Social media has certainly changed how all of us think about our connections and our businesses. As writers, we aren't just responsible for writing. Now we are responsible for all aspects of our business, whether it's marketing, promotion, sales taxes, income taxes, and so on.
Today's prompt...
Take a look at book marketer extraordinaire John Kremer’s Pinterest Boards. After perusing them, how MIGHT you use Pinterest to brand yourself and your book? Is it something you’re considering?
Ah, Pinterest... the magazine of social media. Is it Pin-interest or Pin-trest? I don't know, but it's pretty. I love it, but I love it for recipes, school projects, arts and crafts, and such. As far as marketing my own book, I haven't spent the time I should exploring the possibilities.
When the prompt mentioned "book marketer extraordinaire" John Kremer, I was intrigued. I went to his page. It's AMAZING. In particular, I was drawn to the Blogging and Internet Marketing Tips tab. There I found everything from Blueprint for the Perfect LinkedIn Status Update to 21 Rules for Effective Social Media Marketing Strategies. I plan to spend a good portion of today on his Pinterest board.
As alluring as Pinterest is, I'm not sure how to best use it to market my book. Do readers really go there to find books? And if they do, it seems the cover is your best marketing tool to draw them in. As an avid book reader, I appreciate a good cover but I make my final decision based on the book summary and word of mouth. To that end, I find GoodReads the better tool for book decisions. It's aesthetically pleasing and offers book reviews and summaries all in one spot.
I use Pinterest more as a tool to find services or ideas than I do to market. But I'm looking forward to hopping around and seeing what other challenge participants have to say.
Thanks to Laura Orsini/Marcie Brock for another thought-provoking prompt!
5 comments:
Like I always say, "Your book cover speaks volumes." I know we aren't supposed to judge a book by its cover, but I can't help it. It's like second nature to me. On Pinterest, I believe your cover is your only selling tool. So it better be one hell of a tool! :) WRITE ON!
I also use Pinterest as a resource when I'm looking for ideas and inspiration. I'm not sure if people go there to look for books... I just look for pictures!
I don't spend huge amounts of time on Pinterest, but I enjoy what I do and looking at the boards of others :-)
Jo -- Agree about covers!
Melissa -- I know. It's a magazine for me... all about enjoying the pics!
Merlene -- So true!
Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment. It's always much appreciated.
I love Pinterest, and from what I've experienced, people ARE actually going there to make reading lists for themselves.
I've got a board for a "Reading Wish List" and for "Favorite Recent Reads" most of the pictures came from other people with similar boards.
And the side benefit of Pinterest is that you can quickly gain a broad range of followers by just having fun pinning your passions!
I'm eager to check out John's boards now. I'd never really thought about dedicating more time to Pinterest as a marketing tool!
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