Monday, June 10, 2013

Are You Visible?








During the winter, ice and snow make visibility an issue. Not only can't you see others, but they can't see you inside the car. So, we take time to scrape away the ice and clean off the snow before attempting travel.

As a newly-published author, I've discovered some interesting facts:

1. Just because I have 2600 friends on Facebook doesn't mean they can all see my status updates. Only a fraction of them are getting the word about The Moses Conspiracy.

2.  I send out a monthly email update to about 160 people. Most of them will delete it without opening the document. More than one expressed surprise about my book news, even though I've talked about it in the past three months.

3.  Blog followers often sign up for a giveaway or out of curiosity, but are they all faithful readers?

With great pressure on our time, we all sign up for things with the best of intentions. If you drop from the radar screen, all except your closest friends and relatives will forget about you. So, how do we maintain visibility?

1.  Maintain your Social Media connections. This includes taking an interest in others by reading their blogs, commenting on their Timeline posts, tweeting, etc. True connections/relationships take time and effort.

2.  We all have many responsibilities. I try to set aside between 1-3 hours a day. This is more than the average person can handle, but whatever you have, use it wisely.

3.  Take advantage of guest posts, promo opportunities, book clubs, and other venues that reach beyond your normal contacts.

Writers: What are some ways you maintain visibility?

Readers: Do you read author newsletters? What piques your interest in a communication?

6 comments:

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Susan .. it must be very difficult keeping that upfront visibility appearance ... and then maintaining it.

I try and support my friends in the blogging world - but I don't read newsletters of any kind usually ..

A post I enjoy and some interaction so I have that relationship with people ... much of social media is too ephemeral - yet essential to anyone promoting and selling things.

PS - one thing to make life easier would be to remove the WV - that puts lots of people off?!

Cheers and good luck .. Hilary

quietspirit said...

Hi Susan:
I find it is hard to keep up with certain things in the cyber world. But, I still try to maintain a presence there.
I have several newsletters that I have subscribed to, but only certain ones of those do I try to keep up with.
Thank you for the information.

Karen Lange said...

It is indeed a balancing act! :) I am not as visible as I probably should be in social media, and will need to step it up soon. Thanks for the tips and insight!

Blessings,
Karen

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Hilary - When I take off the captcha, I have problems with spam. I'd rather use the captcha than moderate comments.

Hi Quiet Spirit - I'm getting into a routine of checking the various sites. The hardest thing is keeping up with reading blogs.

Hi Karen - When my book debuted, setting up author pages, joining several social media sites, and a blog tour was challenging. Yet, it was also a joy. That first book is super special.

Blessings,
Susan :)

Rhonda Schrock said...

Good advice, Susan. Overwhelming to me, really, but for now I'll try to do what I can even if it seems inadequate.

I've definitely noticed your increased efforts in the social media world. Great job!

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Rhonda -

Eat that elephant one bite at a time. :)

I'm sure working on it!

Thanks,
Susan