Some Good Advice a Marketing Professional Gave Me

This past Monday I met with very nice man who works for a local graphic design firm.  I needed to get some promotional materials together for my upcoming book signing (March 12th at 1 pm for anyone who wants to stop by. Check out my last post for details!). Nothing too fancy. I wanted some decent bookmarks and a one-sheet that attendees could take home with them.

I am okay at design (as I did design two of my book covers), but it takes me a LONG time to accomplish a decent design. And I don't know the trickier aspects of PhotoShop in order to layer images and do other nifty things. So I decided to spend some dough on a professional to design some things for me that I could use for more than just my book signing event.

Thank you to Keokee for taking on the job!

The interesting thing about Keokee is that they are also a small publisher. Mostly non-fiction, local kind of stuff. Not my area. So they are an interesting combo of graphic design, marketing and publishing, which is great to find in a small town.

After I met with my contact, we discussed what I was looking for, my books, etc. And he was kind enough to talk about other promotional ideas and what has worked for some authors. One of those things was a Facebook page.

Now, I have had a Facebook group for quite a few years now. At the time I created it, I don't think Facebook pages for businesses were really that widely used. I invited my Facebook friends to join the group and posted news about my writing there. I had maybe 2 strangers ask to join my group, but no wide outreach beyond my own friends and family.

After finding out the importance of using Facebook to promote my author-y self and explaining how I create such a page, I went home and immediately set up an author page on Facebook.

Check out my Facebook Author Page!

Although I have my blog, which I use mostly for StitchFix reviews and some other reviews, along with writer topics, it doesn't work quite the same as a Facebook page. I have no idea who is reading my blog and no way to reach people who have visited before. A Facebook page gives me more personal connection with readers. I am not just a writer who wears StitchFix outfits while I craft my next story (although my blog may indicate that).

So, if you are interested in learning more about what interests me, where I live, how I entertain myself, what I might be reading or watching on tv, please connect with me on Facebook. I'd love to have you!