Photo: Morguefile.com

Do you want to appear cool and professional?

If you’re promoting a book to a major publishing company, you probably need to have a professional photographer do your photos. Be sure that he or she can provide digital versions so that you can use your new pics on your Web site or blog.

But—make sure your photo isn’t so touched-up that people won’t recognize you. At a writers’ conference, I sat with a professional psychologist who wanted to write for the Christian market. She gave me her business card. The design was super, but her photo didn’t even look like her. She had sandy blonde hair and a healthy tan with freckles peeking out from under her makeup. Her photographer had air-brushed out all the “imperfections.” She had no wrinkles to show that she had been around for a while (with the experience to show for it). The freckles, one of her most alluring features, were nowhere to be found.

If you spend the money for a photographer, don’t let someone else, even the photographer, talk you into too many touch-ups. Also, don’t settle for photos that you don’t really like. It would be better to have amateur photos that really look like you than to present an inaccurate impression.

Do you want to appear friendly and approachable?

Photos: Morguefile.com

If you’re a freelance editor looking to find critiquing or editing clients, you want your photo to present you as professional but approachable. You can still use a professional photographer, but I’ve seen numerous Web sites and business cards with photos that were taken by a writer’s friend or spouse. Just the fact that the photos are more casual makes the site or card more inviting. Avoid being too casual, though. For example, don’t have your photo taken with your pet(s). The focus should be on you.

Take your photos indoors or out, but try to avoid clutter in the background. I made new photos recently, but I didn’t realize that the tree behind me was so close. See my home page photo. I tried to edit the tree bark effect out of the background, but it just wouldn’t work. We’re planning for a do-over soon.

Sample writer/editor sites photos (you be the judge):

Mary Yerkes

Virginia Smith

Kathy Ide

Donna Clark Goodrich

Instead of having friends as on Facebook, Twitter users have followers. I’ve used Twitter for several months now, following people mainly in the Christian publishing industry. Some of the same people are friends on Facebook. As of today, I am following 49 people, and 56 people are following me. Some say that you should follow everyone who follows you, but I don’t follow people unless it appears that their content will be of interest to me.

What I Like About Twitter

• Posts (tweet) are short and often provide links that I can access if I want to know more. It doesn’t take me long to scan the list and read the things I’m interested in.
• I can post announcements about new blog posts to help build my readership.
• I can follow people I want to know more about and ignore the ones that are following me in order to sell me something.
• The new Lists feature allows me to separate my preferred follows from the ones I’m just following as a courtesy.

What I Don’t Like About Twitter

• Some people resort to text message language in order to get a longer message in the 140 character limit. Besides having trouble interpreting some of it, I see this as cheating!
• Some people must just tweet all day long. There’s a limit to how much I want to hear from any one person, no matter how much they know about writing and publishing. If you have that much to say, use a blog.
• I’m following publishing professionals for information about writing and publishing, not about where they’re going, what they’re having for dinner (breakfast, lunch, snack), or what the weather is like where they live.

Twitter Marketing Effectiveness

Although there are things I don’t like about Twitter (and other social media, for that matter), I have to admit that they can be effective. I do see an increase in the traffic on my blogs for a day or so after I tweet about a post.

Recently, a family in Vermont needed funding for medical treatment for their special needs baby. The mother let friends know about the problem via Twitter. Someone set up a page on her Web site where people could make donations through Paypal. The message went out on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media. See the details in this article, “How Social Media Saved Jaeli.”

Other Articles About Twitter

Seven Twitter People Every Author Should Follow

Nine Ways to Promote Your Book Using Social Media

See my previous posts on Facebook here and on social media in general here.

Read my post on Twitter, Facebook, and Tweetdeck.

In my last post, I promised to share my experiences with social media. I have not experimented with all of the possible methods. I primarily use Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Follow the links in the previous sentence to see my home page for each site. I’ve found that I have more to say on each method than I originally thought, so I will limit this post to Facebook. Others will be covered in future posts.

My Facebook friends include long-time friends, family, and writers/editors/publishers. I joined because a writer’s conference I planned to attend had set up a Facebook group. At first, I thought I would limit Facebook friends to writers, editors, and publishers. However, I soon found out that I had many long-lost friends on Facebook, so I decided to include them. Since I joined Facebook to promote my writing, it stands to reason that I want everyone who knows me to know about my blogs. So, why leave anyone out just because they’re not involved in the publishing industry?

