36 Twitter Tips for Book Publishers
How to tweet your way to successful title and author promotions. Plus, 5 ways your company can benefit from Twitter (and 6 tips to help you maximize your following).
December 2009 By Noelle Skodzinski
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“If you are a good Twitterer, people will trust you—even if you are a brand—and will trust your recommendations. And word-of-mouth is the best marketing tool,” says Malle Vallik, director of digital content and social media at Harlequin Enterprises Ltd.
Vallik says that, for Harlequin, there is no doubt about Twitter’s value. “We track clicks through a tool like bit.ly [see tip No. 24], and when you see the numbers increase dramatically, it is more than worthwhile.”
Another benefit, she says, is that it’s “fast and friendly. [It’s] not a big investment of resources, although it’s addictive.”
Here are Book Business’ 36 tips for using Twitter effectively from those who have quite a few tweets under their belt.
Tips from … Jesse McDougall, Co-Owner, Catalyst Webworks (social media consultancy)
Twitter.com/jsmcdougall
1. After signing up for Twitter, cruise through WeFollow.com, Twit-Dir.com and the new Twitter Lists to find and follow folks in your niche.
2. Create several Twitter accounts based on the niches in which you publish.
3. Avoid the temptation to automate. It is important that you are on Twitter to respond to the community.
4. Sell books by adding substantive information from your books and authors to the conversation. No hard sales pitches, please.
5. Have fun. Invent new … ways to engage your Twitter community—contests, polls, jokes, raffles, giveaways, etc.
Tips from … Jeffrey Yamaguchi, Online Director, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Twitter.com/AAKnopf, /doubledaypub, /VintageAnchor, /PantheonBooks
Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson, is a frequent Twitter user (Twitter.com/MichaelHyatt), as is his company (Twitter.com/ThomasNelson). Here is his list of 5 ways he believes that using Twitter has positively impacted his company:
1. Visibility. Our use of social media has raised the visibility of Thomas Nelson in the marketplace. I had several tweets from people who said they had never heard of our company until they started following me or one of my colleagues on Twitter.
2. Personality. Generations X and Y have a fundamental distrust of institutions. They connect with people rather than organizations. Our use of social media has put a “face” on our company and made us more real and personable.
3. Connectivity. People don’t often connect with publishers. In fact, they rarely know who published their favorite books. However, social media have enabled us to connect with our customers in a way that makes them feel like they are a part of what we are doing—and they are.
4. Loyalty. Connectivity is good. Loyalty is even better. Many people responded that they actively seek out our products as a result of connecting with us on social media. This is something I never thought I would hear customers say about a publisher.
5. Leadership. Finally, our use of social media has positioned our company as a leader in our business segment. While many companies are sitting on the sidelines in fear, we have jumped in with both feet. We’ve certainly made our share of mistakes, but, regardless, people perceive this as leadership.
Note: Reprinted with permission from Michael Hyatt’s blog at MichaelHyatt.com.
Companies Mentioned:
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