This is a presentation I gave on social media for book marketing for the California Writers Club. The audience was very new to social media, so this slideshow is for beginners. It doesn't cover analytics or SEO, rather it was to help authors who wanted to get started in social media engage with confidence.

1. Social Media Strategy
by Karma Bennett
Future is Fiction Communications

2. Overall Goal
Overall Goal:
Your goal is
not to build
likes!

3. Your Goal: Build Community
Networking for the
21st Century

4. Building Community Means:
● Establishing
relationships
● Making yourself a
known and
reliable
commodity
● Likes will come
naturally if you're
doing it right

5. Our Strategy:
Guest Posts
Our strategy is to get guest posts.
In our networking metaphor, writing a guest
post is like giving a guest lecture for an
organization you respect.

6. The Steps to Getting the Guest Post
1. Build a list of similar blogs, i.e. identify your
community.
2. Use these lists to interact naturally with this
community.
3. Make note of the bloggers that you are most drawn to.
4. Make an extra effort to make yourself known to the
bloggers you're focusing on.
5. Prepare a pitch for possible guest posts.
6. Contact them to initiate a guest post.

7. Let's Go Through These One By One

8. Use lists to interact naturally with
your community.
● These are the people you “friend” and
“follow” on your selected social media
sites.
● The key word here is “naturally.” Look
for the posts that you actively want to
share and comment on. This indicates
you have something in common.
● Likewise, if they respond, they are
likely more open to further interaction.
● It also suggests professionalism and
follow-through.
● This process of finding people is like
traditional in-person networking.

9. Make Note of Bloggers You're Most
Drawn To
● If we had a year to spare,
this would be done
intuitively
● To hurry the process, keep a
spreadsheet
● Note their Alexa rating.
● Is the site up to your
standards? Do people
comment?
● Are they on Wordpress?
● Do they do host guest posts?
Do they write them? Do they
offer giveaways?

10. Make yourself
known to the
bloggers you're
focusing on.
● Continue to share their stuff on social media.
● Add them to a “favorites” list on Twitter, or follow them outside of the
list.
● Reach out to them with multiple outlets.
● Don't just retweet/reshare, make an effort to comment on the content.
● Most importantly, comment on their blog posts!
● Bonus: include them in a “Bloggers we love” post.

11. Prepare Pitch for Guest Posts
● Decide what you're asking for:
○ Offer a guest post
○ Offer to host their guest post, if they point back to
it on their site.
○ Offer a giveaway
● Make it clear in first line that you know
their site.
● Keep it short.

12. Contact them to initiate a guest
post...
When they've either:
● shared/favorited your
content three times.
● Commented once on your
blog
● Contacted you directly.
● Followed you back...ask if
need be, but ask on the
media where they're
active.
● ...Or out of the blue if they
love having guest posts.

13. When Making Contact
● Offer photos, shares on social media, and promotion
on your own site.
● Be clear on what you expect in return: social shares
and mention on site (giveaways a bit more
complicated).
● Promote the hell out of it on social media, including
thanking them when it's over.

14. Tips for Particular Sites

15. Facebook
● Like stakeholders in your
community
● Share and comment on the best
content you find.
● Don't share too often, but do
focus on your favorites.
● Make note of their favorites, or
the Facebook recommended
likes.
● With your favorites, explore
their page further: what tabs do
they have?
● Youtube?
● Photos?
● Etc.

16. Questions about Facebook?

17. Twitter
● Create list of stakeholders
● Go through list to find tweets to
share/comment on
● Follow tweeters you're drawn to
● Make an effort share and retweet
content from favorites.
● Keep them in mind to send them
something specific they would like,
or mention them in a relevant
tweet.
● For example, a dessert site might
be interested in a cool cupcake
page.
● After some contact has been made
and reciprocated, ask them
questions.

18. Questions About Twitter?

19. News Aggregation With Reddit
● Occasionally share your favorite posts
on Reddit.
● Be sure to share with the best sub-
reddit!
● If you share to multiple sites, label [x-
post: Name of subreddit]
● Mention in comment that you're sharing
on Reddit.
● It's important that you don't only post
your own stuff on Reddit.
● Reddit can generate a lot of traffic...if
you get the upvotes!

20. Questions about Reddit?

21. Social Bookmarking
With StumbleUpon
● Up stumble everything you
like. Install the SU toolbar
and use it constantly.
● Occasionally thumbs-up
your own posts.
● You can stumble photos
● Like Reddit, it's important that you don't only upvote your own content.
Unlike Reddit, depth is less important than immediate appeal.
● Is this bookmark worthy? Stumble it up!
● Use the Stumble button.
● StumbleUpon is great for generating traffic!

22. Questions About StumbleUpon?

23. Pinterest
● Know your target audience. Create boards that appeal to them.
● Make boards targeted enough that people get it at a glance.
● Photos, photos, photos.
● Pinterest is great for linking to products.
○ Use your Amazon Affiliate link.
○ Link to a price.
● Time Pinterest for days when you're not on Twitter.
● Post your own content to Pinterest.

24. Questions about Pinterest?

25. Bringing It All
Together
● Use Hootsuite or Tweetdeck to
bring it all together.
● When you've targeted your
favorite users, go to their site
and share their best content
using Tweetdeck/Hootsuite,
StumbleUpon, Pinterest, and
Reddit.
● Alternate posting your content to
one network while sharing other
people's content on other
networks.
● Use Bit.ly to track successes.

26. Remember the strategy: finding
guest post opportunities
● It's not as important where you share, as it is that you find the most
important stakeholders and gravitate towards them.
● This is a systematic way of looking at the process, but it should feel
organic: You're building community by interacting with likeminded
bloggers and helping them build their platforms.