New HuffPo Article: This Is How You’re Doing Social Media Wrong… And How to Do It Right

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Looking for more social media tips? Check out my latest Huffington Post article!

When it comes to marketing our work (authors, artists, musicians) on social media, here is what’s interesting: When you suggest to an author, who is doing nothing but spamming (repeatedly sharing the same link to hundreds or thousands) their book links on Twitter, Facebook, etc., to unsuspecting and frankly, uninterested people, that maybe, just maybe, they might want to interact, connect, share, promote others instead or in addition to blasting their own stuff and they YELL AT YOU IN SHOUTY CAPS when you dare suggest that what they’re doing is…

Well, what exactly?

  • Wrong? Maybe. Twitter does have spam guidelines, which these folks are clearly violating (and probably don’t know or care about),
  • Ineffective? Depends on what parameters you define (more below),
  • Annoying? Clearly. No question,
  • Lazy? Yes.

Let’s deconstruct.

Is It Wrong?

Social media is about building relationships — it’s not radio (one-way broadcasting). Twitter does have rules, and if you look at the Help section on what constitutes spam, it’s about a page long. What stands out for authors is this:

  • If your updates consist mainly of links, and not personal updates, you are spamming.
  • If you send large numbers of duplicate @replies or mentions, you are spamming.

What to do? Familiarize yourself with the guidelines of each social media channel before you jump in. Twitter has rules (check their wonderful Help Section for answers to practically any question), and if you are doing nothing but spamming your links, you deserve to be suspended.

For the full article please go over to Huffington Post. To subscribe to my HuffPost Book updates, click here.

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6 Comments

  1. […] New HuffPo Article: This Is How You’re Doing Social Media Wrong… And How to Do It Right […]

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  3. […] I’m very visible: I’m on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram — social media is […]

  4. […] Visibility: I’m very visible: I’m on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram — social media is best used for building relationships, not for blasting ‘buy my book!’ links. I blog weekly (on both my author blog and my business blog), I guest blog, I write for Huffington Post, IndieReader.com, FeminineCollective.com, I pay for low-cost ads, I do occasional blog tours and book promos. If you google RachelintheOC, BadRedhead Media, or Author Rachel Thompson, you’ll find me. […]

  5. […] Visibility: I’m very visible: I’m on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram — social media is best used for building relationships, not for blasting ‘buy my book!’ links. I blog weekly (on both my author blog and my business blog), I guest blog, I write for Huffington Post, IndieReader.com, FeminineCollective.com, I pay for low-cost ads, I do occasional blog tours and book promos. If you google RachelintheOC, BadRedhead Media, or Author Rachel Thompson, you’ll find me. […]

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