Stop Stalking and Start Communicating

Stop Stalking and Start Communicating

You’re an author, you wrote a book, and now you want help spreading the word, so you turn to your social network. But something is wrong. You don’t see your posts being re-tweeted and people aren’t reaching out to you. You sit back dumbfounded. Why?

This is an area that disturbs me and I've been seeing it more and more, so I figured I'd take a moment and vent a little.

There’s more to developing a social network than simply following someone. I’ve had many people follow me without ever saying a word. They click ‘follow’ and sit back and wait for me to follow back, which I do… sometimes. First, I usually check out their profile to see if they are someone I’d like to follow and then I follow back with a quick note of acknowledgement. I try to comment on something from their profile. You know… break the ice, so to speak. Sometimes I get a response back, but more often than not, I don’t.

If you want to just count numbers and say you have XX number of people following you then go ahead and stalk away. But if you’re looking to actually build a strong social network you have to take the time to sit and visit. You have to. This is not a suggestion.

Here are a few tips to help you form a better network:

1.Choose your audience carefully. Decide what who you want to follow and pay attention to what they’re saying. Utilize RSS feeds, and watch what your people are talking about.

2.Participate in conversations. Engage your contacts in discussions other than your book. Let them know you’re interested in what they’re doing or what’s going on in their writing world. You don’t have to get into personal stuff if you don’t want to; you can keep it on a professional level, but by all means ENGAGE.

3.Ask lots of questions… and respond to their responses.
Here are a couple of links that you may find helpful:

Ben Heyman – Tactical Tips & Trick for Social Media
Social Media Today – 9 Twitter Tips and Tricks
Social Media Tips and Tricks: How to Build Fans and Followers

Do you have some tips that you'd like to share? Leave a comment!

Until next time,

Dee Ann