Using social networking or social media to boost your romance writing career is by far the best way to grab the attention of people around you. It gives people a medium to get to know you personally, which then gives them the opportunity to start liking you and trusting you. People who like and trust you are more inclined to choose you over someone else.
There are many choices out there in this internet-connected world for people. They now have a multitude of areas where they can spend their time and money, as well as whom they can choose to do business with. That’s a big part of the trust factor, and why you need to build that trust with your customers.
You need to build relationships with your target audience. You need to become friendly with your business contacts and connections, because everybody knows a friend is more likely to turn to you than a stranger is. Social networking is the ultimate way to work both of those angles and build up both sides of your media venue. Besides, word of mouth just happens to be the most powerful marketing tool on the planet.
Your first step towards using social networking is developing a strategy. You may already have a brand and strategy you’re working with, but that’s not enough to head out into the world of social media with. There are just too many people out there for you to jump in with both feet without a plan. It’s time to focus more directly on your best customers.
Perhaps the best place for you to start to find those best customers is Twitter. Twitter is the fastest growing social networking site available at this time. You can find everyone from the President of the United States to your neighbor down the street on Twitter. That leaves you with many people to talk to, even if you are limited to 140 characters at a time. This isn’t the only place you can reach out via social networking, but it’s a simple one.
Romance writers are encouraged to use their pen or author name when they sign up on Twitter. This will make it easier for people to find you, should they read one of your works and want to keep up with what’s going on in your career. Adding a picture, a bit of information about yourself and customizing your background will all help to define your presence on Twitter.
Tweeting, or sending out messages in 140 characters or less, is something you may want to play around with a little so you can get used to it. There are some buttons which are self-explanatory, while others might require a bit of playing around with. The importance is learning to use all of the features properly, and in the right perspective. While it’s fine to be playful with your messages, you do want the majority of your tweets to be aimed towards your writing. That is, after all, what you’re trying to promote here.
Search for other romance writers and readers you can follow, or for that matter, anyone else that interests you. They don’t have to be big stars and accomplished best-seller authors for you to follow them. Some of the most interesting people to follow are going to be at the same level you are, or simply enjoy some of the same things. Read people’s profiles to try and get a feel for whether or not you have something in common with them. If you like what you see, go ahead and click the “Follow” button. That will allow you to see what they talk about when they send out their tweets. But remember, nothing is written in stone. You can always un-follow at a later date if you change your mind.
The next thing to do is give other people something interesting to read. This is where Twitter is going to help your writing career. Start talking about your romance writing, your ideas and thoughts, or even your website. However, the important thing to remember is not to start spamming. Don’t just tweet links to your webpage, your blog or your sales page for your book. Write engaging statements, ask questions or start conversations with others. Retweet, or repeat something someone else said which you found of interest.
Soon enough you’ll see you have followers who are interested in what’s happening in your romance writing world, who are anxious to hear when the next chapter is finished and who just simply can’t wait until your book is complete and waiting for them to buy their own copy. Until then, happy tweeting!