Getting Around Your Facebook (Business) Page

Facebook pages are the business side of Facebook. If you want to market your business, product, or book this way, the good news is it will be indexed by search engines. Here is how to create your page. Log in to Facebook under Account at the far right and click on Manage Pages. In the blue bar to the right of your picture are five links:

• Get Started First, choose a name for your page keeping in mind how well it will attract search engines. Under your photo is a link to edit your page. This takes you to another menu of options.
  • Basic Information is about your business or product. If you are publisher, write about your company; if you are an author, describe your book.
  • Profile Picture is for your business photo. You can use the same one as your profile or select another one.
  • Marketing provides a list of ways to promote your business or product.
  • Manage Admins allows you to add another administrator to your page.
  • Apps are applications by Facebook or other developers you can add to your Page.
  • Mobile give you ways to manage your Facebook page on your mobile device.
  • Insights permits others comment or "like" your page.
  • Help is filled with topics, FAQs, and a place to ask a specific question.
  
  
• Wall Just like the Wall on your Profile, here is your opportunity to talk about what's going on in your business or what is new with your book.
• Info shows the information you filled in on you basic information page form about your business or product.
• Photos are for new albums related to your business or product.
• Discussions are opportunities to launch new discussion and invite comments from others.

In the left-hand column of your Facebook Page is all of your important information plus pictures of your friends who have indicated they "like" (endorse, recommend) your page. At the bottom is a Share link—another way to broadcast news or opinions.

The middle column is a guide to promoting your page. The right-hand column lets you invite more people to "like" your page.

Guide to Creating and Publishing Your New Website

Welcome to guest blogger Bobette Kyle. Bobette draws upon 20+ years of Marketing/Executive and planning positions, business ownership, online marketing experience, and a marketing MBA as inspiration for her writing. She co-owns Lifestyle Inspirations LLC (MY LIFE MATTERS Womens Personal Planner) as well as publishes WebsiteMarketingPlan.com and MyOnlineWeddingHelp.com.

For the uninitiated, the process of starting a Website can be filled with new terminology. Here is a quick vocabulary lesson of some of the used here.

• Domain Name ("register a domain name"): Sign up and pay for the URL to the homepage of your site.
• Host/Hosting ("sign up with a host"): This is the company that will have your files on its server and provide the means for people to be able to see your Website. Make sure you pick a good host because you don't want to have to move this later.
• Nameservers ("link them together using the nameservers"): This is information that tells the domain name services where to find your hosting service’s server.

Note that with some solutions you take care of all three of the above at once. Other solutions require you to handle each separately.

Steps To Getting Started – Overview

During the process of getting your Website started, there are many steps to complete. Many you will be completing simultaneously. Also, please note that if you do not have a Website developer, you would complete all steps on your own.

Initial Administrative Steps

• Register your domain names.
• Decide on a Website developer and choose designs or template.
• Choose a hosting provider, with input from your Website designer, and open account.
• Change the nameservers on your domain name to point to your host’s nameservers.

Initial Marketing Steps

• Decide on the purpose of your Website; the way(s) it will help you with your business, book, or service(s); and what kinds of people you want to visit the site (target audience).
• For better success with Website ranking, complete keyword research so – from the start – you can incorporate those words into the text on your Website.
• Create Website launch strategies and a marketing plan while site is in development.
• Begin marketing activities as soon as Website is functional.

Development Steps

• Settle on site layout and navigational structure.
• Create or choose images – Website header/logo, photo(s), book cover(s), etc. and send digitally to developer.
• Write text for each page (incorporating phrases from keyword research) and send to developer.
• If taking orders online, decide on e-commerce solution (Paypal recommended to start, then upgrade to merchant account after volume increases) and work with developer on details.
• With developer, decide upon and secure any third party services or software needed to implement marketing programs (For example: newsletter hosting/list management service, blogging software, online audio/mp3 technology, etc.)

Site Finalization and Publication

• Approve the final Website.
• Upload the site to your hosting account.
• Begin marketing activities.

Step #6: Promotion

Book Marketing Strategies & Tactics

I would like to believe that Words To Live By is close to publication. I have read so many proofs I'm dizzy, but I think I am just about there, at last. That brings me to Step #6: Promotion, which is the big one. I mapped out my marketing plan, but then decided to revisit How to Write a Nonfiction Book and review what I had written about promotion. (I know if I did everything I've suggested in my books, I'd probably be a fabulous success; but, unfortunately, I often fail to take my own advice.)

What follows are my three strategies for promoting Words To Live By and all of the relevant tactics from How to Write a Nonfiction Book. I don't think it's possible to do all of these things, but even doing some of them will be a great beginning.

Strategy #1: Increase my visibility and credibility on line

Tactics

1. Sell Words To Live By on Web site and amazon.com.

2. Write arti­cles on “epiphanies” and submit to on-line sites

3. Increase presence on Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin.

4. Redesign ShopSite store; hire ShopSite designer (or do it myself).

5. Maximize presence on Amazon

a. Post customer reviews on other people’s books.

b. End them with a blurb about my book.

c. Set up a reviewer’s profile.

d. Investigate Amazon Web 2.0 Interactivity.

e. Make friends on Amazon.

f. Sell products on Amazon’s WebStore.

g. Establish myself as a true author presence.

