Monday, October 31, 2011

Marketing: The Goliath of an Author's Life

We're pleased to welcome Staci Stallings to the blog today. She shares about an awesome new program she's started - be sure to check it out.

Marketing the Goliath of an Author's Life

by Staci Stallings

Courtesy svilen001
Let's face it. Most of us authors did not take marketing in college. Many have no background in technology or social media. Almost no one has a full publicity team behind them to do promotions for them while they sit back and write their next blockbuster.

No. Good or bad, most of us have to do at least some of our own promotions--especially online.

So what's our solution?  We do what we hear about. We set up a blog, try to post interesting articles hoping like Kevin Costner that if we build it, they will come. When they don't, we're not sure what to do next. Sometimes we tweak our content. Sometimes we branch out into Twitter or Facebook, