Thursday, September 11, 2008 Toral: Blogs and social network for book promotion By Janette Toral Digital Filipino
I HAVE been publishing books and research reports for quite sometime now. But this is the first time I used blogs and social networks to promote them. I guess I’m making the right move because the book is all about blogging.
Here are the things I learned in the process, and wished that I have done before:
Ask for photos and testimonials. Since the book launch, I’ve asked buyers to e-mail me a photo of them holding a copy of my book. Some of them did, and it felt great to know the people who own my books. The photos are now in various social networks with links to their respective blogs for mutual promotion, as well. Every posted photo serves as subtle promotion of the book.
Blog developments. I also got to blog developments happening in the book, such as new resellers, write-up features and developments, among others.
Without a blog, this would not have been possible.
Create a learning program. Some book authors have road shows and seminars to complement their book for additional revenue generation. But since I intend to have wider reach, I decided to create an online learning program where the lessons cited in the book, “Blogging from Home,” get posted online, expanded and discussed further. This was just launched yesterday at http://bloggingfromhome.ning.com.
To get the ball rolling, free access is given to members for limited modules or time. This I observed from authors on books about leadership that allow continuity and further connection with the reader, such as John Maxwell and Stephen Covey. In addition, the learning program allows you to know who have purchased your books.
In developing the e-learning program, having a powerful social network platform poses a challenge. Using a free platform like Ning.com, I have made the following modifications:
Language. The site has features like “ban a member” and “add music.” As my site is online learning in nature, I modified these features to “remove a member” instead of “ban a member,” and “music” to “podcast”.
Videos. In topics where tools are mentioned, it is important to have a video demo so that those who would like to have an idea on how a site is used can follow.
Podcast. If there is no video supplement that would fit a topic, creating a podcast or audio recording is also an alternative. It allows you to expand topics and add your thoughts.
Images. Books and images present in pure text tend to reflect lack of effort on the part of the author or course creator. Graphics, screen shots, pictures and even mind maps can go a long way in discussing a topic and must be maximized by any e-learning creator.
There is so much that can be done with blogs and social networks. All it takes is creativity on the part of the network creator. Don’t hesitate to experiment.
