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Your Guide to Marketing Christian Books by Sarah Bolme (book review)

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The advice and resources you need to promote your Christian books successfully! This updated, award-winning resource is packed with valuable information on promoting Christian books. Chock full of specific resources from launching your book to obtaining media coverage to utilizing social networking, this guide walks you step-by-step through the various aspects of book promotion. It is the perfect resource for authors and publishers.

This is another one of those books that I started reading and kept asking myself, “Why isn’t anyone talking about this book?”

There are a lot of marketing books out there with a lot of good advice, but when I finish reading them I’m still overwhelmed and unsure what to do next–I generally need more hand holding and guidance. What I loved about this book is that Bolme doesn’t just suggest joining a publishing organization then explain why; she lists all of the publishing organizations available, briefly defines them, then give contact info for them.

More than just a book of marketing ideas and suggestions, this is really a resource book full of contacts and specific information to make it easier to follow and implement the author’s suggestions. I would consider this a must-have for self-published authors, but many traditionally published authors will also benefit from her insights.

Get your copy here!

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Making an Impact on Facebook: Pages or Groups? by Leslie Krukowski

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Facebook has made so many changes to its algorithms lately that it’s hard to know how to brand yourself appropriately on social media. One of the questions I frequently hear is, “Which is better, a Facebook page or group?” There’s no right answer to that question. Instead, let’s look at the pros and cons.

Facebook Pages

Facebook pages are free, and – if set up properly – can turn in good results on search engines. You can schedule posts out for weeks so you don’t have to constantly be on Facebook, and you can share a variety of post types (photos, videos, links, etc.).

I love Facebook pages for retail establishments or anyone that sells something. Facebook pixel tracks the people that have clicked between your site back and Facebook, allowing you to target Facebook ads directly to them. This is a social media manager dream come true.

The major downside to business pages is that they need a lot of TLC (tender loving care), and by TLC I mean paid ads. If you don’t understand Facebook ad manager, take some time to learn it. If you don’t have much of a budget for paid ads, you won’t have much reach. I hate telling you that but the unfortunate reality now is that Facebook business pages do not have much organic reach anymore. Even if you’re getting lots of likes, your posts won’t show up in very many newsfeeds. Posting live videos and photos helps, but they don’t have the reach of paid advertising.

Facebook Groups

What if you don’t have a budget and don’t have a website?

Maybe you’re an up-and-coming artist who would like to start promoting your work on Facebook. Or maybe you’re starting a different type of business and are looking for community participation. I’ve consulted with a few artists who have benefitted from creating a Facebook group.

When you create a group, you’re basically starting a community forum. You can make the group public or private, start conversations, create photo albums, and more. You can’t advertise, but you increase the likelihood of showing in peoples newsfeeds, especially if you post often.

The good, and potentially bad, thing is that you can add your friends and family without their consent, and they can then add their friends and family without their consent. People can always leave your group without any hassle. To get attention, live videos are the best to post, then photos. Don’t post just text (no one reads them!).

One word of warning about Facebook groups: if you make them public, watch out for spammers.  It will happen. If you don’t keep a close eye on your group, some guy in another country that you’ve never heard of will try to get your fans to click on a links that could do some serious damage to their computers (or show them something very uncomfortable!).

Regardless of which direction you choose, having a social media presence takes a lot of care and energy. Make sure you are engaging with your customers. If they comment on your work, make sure you respond graciously. Not only is that the right thing to do, but Facebook takes note of that too and will reward you.

Enjoy your social media journey!

If you’re still having a hard time deciding, or have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at leslie@blackdogbusinessgroup.com.

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Leslie Krukowski is the principal, CEO, and main consultant of Black Dog Business Group. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in English and sub-concentrations in both marketing and business management. After spending several years in management, marketing, and social media marketing positions, she received a Master’s Degree in Administration. She has proven success in managing large groups of people and loves leadership development. Leslie has two black dogs at home, Bertuzzi and Scout. Feel free to reach out to her at leslie@blackdogbusinessgroup.com for a free initial consultation.

Making The Most Of Your Instagram Account by Leslie Krukowski

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It’s time to get noticed and gain followers on one of the fastest growing social media platforms!

