Twitter is all about people. I love checking the Connect stream and seeing hellos, or replies, or retweets from fellow authors. That sharing and connecting aspect is what makes Twitter such a great cross-promotion tool. And I think it’s also the key to using it effectively without falling into the “spam-bot” zone.
While I get annoyed when a new follower sends me a DM asking me to buy their book, I don’t feel the same about them giving it a plug in the Twitter stream.
For one thing, I’ve discovered some great new reads through shout-outs in the Twitter stream. For another, it’s a fun way to share news of a fellow author’s work.
How much is too much? Well, considering that tweets are swallowed up within minutes, and studies say you have to see something seven to ten times before it actually registers, I think the question is more about quality than quantity. About balance.
It’s about balancing your promotional tweets with tweets that share information, praise someone’s work, or conversations with friends or people you meet in a stream of mutual interest. And never forgetting the “social” in social networking. Hey, that’s the fun part, right?
So, how do you make that work for a group event like the WG2E Street Team’s upcoming Beach Book Blast?
Some things we’ll be doing:
The group will all promote the event itself, asking peeps to check out the blog site where they can win several prizes including a Kindle Fire.
Each author will also be tweeted by the others, getting their names and book titles out there. But, again, we’ll be sending readers to the group’s book page rather than directly to Amazon or another buy site. It’s a good idea to have authors submit their own tweet about their book to the group, since they know it better than anyone.
It’s also good idea to switch out your hashtags. While we can all use our #BeachBookBlast hashtag repeatedly, fifteen writers repeating popular hashtags like #amreading or #MustRead will clog those streams, and we don’t want to do that.
Banking tweets with HootSuite or TweetDeck can certainly save time, but if you don’t also go live and interact with others, you’re missing the point.
In our content tweets—those without links—we’ll be aiming for conversations. After all, the best and most rewarding way to engage readers is through talking about what we’re reading and writing. And with fifteen opinionated authors jumping in, that ought to stir up some pretty amazing fun!
So later in the week look for this hashtag — #BeachBookBlast — and come join our conversation. 
In the meantime, WG2E-Land, what are your thoughts about using Twitter for cross-promotion?
The Best of WG2E Beach Book Blast Twitter Wishes — Alicia Street
Alicia Street is the author of Kiss Me, Dancer, Touch Me and Tango, Snow Dance and Aphrodisiac. Alicia is proud to be a part of the WG2E family.
Got to tell you Alicia, i love twitter the most, for the same reasons you mentioned. It is the best tool to connect with your readers and to share your thoughts, books, promotions and life experience. I use it as a communication platform with my followers. We discuss everything and we became so close to each other. I know have friends who i never met and might never meet but they are as close to me as my physically close friends.
It is not all about selling books really, it’s all about being as close as possible to the people you are writing for. Let’s face it, they are the ones who really matter. That’s why twitter is the most suitable tool for that, and i love it.
Alex
@alexmsmithautho
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Alex. It is amazing, isn’t it, that we can feel so close to cyber-friends we’ve never met in person. Only proves the power of words, since that is how we connect online.
I love tweeting. I still haven’t got it down to a regular science. I just sort of swoop in there once or twice and day and erupt into a flurry of machine-gun-tweets and then I get back to work. I’m signed up for Hootsuite and I need to sit down and figure out how that works.
Still, like I said, I love Twitter. I reach new people there everyday. I can see the potential for selling e-books here – (hey, check this, Steve Vernon just discovered that people sell e-books on Twitter – somebody call the Nobel committee) – but you have to use it correctly.
I haven’t figured out how to use it just yet – but I keep tinkering with my approach. I DO NOT want to be the fellow who is all – “Hey, buy my book, buy my book” – but I am also the fellow who has NEVER figured out how to shmooze at a party.
Still, the possibilities for Twitter should never be underestimated.
Just think about it this way.
Twitter is the buffet table at a party. Sooner or later you run into everybody here.
And yes, I have tweeted this.
Even old farts tweet.
yours in storytelling
Steve Vernon
@StephenVernon
I love tweeting, too, Steve. And I do think balance is the key. I like hearing about books and being able to click a link a buy it NOW when I see something I want.
