Due to the massive response to our last post about when to use adwords, I’ve asked a few friends to put together guest posts that describe how to market a book, or a product with a low price point using methods other than Adwords Marketing.

Our first guest will be Jacob Morgan, social media strategy expert and creator of Search Marketing Salon

Marketing Your Product Through Social Media, How?

By Jacob Morgan

When trying to market something such as a book, social media can really be a powerful marketing tool. Social media is going to allow for something much more powerful then a PPC campaign, it’s going to allow for the author to build a relationship with the reader. There are several great examples of how authors have used social media to further market their books, take for example the best selling book by Dan and Chip Heath called “Made to Stick.” This duo created a very popular blog based on their book that receives around 1 million views each month (according to Quantcast). Rohit Bhargava from Ogilvy also created a site for his new book “Personality not Included,” that has also been doing quite well. The point is that social media is a great way to market a book while building relationships with your readers. Not only that, but social media doesn’t have a direct cost associated with it, yes, you do have to spend your time to make it work but you don’t have to budget a direct amount like you do with something like Adwords.

So what are some ways you can market your book online using social media?

First of all create a blog for the book that talks about specific issues in the marketplace.

Basically use real world examples or advice that has to deal with your book. For example, if your book is called “The Ethical Executive,” then you may want to create a blog and write about real world example of how executives ARE or AREN’T being ethical. There should be no problem finding a new example every day. You can also give your “ethical tip of the day” to readers. Maybe you can even get some interviews with executives that you can put up on your blog.

Reach out to other bloggers

Find bloggers out there that talk about business, marketing, ethics, etc. and ask them to write a post about your book, this is probably one of the best ways to get the word out. Ask as many relevant bloggers as you can, this will allow you to capture the blogger’s attention as well as the bloggers’ readers attention. If done properly you can have a groundswell effect work for you that will get you a lot of attention.

Join Twitter

Twitter is a great way to connect with and build relationships with users. I have around 700 followers on twitter and every time I write a new post or come across an interesting article I send it out to 700 people instantly. Don’t underestimate the power of twitter. If you have something to say and something of value to provide, then do it. You can also run special promotional deals (not just on twitter) where you give your twitter followers a special promotional code for 10% off the book.

Get on Linkedin

Linkedin is a great marketing tool that many people neglect. There is a section on linkedin that let’s you ask and answer questions to your network (and others). Why not create a question on linkedin titled “What is an Ethical Executive,” and ask your network what they think about the subject? Of course you can also make a plug for the book when asking the question. You can also join the various business networks out there and let them know about your book.

Get on Facebook

Facebook is another great way to market your book. One of the things you can do is post your new blog post links in facebook so that your entire network sees the updates. You can also create a facebook fan page for all of the loyal readers of your book/blog. If you do create a fan page, make sure you interact with your fans (this is a better strategy for once your traffic has picked up).

Look for Syndication or Partnership Channels Online

Writing a blog on a particular subject is great for syndication provided you add valuable content to the blog. My Social Media Blog for instance is syndicated on social media today, marketing.alltop.com, and socialmedia.alltop.com. This means that my reader base increase exponentially. If you are looking to market a book then getting syndicated in niche communities is a great way to get the word out.

Use Your Already Existing Channels to Spread the Word, Offline and Online

Do you have a link to your site in your email signature? What about on your business card? Are you telling people about your book through twitter, facebook, and linkedin? Do you attend industry events where you can tell people about the book? Do you speak at small conferences or events?

Create a Flickr Account

People love images, why not create a flickr account devoted to the most and least ethical executives out there? You can also ask your readers visitors to upload photos that the come across as well. Hold a contest; offer a free signed book or $100 cash prize to the person that gets the best photos up.

Participate in Online Discussions Around Your Topic

Do some research and find some business social networks, join then, and then join the business conversation. Linkedin is one, Ryze is another, Workology is European networking site, there are many others out there too, you just have to spend some time researching. Join and connect with as many people as you can, the more relationships you build the greater your marketing reach is going to be. You can also check out business forums or community sites.

Cross Promote, Be Clever and Be Creative

When using the multiple social media channels out there it’s important to cross promote. For example, you may tell all of your twitter followers to connect with you on facebook, etc. Probably one of the most important things you need to remember is be clever and be creative. Don’t be scared to try out a new marketing tactic that hasn’t been done before. Heck there are several authors out there that have even given their books away for free! Inject personality in everything you do and try to think outside the box, get creative and have fun with your marketing ideas, remember the goal here is to build relationships.

The above tips should provide for a solid social media marketing foundation. These ideas can be used for virtually every product/service out there, you just need to think of a unique angle or promotional campaign that targets your users.

Thanks for reading

Check out my Social Media Blog

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A big thanks to Jacob for his coverage of what social media initiatives would work for marketing a book such as The Ethical Executive.

Now what do you think? Is there anything in your experience that you think would work that we haven’t covered? Have you had any experience using these networks that you would like to share with us?

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