The Internet can be frightening for people who are used to doing things with pen, paper, and telephones.
It can also be overwhelming, with all the Facebooks, Twitters, Pinterests, Tumblers, Bloggers, LinkedIns, and et ceteras for people who grew up with it.
I mean, where do you focus? Where do you put your time to the best advantage? You should be writing as much as possible, of course, but you also can put a little time, here and there, in some other places.
I encourage all of my real estate agents to have a web presence. A little Facebook, a little Twitter, if they’re feeling chatty, and above all, a website. I encourage you to do the same.
Why Facebook?
Because people go on Facebook and Like pages of places, people, and things they like. And even if they aren’t paying attention to anything other than their best friends, they are still going to see the posts of those pages they’ve Liked in their feed. It’s about exposure, whether that’s posting an excerpt from an upcoming story or novel, talking about your favorite book store, or sharing pictures of cute kittens.
And don’t get me wrong – Facebook as a writer and author does not, and should not, be all about you, your writing, and the writing of others. Share things about your life (although be careful not to over share), your interests, and things completely unrelated to writing, because those are the things that make you more human, more personable, and help your audience perceive you as a friend and not just the girl or guy that wrote that book that one time.
Why Twitter?
Twitter is really good for the exact same things that Facebook is good for. Go ahead – reread those last two paragraphs and insert Twitter for Facebook. Then remember that often times there will be someone who you want to reach that only has a Twitter account, and who is addicted to it.
Do you have to do both? Nope. Should you repost your Facebook feed to Twitter? You could, and I’m on the fence as to whether I think that’s a good idea or not.
Why a website?
Well. Whether you have a blog or not, you need a website. It can be a free blog, it can be a domain complete with hosting. But it needs to give information about you, have a list of your books and links of where they can be purchased, a way to contact you, and where you are communicating with your audience online.
Those are the things that a first-time reader, after reading your first book, is going to go to get more like what they’ve just read. You do that when presented with a new service contractor, or thinking about what restaurant to go to for dinner, or when deciding whether it’s too late to hit that craft store or not. You go to Google, you search for the company, and pore over their website for a bit.
I know I do.
Whoo! Hope you enjoyed that one. You might be wondering – do I have experience? Urm…in real estate marketing, yes! I see what works, and this is it. In life? Absolutely! I’m a reader as well as a writer, and I know what I’d like to see other writers doing. Have I done this myself with my own writing? Uh…well, not yet. Actually, I’ll be making this particular trek along with anyone reading this, and offering progress reports on my own voyage through the new waters of publication. If you’d like to read advice from a guy who obviously has the experience to back up what he preaches, you ought to take a peek at DeanWesleySmith.com. Is good.
