrocket, but I am pleased with what I’m seeing so far.

    And you’re right. I have more fun – get more pleasure – out of talking to people verses straight promotions. Don’t get me wrong, I do promote – when I have something to promote (like now) – but I also endeavor not to spam. I comment to my fellow Authors, I share links/pictures and so on and like posts and comments from others.

    It does work!

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