First of all, thanks so much for offering the BP Wiz template! It helps keep me organized, but what I gain overall is priceless.
I remember years ago the Herman website offered a little section (sort of like a template) that gave writers a checklist of things to consider when creating a proposal. Promotional considerations (which never came to mind previously) stuck to me like glue and became as much a part of the writing process as the creative process.
BP Wiz's specifics showed me exactly where my weaknesses and strengths were in the social media.
I always loved Facebook FB , but never thought about how I could expand and interact with my intended audience using FB until BP Wiz suggested using stats from my various web presences with be helpful in the proposal. So... I had to really make a change and reach out of my current audience box to widen my following.
I created my first FB group page and made it public a few days ago starting with a caption contest and it grew literally overnight and continues to grow viral. \o/
I figured out how to use the FB Page Insights to point me in the direction of traffic and found out my writer friends and groups are just as interested in participating on the page's "caption contest" as my animal loving audience.
I learned my page's "likes" are just the tip of the iceberg and people are sharing, and talking about the page and contest all over the place, not just from links I posted. I also get an idea of my audience's ages, sex, and likes.
I find this information very useful and will use it to create more contests, interact with my audience and direct traffic to my book's website and book.
Waenetwork, the Hermans, BP WIZ , and Facebook all good things:)
Thanks!
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Thank you so much Sangay. I am in the process of moving the Writer Entrepreneur Network to WAENet so we can all be under one roof. I hope you will continue to be a valued and active member of WAENet. Thank you for the support. We want to see you all succeed.
lol.. I don't have zen kitty, but I have maneki-neko holding my USB cords:)
All the best on your journey to the land of social networking!
Ha! Great Minds.... I already had alot of those same statistics slated for my book proposal.
Thanks for taking the time to write such an inepth reply.....I considerd buying "Facebook for Dummies" but between your post and my daughter's FB knowledge I think I will be able to launch something very successful...by the way , I actually have a zen kitty as a business card holder in my office.
lol..LinkedIn is one word:) That's okay, it's never too late to start. Here are some basics, I've used.
But first of all, according to the USHS you're golden:
1) Look at the stats, they will help you figure out what's needed as far as content for future blogs and articles.Make stats like those above and Google Trends you new BFFs.
Use of stats: Fixing cats doesn't seem to be as much as an issue for cat owners as dogs, which is why I linked your blog post to dog rescue groups I belong to. So yes, occasional s&n content for 12%. It also looks like a lot of people may need to know how to introduce more than one cat to the house (peacefully), and I'm curious to know why more females, is there something more spiritual in their nature that makes us want them:) ?
Using G Trends: Jodie Foster is hot in the searches right now... does she have cats? How can I work that into a blog or FB post?
2) Create a new blog and Facebook page devoted to cats 1st, spirituality second because it will broaden your audience. If you just create a page only devoted to the spirituality of cats, you will alienate more people than you want to reach IMHO.
In social media short and sweet: funny, silly, cute, heartwarming, and yes... spiritual things get passed around and shared. But, a cute kitty captioned with something Zen will travel a lot further than a simple link to a blog post on FB, plus people will know where it came from. Unlike blog links, FB shares and likes become like old friends and eventually people will look for Zen Kitty's page and visit often to see if they missed something.
3) "Like" and "Follow" a lot of cat lovers groups. Join cat lovers groups and forums. You don't have to participate, just see what posts get the most hits, but it's better if you participate, that way when the timing is right you can herd them over to something of interest without looking invasive. I highly recommend using a timer and putting a limit on this sort of thing.
But it makes creating fresh and relevant content much easier.
Note: When you create a FB page they offer a tutorial about reaching people, no need to pay to advertise.
4) Keep people coming back. Right now, I do weekly contests and a "wolfer of the day" which drew a lot of interests because people love sharing pet stories. I actually only announced it Saturday night and was overwhelmed when I found 16 entries Sunday morning and they're still coming! Again, like, reply, and share your posts on your homepage and other FB groups.
5) Cross expose content, I announce contests in forums, on twitter, my blogs, even here, like the "caption contest" where creative people can show off their creativity:) Like I said above, I drew writers who know nothing about wolves, but something about the picture spoke to them.
6) Animal rescue groups are very active. You are blessed:) Get involved in them and share. They certainly want to learn about making animals more comfortable, happy and healthy.
By sharing knowledge you can earn trust, grow an audience, and still have plenty of material for a book about the spirituality of cats.
I could say a lot more, but I'm done for the night:)
Thanks Sangay for this post (and for commenting on my blog at www.healingImprints.com!). I actually got my first book published using Herman's "How to Write a Book Proposal" and then my proposal was included in the second edition of the very same book. I have been out of the writing/publishing business for a while and WAEnet was crucial in giving me the confidence to jump back in. I intend to check out BP wiz for the current proposal I am writing on the spiritual nature of cats.
However, I'm thinking, after reading your post, that I need to get my social media network going ASAP..... I am a bit embarassed to admit that I am not currently on facebook or twitter or linked-in........Truthfully the thought of it has been a bit scary. When I first considered it, I was working a 40 hr a week job and writing and doing energywork on the side. My savy totally linked in friend Susannah (30 years my junior, LOL) Said, "If your going to do this you need to set aside an hour a day to keep your page current" That frightened me because I didn't have an hour a day at the time.
Things have changed and I now have all the time I need. My daughter Erica, who is very involved on the animal rescue front, has offered to help me set up my facebook presence....if you have any tips for me let me know.
Thanks!
Great post, Sangay. I, too, have enjoyed BPWiz. I think that it is the best "road map" for writers organizing a book proposal. I still have the book Deb Herman wrote years ago - "How To Write A Book Proposal" - my, my how times have changed!