If you have a highly visual communication style, Instagram is the social media platform for you.  Anyone with an affinity for their camera can gain a great following –travel, style, and food bloggers, as well as artists, have really taken advantage of the amazing visual capabilities of this platform. Plus, it has seen exponential growth over the last few years. If you are ready to start utilizing Instagram for yourself, here are some important tips!

Take a good photo.

Make sure you photograph has good composition and good lighting.  If the photo isn’t good enough, keep taking pictures until you get one that is. I cannot stress that enough.

Once you have your picture, what filter are you going to use (if any)?

Instagram allows you to choose between several filters within the app itself. The filter that has garnered the most Instagram “likes” is Clarendon, second is Gingham, and third is tied between Juno and Lark. Take your time and choose the filter that honestly makes your photo look better (or more dramatic or softer or whatever feeling you’re going for!)

Proper Use of Hashtags

Using hashtags in your Instagram posts is extremely important to gain attention! It’s a little different than using hashtags on Twitter, which describe the topic of conversation. On Instagram, hashtags should describe your content or your photo.

Hashtags, when used properly, will help gain followers because people on Instagram are looking for photos and videos based on hashtags. For example, #glutenfree, #puremichigan, #beach, #cat, and #dog are some very popular!  If you are unsure of what hashtag to use, do a little research and find similar photos to see what other people are using.

Getting the Right People to Follow You

After you have your page started and you’ve posted your first pictures with the right hashtags, it’s time to find followers. The first thing you want to do is follow all the people that you feel are relevant to you or your brand/business. Once you follow some of those businesses, then you can go into those business pages and can see who follows them. Take initiative and follow all those people too. It will seem like you are following a lot of people with very few following back at first, but that won’t last long.

Now, the hard work begins. You need to engage with the people you are following.  Like their photos and comment when appropriate. When other people see that you are engaging, then you will become more attractive for them to “like” as well. You will attract friends of the people you are engaging with, which should be people you want to attract towards your business as well!

As a social media manager, I love Instagram. I feel that it’s a great way to reach out for very little cost (Facebook has become difficult to navigate for businesses, not to mention expensive!). Instagram is a great alternative for many businesses or professional individuals. Don’t be afraid to explore the options out there. Facebook isn’t the only game in town!

Leslie Krukowski is the principal, CEO, and main consultant of Black Dog Business Group. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in English and sub-concentrations in both marketing and business management. After spending several years in management, marketing, and social media marketing positions, she received a Master’s Degree in Administration. She has proven success in managing large groups of people and loves leadership development. Leslie has two black dogs at home, Bertuzzi and Scout. Feel free to reach out to her at leslie@blackdogbusinessgroup.com for a free initial consultation.

The Importance of Content in Social Media Marketing (via The Social Ms)

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FREE MARKETING!

That’s essentially what social media sites provide – an opportunity to promote events, share information, and connect with your clients all without having to pay for the service.

But is free worth it if it doesn’t work?

Suppose you own a flower shop, and someone volunteers to work for you for free, but she spends all of her time making sandwiches. Are her free services worth it?

Unfortunately, that happens all the time with social media. People set up accounts and start sharing information, but they don’t attract new customers or increase their online traffic. At that point, you’re not paying anything for the service, but you end up wasting time on something that isn’t benefiting your business.

So what’s the secret to successful social media marketing?

Content. Not just well-written content, but shareable, valuable content.

Susanna Gebauer at The Social Ms puts it this way:

If you do not have great content to build your social media marketing, what will happen is the following:

  • People will not follow you, because they don’t get anything useful from you
  • People will not help you build your brand and share your posts, because there is nothing to share
  • Your accounts will not grow
  • Your results will not be what you were looking for

Are you still not sure that content matters? Click here to read Gerbauer’s thoughts in “The Importance of Content in Social Media Marketing.”

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ABOUT ME

Editor. Teacher. Novelist.
A passionate lover of fiction, Karin doesn't just write novels, she helps others write their best stories! A certified substantive editor with the Christian Editor Connection, her goal is to help authors to put her out of business by equipping them with the tools they need to become better writers.

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