Marketing Strategies: Pinterest by Stephanie Burkhart

There's a lot of free or inexpensive social media and marketing tools available for authors to work into their marketing plans. One such site that's generating a lot of interest is Pinterest.

I'm new to Pinterest myself, still learning my way around, but I have to admit, its fun. I like looking at the different pictures as they inspire ideas and stories. I like the idea of sharing my likes with other authors and readers. I also find that its a great way to connect with others. Pinterest drives traffic as well, not only to your Pinterest account but to other sites, your website, Faceback, Linkedin and other places you're on.

And, ultimately, isn't that what social media is about – making connections? As an author, Pinterest is another tool to connect with others.

Just a little about Pinterest: the site launched in March 2010 in a closed format. After 9 months it had 10,000 users. Pinterest went viral in 2011, but the way to join is to receive an invitation from a friend who is already registered. You can also create an account by liking it to your Facebook or Twitter.

The goal of Pinterest is to connect people through "things" they find interesting. They do this by "pinning" pictures. You upload a pin (picture) or you can use a "pin it" button added to your bookmark bar or your web browser. I don't quite understand how to do that yet, so if anyone can explain it, I'd appreciate that. I just upload my pictures.

Once you pin a picture, people can either 're-pin it,' 'like it,' or 'comment' on it. Therein lies the fun. And the more you do, the more others will do it to you, thus driving the traffic to your site. I've had a good response to my Pinterest board and I haven't been on the site long, maybe about 2 months. My goal is to spend about 5-10 minutes a day on Pinterest. I figure a little goes a long way.

Interesting Notes about Pinterest:
There's also an app! You can find a Pinterest app for the Iphone.

Who's got a Pinboard? Ann Romney and Michelle Obama!

83% of users in the US are women.

In Feb 2012, Pinterest reported 11.7 million users.

Anyone else have a Pinterest board? What do you like about it? Dislike? Do you think it's a unique social network? If you have a board, leave your name or your link and I'll follow you! Feel free to follow me on Pinterest as well.

Love to hear your thoughts, comments, and feedback about Pinterest.



Stephanie Burkhart was born and raised in Manchester, New Hampshire. She spent 11 years in the US Army as an MP and now works for LAPD as a 911 dispatcher. Her 4RV Books include "The Giving Meadow" and "First Flag of New Hampshire." Her son, Joe's, favorite 4RV Books include: "Spider in my Mailbox," "Angeline Jellybean." Her son, Andrew's, favorite 4RV Books include: "Angeline Jellybean," and "The Marshmallow Man."

FIND ME ON THE WEB AT:
WEBSITE:
http://www.stephanieburkhart.com

TWITTER:
http://twitter.com/StephBurkhart

FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor

GOOD READS:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart

YOU TUBE CHANNEL:
http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee

PINTEREST:
http://pinterest.com/sgburkhart/

Marketing Thoughts - by Stephanie Burkhart

Happy New Year!

I was working on my blog post for 4RV when I saw Katie Raines had a great post on social networking and marketing strategies, so I decided to revamp mine and talk a little about everything today.

MARKETING ON AMAZON

When you're first starting out, it can be uncomfortable reaching out to others – especially readers. One place where you have to be careful is the Amazon forums.

I've discovered the Amazon forums are where readers hang out, but if you don't carefully follow the rules you may sabotage your attempts to successfully market your product.

THE RULES: If you're an author, Amazon has created "Meet Our Authors" just for you. Keep your promotion about your book in this forum.

However, to be effective, you have to be social and branch out – explore other threads. They have threads for Kindles, children's writing, romance – find threads that interest you. Engage in conversations. TIP: Lurk before your post and get the "feel" for the thread and don't self-promote your book outside of the "Meet our Authors" forum or the Amazon "mean" peeps will call you out.

ANOTHER TIP: Marketing and networking can be time consuming. Be mindful of how much time you have to spend on this. I try to allot about 30-45 minutes for this.

If you stick to the above guidance, you'll gradually earn readers and before you know it, you'll see an increase in sales. Amazon readers want to read and are always looking for a good recommendation. If you can build up a solid reputation, the readers will come, but it requires patience, time, and respect for Amazon's rules.

Patience may be the crux of the marketing stragedy. In today's world, we expect results instantly and when we don't get instant results we get disappointed. If you venture out on the Amazon forums remember patience is the key to becoming successful.

TEAMWORK

I love Crystalee Calderwood's "Angeline Jellybean." Why? Because it’s a story that easily relates to young children. The 3-year-olds in my Little Church preschool class light up and love to say "Blah" right along with Angeline. When I read the book to my son's kindergarten class, they got the giggles watching the jellybeans dance in Angeline's tummy. Both classes want encores.