Promote your blog: I have several blogs, and I often post an announcement that there’s a new post on a blog. This nets me higher traffic on the blog for a day or so after I post. I’m not getting many e-mail subscribers for my blogs from Facebook as I had hoped. It’s possible that I may be getting subscribers by RSS feed, which I cannot track. But, the increase in traffic, even if temporary, is worth the effort.

Promote your published work: Many published authors use Facebook to keep readers informed by setting up a group. Check out Rita Gerlach’s group for her recent novel, Surrender the Wind. I’m not sure whether you’ll get to see comments of fans unless you log in, but try the link anyway. For fiction writers, building a fan base like this is a must. You want your fans to be ready and willing to buy your next book when it comes out.

Non-fiction writers can post announcements about articles published in print or provide links to work published online. In addition, a non-fiction write can use a topic-based or cause-based group to build contacts. As group owner, you can post updates on your topic or cause, thereby keeping your expertise in that topic in front of your readers. See United Methodist Committee on Relief and Power of Prayer.

Priming the pump: In commenting on other people’s posts, I’ve had interesting Facebook conversations on topics that I’d never have a chance to discuss in person. Just yesterday, a friend posted a comment about an experience she had. I commented on it and received updates throughout the day. By the end of the day, I had an idea for a new article based on the topic that was discussed.

I welcome comments about your experiences marketing yourself and your work on Facebook. Next post: Twitter

Social media are a great way to build your contact list. Although there are several options, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn seem to be the most popular with writers. The first two can be used to network with publishing industry folks as well as friends and family. LinkedIn is more for networking with other professionals. There’s a great article on the Writers’ Digest site entitled “A Writer’s Guide to Social Networking” that covers these three social media. Take a look at this article this week, and I’ll write about my own experiences with them in my next post.

Meanwhile, for those of you who have not tried social media, follow the links below to how-to information on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin:

Ehow/Facebook or Butterscotch.com/Facebook

Butterscotch.com/Twitter

Butterscotch.com/LinkedIn

CWFI: Christian Writers Fellowship International (CWFI) Yahoo group requires a subscription to Cross and Quill. With about 100 members, it is an active group. Members write fiction and nonfiction. Overt promotion is not allowed on the group, although members are encouraged to report publishing successes. Update: Effective 2010, Cross and Quill is out of print, so subscription is no longer required for membership in this group. Apply for membership in the group at the link above.

CWGI: You must fill out an application form for Christian Writers Group International (CWGI), also a Yahoo group. There is no fee, so this is a much larger group. The last time I checked there were about 800 members worldwide. Discussions are made more interesting by input from members in places like Australia and South Africa.

TWV1: the Writers’ View 1 is for “advanced and professional writers in the Christian market. Topics are advanced and explore the entire publishing process.” Owned by Mary DeMuth, this group requires a membership application and there are a number of panelists covering a wide variety of genres.

TWV2: The Writer’s View 2 is “for beginning/intermediate Christian writers serious about taking their writing to the next level.” Membership application required for this one, too. You must choose which TWV you want to participate in, because you are not allowed to participate in both. Mary also owns this group, but the list of panelists is different.

ACFW: The groups mentioned in this blog are ones that I have participated in or investigated for myself. If you are a fiction writer, check out American Christian Fiction Writers. Member benefits include forums that might be helpful to you.

These groups not only help you improve your writing, but they help you get to know people who can introduce you to others in the industry. I invite comments on this post from people who have participated in other writers’ groups.

More on networking online in the next post where we’ll talk about Twitter, Facebook, and Shoutlife.

First, I went to Vistaprint, found a new design that I liked and ordered 250 cards using the promotion code that I had received. Ordinarily, you get 250 cards free and just pay shipping. The free cards have Vistaprint’s ad on the back. The special promotion offered the premium cards (no ad on back) for free plus shipping. I managed to make it all the way to checkout without adding any features or buying anything else, although I was tempted by the alternate design that they recommended for the back of my card. I paid $5.79 for the cheapest shipping. I ordered on September 8th. The cards were shipped on September 15th, and I received them on the 17th.  I would have like them better if I had paid a little extra for the glossy finish, but they are fine for what I paid.

For the second set, I went to 123Print.com. After searching their designs, I found one that I really loved. On September 8th, I ordered 200 cards, the minimum number, and paid for shipping. The cards shipped on September 10th, and I received them on the 12th. Fast! They are beautiful cards with a glossy finish, great graphics, and a really quality feel. I paid about $15.00 for them, and that’s pretty high, when you consider it was only 200 cards. See my design here.