6. Blogging

a. Visit blog di­rectories and check out the top-ranked blogs.

b. Check out blogs on writing.

c. Comment; let the blogger know I have done so.

d. Answer questions I have been asked in the past.

e. Give brief reviews and recommend competitive titles on my subject or books I am reading now.

6. Internet marketing

a. Build list of contacts, and keep in touch with them.

b. Keep adding to website.

c. Make contact information obvious.

d. Include name, e-mail address, and phone number.

e. Make sure content is high quality and provides a benefit to readers.

f. Inform, educate, inspire, motivate.

g. Include lots of ways to do things associated with topic.

h. Don’t lecture or proselytize.

i. Be generous. Give stuff away, particularly informa­tion.

j. Demonstrate expertise.

k. Show, don’t tell, that I know my subject.

l. Iden­tify my target market; if I have more than one, I need more than one Web site. Buy several domain names.

m. Hire a Web-marketing consultant.

n. Research and register with directories and search engines.

o. Create new links to my Web site by link building.

p. Use different delivery mechanisms for different audi­ences—blog, newsletter, e-zine, Podcasts.

q. Stay active in Twitter, Yahoo, Gath­er, Facebook, LinkedIn

r. Create name recognition by submitting articles on my subject to multiple article sites.

s. Be clear but subtle about having something to sell.

t. Make it easy for people to buy and pay for my book.

u. Set up a store through shopsite.com or some other shopping cart service; sign up for PayPal or get a merchant’s account.

v. Set up a media page. Include a press release that an­nounces my book in a copyable format (Word or a text file), links to previous interviews in print and on-line.

Strategy #2: Increase my visibility and credibility off line

Tactics

1. Send ARCs are uncorrected galley proofs, stamped “reader’s copy” to reviewers at trade review magazines within the book industry.

2. See Literary Market Place in the reference room for magazine and newspaper book reviewers, book review syndicates, columnists, radio and television stations, book clubs.

3. Advertise in inexpensive newsletters and Writers’ Digest and The Writer.

4. Bookstores

a. Compile a list of local bookstores and visit them, book in hand.

b. Offer to do a workshop, a presentation, or a signing.

c. Help with promotion of the event,

d. Cooperate with the community relations person in any way you can

5. Book clubs: Go to each Web site, and download guidelines for submission.

6. Elevator speech: be able to tell someone what my book is about between floors in an elevator; my book is about (main point) and in order to help the reader (main benefit).

Strategy #3: Drive traffic to my original Web site, WriteANonfictionBook.com

Tactics

1. Articles

a. Make a list of print and Wed publications that address writing.

b. Research writers’ guidelines.

c. Query the editors about writing free articles.

d. Learn what the editor is looking for to address the publication’s reader.

e. Use keywords so it will be found. Link to the appropriate page on my Web site.

2. Direct marketing

a. Consider hiring a knowledgeable professional to help me.

b. Develop a plan what I want to achieve, my target audience, the list, what I will offer, and designer; establish criteria for my target audience

c. Build or buy a list of people who meet those criteria.

d. If possible, call those listed to determine if list is up-to-date.

e. Keep culling list. When a piece of mail comes back, remove the address from the list.

f. Track and measure results.

g. If necessary, mail to the same list several times.

h. Ask myself: (1) what is the average order I will receive? (2) What will it cost you to mail each piece? (3) Can you generate enough money to pay for my mailing? (4) Will you make a profit? If the answers to questions (3) and (4) are no, rethink this as a method of reaching customers.

15. Networking

a. Join appropriate associa­tions for self-publishers, marketers, professional speakers, and those that cater to people interested in my topic.

b. Get involved in the organization, talk about my book.

c. Network on-line.

16. Nontraditional sales

a. Think beyond the bookstore. Other places are called “nontraditional sales.”

b. Consider spin-off products.

c. Sell not just book, but message as well.

d. Send free books as review copies, three-dimensional business cards, gifts, or marketing materials to asso­ciations, organizations, meetings of any kind, and li­braries.

e. Submit book for inclusion in catalogs.

f. Attend book fairs and special events (note prior caution).

g. Sell books in the back of the room when I give presentations or workshops.

17. Public relations

a. Prepare a professional-looking press kit. Paste the cover of book on the front of the pocket folder. Inside, put a press release, an information sheet about my book, an author’s bio and photo, talking points to be used in interviews, and contact and ordering information.

b. Give away premiums that display book’s cover.

c. Create my own audience.

18. Speaking engagements

a. Position myself as an expert,

b. Line up speaking engage­ments at no charge

19. Specialty retailers

a. Ask myself, how do I sell this kind of book? Where?

b. Research & visit stores and sites that sell special-interest books and related products.

c. Bring my own point-of-purchase displays.

20. Last thoughts

a. Go where the audience is. Network.

b. Be a walking/talking commercial for my book.

c. Remember, life is a marketing call.