I love sharing books from the 4RV catalog with children and other adults I meet. The books always get a warm reception. As an author, for me, it's important to support my fellow authors. Publishing and marketing takes a team. 

Who's on the team? You, the author, your editor, your illustrator, and other authors who will help cross market your book. Build the bonds of teamwork by reaching out to other authors. "Like" their Amazon pages, Facebook pages, follow them on Twitter, buy one of their books, read it, and support. You'll find most are receptive and will do the same for you.

RESOLUTIONS

It's that time of the year when we look back at 2011, evaluate our ups and downs, and look forward to 2012. Some of us make resolutions, some of us prefer goals. My big resolution/goal for the upcoming year is weight loss. My #2 is to grow as a writer and a marketer. My #3 is to conquer the Amazon forums. Wish me luck.

Do you have any tips about how to be successful on Amazon? Do you want to make a comment or have a question about social networking? Do you want to share your resolutions or goals your have for 2012?

Bio: Stephanie Burkhart was born and raised in Manchester, New Hampshire. She spent 11 years in the military and now calls Castaic, CA her home. She works for LAPD as a 911 Dispatcher. Her book, "The Giving Meadow" was published with 4RV Publishing.

"Inspiration flows from the exchange of ideas."
Happy New Year to All!
Smiles
Steph

Marketing Tips: Have fun with Twitter by Stephanie Burkhart

Social networking can be a challenge for many who are just starting out in the writing world. Social networking is a necessary tool that the author can use to promote their book. I thought I'd take a look at how you can maximize your time on Twitter. Twitter is a forum that allows for a "tweet" of approx 120 characters so you have to keep your "tweet" short.

The Pros of Twitter:
It's cheap (i.e. free)
It's fun (once you get the hang of it)

The Cons of Twitter:
It is intimidating
It is confusing

At some point, you have to get your feet wet and join. Whatever your role in the writing world – author, illustrator, marketing, etc., these tips can prove very helpful.

For me, the main goal of Twitter is to increase my followers. The more followers you have, the more people you reach out to.

Goal stated, let's get into the tips:

Tip #1 – You don't want to spend more than 10-15 mins on Twitter at any given time. Trust me. You have other things to do and social networking should not consume your day. Make it a point to check your Tweets 10-15 mins a day. The "optimum" goal should be once in the morning, and once at night, but if you can't do twice a day, strive to be on Twitter at least once a day.

#2 – Friend 5 people a day
I use the recommendations on the side, but I also follow my favorites which include Anne Rice, The New England Patriots, other 911 dispatchers, and even Chum Lee from Pawn Stars.

#3 – Retweet 5 posts a day
(this shows others you are supportive by retweeting their posts. In turn, fellow tweeters are generally inclined to retweet your posts)

#4 – Tweet 5 posts a day
These can be anything. For example:
Quotes from your favorite writers or authors. I like to quote HG Wells, Emily Dickinson and Eleanor Roosevelt.
Share YouTube links – this can be your book trailers or some of your favorite videos on you tube.
Amazon links to your books. If your book is on sale, mention it.
Places were you want fans to follow you like Good Reads, LinkedIn, Writing.com, etc.
Links to reviews for your books.
Links to book reviews you've done.
Announcements for what's on your blog.
Announcement if you're visiting someone else's blog.
Announcements on any contests or giveaway you're doing.
Gush and give shout outs to your favorites: movies, authors, books, music, etc. I usually give a shout out to coffee and chocolate during the week. It's okay to be a little cheeky and show off your personality. Readers like to see a little bit of your fun side.



You may not feel an immediate effect, but you'll see difference by the end of the week and even a bigger difference by the end of the month. Remember, it's all about growing your followers.

Tip #5 - #hashtags
These are "quick" tags that highlight popular posts. If you post "Check out my book on Kindle" (with the link) use #kindle at the end of the post. If other people are on twitter and check out the popular posts highlighted on the side, they should pull up a majority of post with the hashtags. If you have your post marked with a hashtag, it should, in theory, pull up.

Tip #6 - @ sign

If you talk about someone, let them know. They'll appreciate it and usually reciprocate. For example. Me: Just finished reading @StephBurkhart's book. Two thumbs up.

If anyone has any other tips, please feel free to share.
Go out there and tweet. And have fun with it.

PS: Follow me on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/StephBurkhart

Short Bio: Stephanie Burkhart is a 911 Dispatcher for LAPD. Her children's book, "The Giving Meadow" was published with 4RV Publishing. She's a native of New Hampshire but now lives in California with her husband, 9 year old son, Andrew, and 5 year old son, Joe. Joe likes the following 4RV Books: Colors and Spider in Our Mailbox.