No matter what your budget, you can afford a professional-looking business card. Notice that I did not have my photo on either card, although I have always used a photo in the past. It would have cost me extra to upload a photo to Vistaprint, and I did not inquire about photos with 123Print.

I was happy with both transactions, because I felt that I got what I paid for.

Networking is a way to develop contacts, people who may become customers or sources of word-of-mouth recommendations (referrals). It is “informal communication,” and it occurs in-person, over the phone, by mail, or online. You won’t necessarily make a sales pitch for your business with every contact, but you can use networking to establish yourself as a credible source of information on your specialty. Thinking back on my own experience, I realize that I chose my doctor, my dentist, and my child’s music teacher based on referrals from neighbors and friends. I did check their credentials, but it was the referral that started me looking at these people initially.

Word of mouth has always been the most effective means of promotion for products or services. Marketing professionals often use the term “viral marketing.” You know what a virus does to your body when you pick it up through your “network” of friends, family, and coworkers. An e-mail virus creates havoc by sending and resending itself through individual e-mail accounts. Each e-mail user’s address book represents his or her network. Each person in this address book has his or her own network. When network meets network, the virus propagates itself throughout the Internet community.

Do you have existing clients or customers? Give them an incentive to refer your services to others. Write down the names of all of the people you see every day. How many of them might need your services at some point? How many of them know someone who might need your services? Use your network to pass the word about your business.

More Info:

Word of Mouth Marketing: http://www.wordofmouthbook.com/book/

Article on viral marketing by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson: http://www.wilsonweb.com/wmt5/viral-principles.htm

Networking to create leads: http://www.marketingpower.com/content18916.php

Basics

Do NOT print your cards on your own printer. Have them professionally printed because you want your card to present a professional image. Home-printed cards look—well—home-made. There are ways to get them without spending too much money. But, first, make decisions about:

• Design: Creative people tend to go overboard with their designs. Keep it simple, and try to coordinate the fonts and colors on your card with your Web site design. Use color and graphics, if you want, but remember the purpose of the card—to give your name and contact information. These should be prominent.
• Photo or No Photo: There are mixed opinions about whether you should include your photo on your card. Some think the photo helps people remember you if they met you at a social function, while others think it’s corny.
• Content: Essentials are your name and/or business name, your tagline, and contact information. Contact info can be limited to e-mail address and Web URL. You can also include mailing address and phone number, but resist the temptation to fill the card up with text. It’s the mark of an amateur designer. Here’s an article discussing card content.
• Back Side: Many online sources now offer designs for the back side of your card. I don’t see the value of this, since it adds a good bit to your cost. However, if you have a number of Web sites or if you have too many services to list attractively on the front side, by all means, move some of it to the back. It’s better to have a good design than a crammed-full card.
• Quantity: Resist the temptation to order 1,000 cards. I guarantee you that you will want to change the design before you use them up. Then you will have a guilt trip about wasting the cards. Get 250 to start (unless you know you’re going to a conference with 250 attendees). At most, get 500. Especially if you include your photo, you will want to change your design at least annually.

Sources

A number of companies offer business cards online. Be sure to check with your local printing company, too, though. Sometimes they can offer you a unique design for just a little more than you would pay for the online cards plus shipping. Of course, the online companies offer a number of specials that you might find attractive. Be careful that you don’t waste a lot of time looking at designs, though. The information on the card is what is important. The design is secondary. The card must look professional and not cluttered.

I’ve used Vistaprint for the past few years. They offer a limited number of free designs plus Web sites and other promotional items to match. The Web site feature is fairly new, so I can’t comment on the dependability or effectiveness, but the designs are attractive. They offer a free one-month trial, so check it out. If you don’t like the free cards, look at the “premium” designs. You’ll pay for these, but it may be worth it to get a more custom look.

Vistaprint and some of the other online printers offer the option to upload a design of your own. You can create a design in MS Publisher or other design program. Here’s a how-to article on designing in Publisher. And there’s another one on Ehow. Once you upload your design, it’s likely that you’ll be offered other promotional articles to go with it.

Besides Vistaprint, I’ve used 123Print because their prices are reasonable, and I really like their designs for writers. Take a look. A more expensive option is Zazzle. I searched “editor” and got these results.

If you have a card already, make a note of ways you can improve it when you do your next printing. If you don’t have cards, order them as soon as possible.

