Marketing True Magics 10 - Things I need to do on Twitter

At this point I can say that I’ve been pretty successful at generating followers on Twitter (7,042 as we speak). And I think I’ve done a fairly good job generating content that will enable me to keep followers interested, and hopefully turn them into fans who will then buy and help me sell my books.

Pity that’s not all twitter is about, or I’d have it made.

Twitter is about conversations; two-way communication in a public sphere that enables my fans to know me, love me and buy my books.  And doing that requires more than posting amazing pictures and science articles. Here’s my near-future wish list:

Twitter Party!

Because who doesn’t like a party? Especially one where your guests can’t drink all your booze and muddy up your furniture?

(Sorry, introvert tendencies showing).

But to be a marketer for a moment, a Twitter party is a chance to meet fans, make new fans, and build my brand so I can sell more books.

There’s lots of tips out there on how to hold a twitter party (like this one, this one, and this one), so I’m going to read through them and others and for the launch of my new book, True Magics, at the Ad Astra Sci-Fi Convention n Toronto in April 2015, I will also be holding a twitter party!

Here’s hoping it works!

Twitter Q & A

Like a twitter party but more informational. A twitter Q&A session allows my friends and fans to connect with me and to ask questions on a topic or topics. It gives them insight into my life and my process, and creates that human connection that allows me to sell them more books.

Yes, I am mercenary about this. Why do you ask?

Like Twitter parties, there’s lots and lots of articles on holding a Q&A, and they do look like fun, assuming people show up. So I guess I’d better hold one in the near future.

Look for a Q&A with Erik Buchanan coming to Twitter soon…

Lists

I like lists: to do lists, places I want to visit lists, grocery lists, book lists. So what’s my issue with twitter lists?

The major one is that I don’t really understand how they work. I know they are useful (according to articles here, here, and here) but every time I see them I think, “What? I have to spend more time managing my social media?”

At the same time, I would love to be able to look at a list of my favourite authors and see what they are tweeting, or one of other writers on twitter and see what they are up to, or one of Fantasy Football fans so I can curse them for using #Fantasy and thus confusing me when I’m looking for fantasy writers (curse you!).

The issue with lists is time and energy. I only have so much of each. And while having lists would make it easier to track the things I want to track, setting them up is going to take time, especially as I have to comb through 7,051 followers to do it.

(Yep, gained 9 followers in the time I wrote this piece).

So yes, I will be doing this but immediately, unless someone wants to be my unpaid, overworked intern who suffers being called “minion”…

Anyone…? Anyone…? Beuller?

So that’s it for this week.  I think I’m all Twitter-talked out for the moment, so…

Next week: Time to Start Building Facebook Followers!