Twitter is a social media platform. I get it. Emphasis on the social. But how many authors see it as merely a social marketing platform, emphasis on the marketing? I’ve read a lot of advice on appropriate Twitter etiquette. Given how many spammy tweets I continue to see, I’m still confused.
I love Twitter. I’ve met some smashing people and had some fab conversations. I’ve also discovered some great new self-publishing and fiction writing resources via the little blue bird.
But should I use it as a platform for marketing? Nooo! I hear you cry. But some people undoubtedly do. And I’m still following some of them – for research purposes, you understand. They seem to be selling shedloads of ebooks. Is it because, or in spite of their incessant self-promotional tweets?
I suppose it’s possible that there are lots of people out there trying to push their ebooks via the hard-sell method on Twitter and it isn’t working for them. But then, if it isn’t working, why would they keep doing it?
I have to be honest, though I genuinely believe Twitter should be about being social, and for every tweet publicising your own ebook/blog/product/launch/book trailer you should tweet 19 others bigging up other tweeps or generally being entertaining, I am sorely tempted to go the shameless self-promo route myself. But I’m not sure I have the cheek.
This is what I’ve noticed these hard-sell merchants doing with their tweets:
- quoting lines from their books and linking to said books’ Amazon pages
- tweeting links to guest blog posts they’ve written promoting their books
- retweeting other people’s tweets praising their books
- tweeting links to glowing reviews
- promoting their latest book trailer
- tweeting links to a Facebook fan page
- asking for ‘likes’ on FB fan page
- linking to special discounted prices at various online book retailers
- boasting about the no. of 5* reviews they have
Should I try any of the above? Are some less unacceptable that others? (I’m assuming they’re all pretty beyond the pale). What’s a struggling new author to do?
Have you unfollowed anyone because of their constant self-promotional antics? I’d love to hear from you.
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