Other Online Info about Business Cards:

Business card do/don’t

http://editorunleashed.com/2008/10/30/writers-business-cards-dos-and-donts/

How to use business card:

http://freelancewritinggigs.com/businesstips/do-freelance-writers-need-business-cards/

Article on card design (Warning: good content, but some of the language is questionable)

http://www.1099.com/c/ar/ta/businesscards_t010.html

The Site Itself

If you have budgeted for a site, I congratulate you. Since most beginning writers prefer to use a free site, I provide information on site-builders that allow you to start out free and upgrade later to a paid version.

Both of the companies listed below have ads in the free versions. To get rid of ads, you must upgrade to a paid version. Both have a blog feature so you can have your blog and other information on the same site.

www.webs.com (formerly Freewebs.com)

www.viviti.com

Some site-builders offer a free trial so that you can work with their product a bit before you have to pay. Check out these three and look at the pricing page before you sign up for a trial. I have tried all except Homestead myself.

Homestead

Highpowersites.com (subsidiary of EZ Christian Hosting)

Vistaprint (Offers business cards to coordinate with design of Web site)

Keep in mind that free builders are not going to offer the range of options that you get when you pay. If you have budgeted for a site, try the free versions before you make your final choice. If you must begin with a free site, set a goal to upgrade to the paid version within six months. Some of the options above are available for about $5.00 per month. It’s a small price to pay for a professional-looking Web presence.

The Domain Name

When you set up a free site with Webs.com, for example, you get a Webs.com address. See my sample site at http://www.freewebs.com/emilyakin/. Everyone who sees this URL will know that this is a free site, because it has the Freewebs URL first. My site is a subdomain of Freewebs.

It looks more professional to have your own domain name. Choose the domain name you’d like to have, like www.yourname.net. Go to www.godaddy.com or www.networksolutions.com and buy it. Have alternatives ready, because your first choice might not be available. Prices vary depending on the extension (.com, .org, .net, .info). Buy it for two years the first time because that will get you a better rank in the search engines. Once you own your domain name, you can re-direct it to a free or low-cost site. You will use www.yourname.net on your business cards and other promotional pieces. Once you’ve set this up, when the visitor types in or clicks on that URL, she will be taken to your free site and will probably not even realize you are using the freebie.

Beware: Some of the companies that offer free sites also offer to sell you a domain name. If you buy your domain name through one of these outfits, be sure that you will own the domain name and not the company. If you should decide to change to another site-building company, you want to be able to take your domain name with you. If your current company owns it, you’ll have to buy it from them in order to change companies.

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It is possible to construct a free Web site on www.wordpress.com, but you would need instructions on how to do that. I plan to put step-by-step instructions on my Wired to Write blog soon. Click over and subscribe so that you won’t miss those instructions.

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Before you can begin to promote your freelance writing, your editing, or your books, you must have a short answer to the above questions. When someone lands on your Web site or receives your business card, they need to know not only your name but also exactly what you do. You need a tagline.

The following links will take you to sites with excellent examples of taglines. Go to each site, and jot down your first impression. Then visit around on the site to see if the first impression was accurate.

Mary Yerkes: http://www.maryyerkes.com/

Katherine Swarts: http://www.spreadthewordcommercialwriting.com/default.htm

Virginia Smith: http://www.virginiasmith.org/

Jeanne Marie Leach: http://www.jeannemarieleach.com/

Tracy Ruckman: http://www.tracyruckman.com/

Brandilyn Collins: http://www.brandilyncollins.com/

James Scott Bell: http://www.jamesscottbell.com/

Steve Hutson: http://www.hutsonbooks.com/editorial

Kathy Davis: http://www.closerlookproofreading.com/

Tiffany Colter: http://www.writingcareercoach.com/

Did you check all of them? If not, you can come back and do it later. Now, do you have a tagline? If not, get to work on it right away.

When I first began writing for publication, my site URL was www.writingontarget.com. My tagline was: “On time and on target.” Since I write mostly for magazines in the Christian market, I thought I would impress editors with my dependability as a writer. However, I did not do any market testing on that tagline. One editor told me that he thought it sounded like I ran a writing service for businesses. The business-like air of my promotional materials did not say “Christian market” to him.

I have since changed my URL to www.emilyakin.com, but I kept the old URL, and it points to the new one. I am still casting about for a new tagline. If you’d like to take a look at my site and make a recommendation, feel free. I will be holding a drawing for a free Christian novel on August 28^th. Comment on this blog before noon on the 28^th to enter the drawing.