Marketing & Promotion on the Internet #2

Marketing & Promotion using the Internet #2

Listen and Contribute
By: Stephanie Burkhart,
author of: The Giving Meadow


Nowadays, as the traditional publishing industry is challenged by bankruptcy, declining income, and the availably of books online with ereaders, more and more authors are embracing the Internet for self-promotion. Why? It's affordable. It allows you to reach potential readers outside of your normal sphere of influence. Self-promotion may seem a little overwhelming at first, but its okay to go at your own pace.

First, we all know you're a writer, but in order to sell books, you have to dedicate a certain amount of time (and money to marketing)

Consider this: If you're just starting out commit to spending 1 hour a day on marketing efforts. Also consider how much you can put aside for a marketing budget. I know several websites that will host the cover to your book for $10.00 a month or your book trailer for the same fee.

#2 – Think about who you audience is. Is it adults with children and preschoolers? (I'm lucky in that I write romance and children's stories. Both crossover well, as most romance readers are moms or grandmothers with school age children)

#3 – Target your audience. Join those Yahoo Groups where readers of your genre are and just listen for a couple of days to get the feel of the loop. Introduce yourself and let others get to know you. I know a bunch of authors on the Bragging Rites Yahoo Group and have made several valuable connections that way.

Remember: to build readers and a fan base, it's not all about you. Listen. Get to know what your readers like. Interact with them and build community.

Here are some "listening" ideas:

Set up Google alerts. This will notify you when your name, articles, books, and even Twitter handle are used on the Internet. When you get the alert that someone is promoting your name or work, pop on over and say "thanks." A small thank you goes a long way.

If there's something you don't understand – ask. It stimulates conversation.

Be polite. Just like w" Please," "thank you," and "you're welcome" along with a friendly online presence goes a long way.

"Contribute" ideas:

By contributing, you show you're "down-to-Earth," just like the readers you are trying to attract. Here are some tips.

Give it away. Write a short story as free read. Give it away. People love to receive free things.

Your Blog:

Use your blog to contribute. Don't just talk about you, your book, or how great you are – but really engage your audience. You can start with your hobbies. Do you love to watch baseball? It's baseball season. Have a baseball day on your blog and talk about the different teams. Talk about the differences going to a game now versus when you were a kid. Talk about gardening and flowers. Share your thoughts and impressions on the latest movie you saw. Ask other authors to visit you. If you have a cause you support like breast cancer awareness or the Japanese Relief, don't be afraid to talk about it. Many others support causes as well. I like to talk about lighthouses on the California coast on my blog.

NOTE: Engage, but don't feel like you have to get too personal. You can discuss hobbies, movies, books, favorite authors, even coffee, but it's all right to keep your personal life to yourself.

TIP: Widgets send readers & followers to your BEST places on the net.

Book Reviews

Don't be afraid to share reviews of books you've read. It's a great way to contribute and interact with READERS.

Here's a Net checklist:

Home Base
Your Website
Update these sites frequently and often. I use tripod as my host. They offer free packages (you have to allow for ads) or at their cheapest: $5.00 a month you can get a basic, ad free website. Most web hosts have templates and you can create the website yourself without having to pay big bucks to have someone set it up for you.

Hang out on:
Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin. Ask a question to stimulate conversation. For example: What's your favorite 80's band? Get people talking in a general way and talk about your books will come.

Home Away from Home:

Your Amazon.com author page.

Visit your Friends:
Forums, Yahoo Groups, Good reads, Shelfari & JackFlap.


Reference for this Article: "50 Simple Ways to Build your Platform," by Christina Katz, Writer's Digest, March/April 2011, Pgs. 40-45.

Marketing Ideas for Authors

Marketing Ideas – #1 Create Content
By: Stephanie Burkhart

The publishing model of today's world has been shifting for several years now. Traditional publishers no longer have a tight reign on publishing. With the success of small presses more authors are publishing more content.

However, an author's work is not done with "the end." Next comes the beast of marketing and promotion. Over the next couple of weeks I hope to address promotion and marketing tips you can take advantage of. My first topic: create content.

Readers ultimately want to know a little about the authors they are reading so introduce yourself. Have a brief bio ready whenever you go online. Include your URL, professional credits, and recent publications.

Example: Stephanie Burkhart's latest children release is "The Giving Meadow." She also writes romance and has a B.S. in Political Science. Stephanie lives in California and you can find her on the web at: http://www.stephanieburkhart.com

#2 – Have some action shots of you. Show yourself in motion signing books, holding your ebook reader, teaching, visiting places, and hanging out with your family.

#3 – Hold an event (i.e. "solve the mystery" or a contest) that will draw loyal fans to your website.

#4 – Actively blog. And not only about writing, but on things you like. Topics include: going to the movies. (have a movie night) history, sports, or the place you live. You can pique a reader's interest just by sharing a little bit about you.

Reference: 50 Simple ways to build your platform, by Christina Katz, pg. 41, Writer's Digest Mar/Apr 2011.