You are a storyteller.
If you’ve ever wondered how to market your books on social media, you’re not alone. It is a quest of many independent authors. Marketing may not be your forte; it doesn’t have to be for you to market your novel on social media,
The mission you have on social media (should you accept it) is not selling books but selling stories. Your stories.
Today, we deal with the issue of authors groups and their influence with respects to social media marketing.
Buttonwoods Farm is a cow farm my wife and I visit frequently throughout the year. The farm is only fifteen minutes from our home. They make and sell their own ice cream from March to October. During the fall season, they also entertain thousands with hay rides, a corn maze, and other fun activities for the kids.
Each July, they host an event called, Sunflowers for Make-A-Wish Foundation. Some 300,000 sunflowers are planted for this occasion. The sight is simply spectacular (see slides). This is a week long event where patrons gather (and they do in droves) to purchase sunflowers, eat sunflower ice cream, and tractor ride through the sunflower field. Not to mention, take pictures! All proceeds of this event go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
A week or so after the initial event is over, they allow the cows into the sunflower fields to munch. It’s protein madness! Yet again, the crowds come for the occasion to eat ice cream and take loads of pictures. The farmer leads the herd on his four wheeler to the sunflower fields while we wait with smartphones in hand. Each year they raise almost $200,000. Go Buttonwoods!
Author Groups and Social Media Marketing
In 2015, when the cows came in something different occurred that we haven’t seen since. The cows immediately went in as expected and started eating. I mean, they disappeared from view. Everyone waited. Then, one of the babies came out!
One single baby cow left all that yellow goodness to eat plain green grass. Not twenty seconds later, the entire herd followed. I laughed and said to the photographer beside me, “What are they doing?” He simply smirked and said, “That’s herd mentality for ya!”
Teamwork makes the dream work.
Steve Smith is revered as the top highest paid network marketer in the history of direct selling. I became acquainted with him when he was part of Excel Communications more than two decades ago. I’ll never forget this quote he made in one of the training conferences.
The statement is true. But, it can also be true that teamwork doesn’t make the dream work. The key factor being the team itself. All herds are not created equal. And, when it comes to herd mentality, people are just like cows.
Okay, you joined an author group and made a host of new friends; awesome and congratulations! That’s the power of author groups and networks.
- Has the group taught you how to market a book on social media?
- Has the vision, practices, and leadership increased your author brand?
- Have you reached more readers and made more book sales?
- Is your group one of those that promotes each others books using mainly the Amazon sales link?
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