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Saturday, September 22, 2012

Annoying the hell out of your Facebook fans

Winning and losing at the Facebook promotion game: secrets from BookBaby


The secret to Facebook success is simple (they say) -- follow the Rule of 4 C’s—consistently create compelling content!

With a gazillion users, Facebook is the world’s most popular social network, so you can’t blame any lack of reader interest on “lack of audience.”

The answer is simple (they say) -- you’re not creating content worth sharing. And worse, you might be annoying the hell out of your existing fans, the ones you so desperately need to keep in order to build a larger following.

These tips are particularly worth following:

Don't nag at people to review your book or vote for you

It’s important to encourage your readers to leave reviews (hopefully positive ones) on Amazon and community book review sites, but don’t make a weekly habit of it. You’ll look desperate. Also, if you’re involved in some kind of literary competition that involves online voting, do NOT pester people every single day asking for more votes. Art is not a popularity contest.

Don't post updates every 20 minutes

If you’re posting more than a few times a day, it better be good stuff! Don’t use your Facebook page as your personal profile. The few folks who might care what you’re up to every day will stop caring quick.

Avoid whingeing

(Yes, I know whingeing is an Aussie slang term, but the meaning should be clear.) Every once in a while it’s ok to be honest and vulnerable on Facebook. You can vent your frustrations from time to time. But keep those kinds of posts as the exception. Bitching, whining, sour grapes, jealousy, and putting other writers down– no one needs a daily dose of that. (And that goes for your blog, as well.)

And then there is the usual things, like trying not to shout in caps, posting advertisements on other people's pages, and inserting dozens of meaningless photos.

Personally, I think it is a good idea to think of the internet as an extension of your home phone.  You know how annoying phone marketing can be? And over-posessive friends who claim far more than their share of your time? If you're not curt, rude, nasty, or too persistent on the phone, then you shouldn't be any of those on the internet, either.









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