Small Press Blog

Penny Sansevieri: How to maximize and monetize social media

 

Small Press Blog now on Twitter

Yes. Yes, it is. I hope you will follow us.

http://twitter.com/smallpressblog

Should you start a Facebook Group?

Well, should you? Please don't tell me that you are not on Facebook. As of today, February 28, 2009, Facebook has an Alexa rank of 5. That's 5 on the entire Internet. Why would you not want to be on a site that is ranked so high when, let's face it, most of our own sites are nowhere near that high?

Small Press Blog, by example, has an Alexa ranking in the 700,000s. Best Online High Schools is in the 300,000s. The point is to piggy-back on their high page rank and increase your contact opportunities.

Do not start a Facebook group for your book. Do start a Facebook group for your topic. No one beyond your mother is going looking for your book on Facebook, but, if the topic is right, many will come looking for your topic.

Starting a Facebook Group is a very simple process. All that you need to do is:

1. Go to Facebook.
2. Set up an account (if you don't already have one).
3. Click on the Group button (the "two heads") at the lower left side of your Facebook page.
4. Click on Create a New Facebook Group.
5. Name your group and give it a description.
6. Select the group type.
7. Click on Create Group.
8. You are done!

Importantly, make sure that you add all of the contact information that you can. Here is a chance to make sure that they have your email address and a link to your book website, your blog, or your sales page. The whole point is the contact opportunity.

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This afternoon I wrote an article over at Hubpages about starting a Facebook Group. You can find it here: Should you start a Facebook Group?

Hubpages another outlet for your book?

An article in the SPAN Connection, reminded me that I had been planning to set up an account at Hubpages.com. Hubpages is a social networking website that you should be using for social marketing. As book publishers, it does us no good to have a book or books if we cannot get them in front of people who buy them. Sites like Hubpages give you the opportunity to become an expert on a topic or topics.

One caveat: Don't set up a Hubpage for your book. Besides the fact that few would buy it, it would likely be dumped. Hey, you wrote a book, you are an expert on the information in that book. It is a simple matter to write a few paragraphs about your topic. Repeat as necessary.

Note that "Repeat as necessary" above. If one hub gets you a little traffic, then ten gets you more. There are people with literally hundreds of hubs. Did I mention that Google just love social networking websites (and, yes, up goes your pageranking!).

Please look at these samples of Hubpages that I set up.

Online High Schools

Free Online High Schools

The topic is less important although you will want to choose topics somewhat related to your book(s). What is important is that you have ability to write some text, insert a video or two, include an Amazon ad for your book, throw in some pics and some links (to your website!), and you are good to go. It really is that easy.

One additional thing that I added was an RSS feed from my Online High blog. This means that those articles will be updated regularly because they will get that feed.

Bonus: You can make money from Hubpages. You get some of the Google money (provided you have a Google Adsense account) and you get the Amazon money (provided you have an Amazon affiliate account) and, really, by this point, you should have both!

Here is the Hubpages website.