I’m not too great with HootSuite or TweetDeck, and even when they are used I think nothing beats a live person, even if the conversation is one where the replies are spaced out hours or even a day apart.
Uh-oh. I think you’ve just inspired Ruth.
Alicia, what can I tell you? I’m a simple organism, easily entertained. lol
Steve, how about an old fart hash tag? #oldfart
I’d follow & I bet we’d get lots of other followers.
PS: I love twitter.
Hi, Ruth! Now you’ve go the curious. I’ll have to keep an eye out for the new hashtag to see what tweets show up on it. In the meantime, I hope you’ll pop over to #beachbookblast later this week to say hello!
Alicia, will do. Looking forward!
I know I’d follow #oldfart. I just checked, and there’s a surprising number of “young” people using it, feeling “old” when turning 21, for example
And God help them when they turn 30. lol
Good morning, Alicia! Thanks for this great post on Twitter. You’re encouraging me to become more interactive on Twitter… a message I think I needed to hear! I, too, dislike DMs after following someone. See you on the #beachbookblast soon!
Hi, Girlfriend! Yeah, Twitter’s a great place, especially for someone with your speedy wit.
Total agreement on DMs. Most of them are automated, insincere and nothing but an annoyance. Conversation is what connects, and that begins with a genuine interest in the human you address.
Nicely put, Dale.
I love Twitter, too, Alicia. I enjoy my time on Twitter much more than on Facebook. I know what you mean about the “buy my book/like my facebook page” direct messages–too annoying. I like tweeting and RTing interesting book and pub news as well as links to books on sale and author interviews. I’m like Steve. I just drop in once or twice and day and “twitter away” for awhile, then get back to work.
Sounds like you’ve got it down, Sara!
I’m in the minority here, I think. I don’t love twitter but I am more fond of it than I was a year ago. It’s growing on me. I do use it and pop in a couple of times a day to check things out, send a few tweets and respond to others. I definitely dislike those auto DM’s with “buy my book”, “check out my website”, etc. It makes me want to unfollow those people immediately b/c I know they’re not interested in getting to know me and I know all I’ll get from this is more spam.
I think twitter just moves too fast for me. I feel I can be more “sociable” on facebook where things move at whatever pace I set for the day. (Different strokes for different folks, right?) I also notice I get tons more hits on my blog from fb than twitter. Having said that though, I recognize twitter for the useful tool it is and I try to use it responsibly. Thanks for the great tips, Alicia!
Yes, Rhonda, Twitter and Facebook do seem to work with different rhythms. I think it’s great the way you know what works best for you. Your presence on FB is certainly a bright one!
Thanks for the great post, Alicia. I’m still working on the conversation aspects of Twitter. I do love to share and retweet what my fellow authors are doing though, and I think that works well for both readers and authors.
Hi, Kristine! You are a great Re-tweeter for fellow authors and I for one appreciate that!
I’m still learing Twitter and some day will feel like I’ve figured it out. Then something else will be the ‘new’ Twitter and I’ll have to learn all over again!
That said, thanks for the awesome tips and the comments are great, too!
I’m liking the #old fart hashtag! As I was reading posts, i thought of using it, and then lo and behold, someone else mentioned it here. LOL. Yeah, that might get a lot of attention. Maybe for our next promo we could use that hashtag~ Just kidding!
I luuuvvv Twitter and really enjoy hangin’ there with my readers and fellow authors too! I think it’s the perfect place (as is Facebook…and Pinterest too) to really build your brand and connect with peeps who have the same interests as you do, which also might mean they’d enjoy your books.
As far as cross-promoting, again, I think this can work IF you are using it socially, but not as a “buy my book” venue. Let me give you an example…I tweet, Facebook and Pin regarding books I’m reading and loving and authors I adore. But you’ll never see me just retweet or tweet a book with a link to buy that I have no personal connection with…that’s spamming. Does that make sense? See the difference?
I also NEVER use pre-written Tweets. I know they’re convenient. But wow, you can spot those a mile away. I only use social media when I’m actually on there, connecting with people while I’m there.