Darlene Franklin
Hello, it’s Darlene Franklin (http://darlenefranklinwrites.com/) again! I enter the marketing arena with some fear and trembling, since I sit at the knees of people are masters of the craft, such as my publisher, Cindy Hickey. But I also know that I do more social media marketing than many other indie published authors. So . . .I share what I’ve learned by trial and error. Something is working right.
A popular and fun use of Facebook is a “party.” I’m not discussing how to hold the party today, but what next? How can you utilize the momentum from the party?
During the Party: Alert your guests to your website, author pages at organizations such as CAN and ACFW—anywhere they can keep up with your books to purchase them.
Respond to ongoing comments. People may continue to stop by once the party has ended. (One disadvantage of online parties is confusion over time zones.) Write back, express interest—although the contest has ended, offer alternatives.
Act quickly. Assuming you included a contest with your party, choose the winner within twenty-four hours. I use https://www.random.org/integers/ to choose random winners. It’s free and easy to use. Once the winner is chosen, get the gift in the mail or online within another twenty-four hours.
Assemble a list of guests. You’ll have them available for future contacts. Some things you can do with that list:
- Add them as friends to Facebook.
- Ask them if they are interested in your newsletter.
- Invite them to future events.
- Invite them to join your street teams, friends groups, etc., and
Includes Darlene’s Infusion of Love
other social media outlets.
A new group? I had one unusually close and vibrant party. We formed a special-interest group to facilitate staying in touch. Unfortunately, it dwindled fairly quickly. It’s still a possibility.
Have a party? Use it as a launching pad for ever more fans.
