Power of Social Network Marketing

The Authority
Feb 2009
Power of Social Network Marketing
By Dennis Schleicher

I was utterly amazed when I received the following e-mail which I quote from below.

“Author House is now proud to offer our new Social Media Setup Service that will help make your entrance into the world of social media much easier.
You get:
A blog using the wildly popular and easy-to-use WordPress platform.
A Facebook profile for your identity as an author.
A Facebook page for your book.
A MySpace page for your book.
And more!
When you order this month, you will get our special introductory pricing of $999.
Once all of your accounts are in place, Author House will send you your account information, as well as instructions for maintaining your accounts.”


The reason for my amazement was that this company was charging $999.00 for something that cost $0.00. Any author, in less than thirty minutes, can get onto the internet, do exactly the same thing, spend absolutely nothing and achieve the same results for which they want to charge $999.00.

The other thing I noticed is that the blog platform they chose was WordPress which, though very good, often requires knowledge of HTML code to handle some of its quirkiness. Blogger or Typepad are both easier platforms for the beginner and are similar to writing something in MS Word.


The other thing I noticed was that the $999.00 was the introductory price, meaning that there would be further charges down the line even though they will expect you to maintain your own pages.


Now the reasons for my shock is that I run a business working with authors, teaching them how to build exposure for their books using social networking and blogging as effective marketing tools. Building the blog or social network site such as Facebook or My Space is something every author should do. However, it is like putting up a store in the middle of a field. If there is no road to the store, nobody will come and buy. The value is not just in having a blog or being on Facebook, the value is in knowing how to use these tools to your advantage to build your reputation and to get buyers for your books.

Web-based marketing, often referred to as ‘Web 2.0’ is the best way for you to build a platform of potential buyers who will comprise your market share. Forget about the old advertising tactics since these do not work online. Instead, build a relationship with your readers. As a member of CAPA, you are interested in developing lines of communication and networking to help you learn how to write, publish and market your book. By using the powerful tools of blogging and social networking, you are doing the same thing, only online. Instead of working with hundreds of people, you have the potential of working with thousands.

If you are going to “spend money to make money” online, don’t waste it by buying free services at high prices. Instead, spend it on learning how to take these tools and make them work for you. As a professional, it bothers me to see people not achieving their potential. This is especially true of authors. You can be selling your books to readers around the world. All it takes is learning to make effective use of all the wonderful, FREE tools available.

Editor’s note: Dennis Schleicher will be presenting an hour-long workshop on this topic, “Find Your Way Through Web 2.0” as part of CAPA-University, www.aboutCAPA.com on May 9, 2009 in Hartford.

Dennis Schleicher is the CEO of Market & Sell More Books. He helps authors make effective use of all the online blogging and social marketing tools so that they may build sales for their books. He can be reached at http://www.marketsellmorebooks.blogspot.com/.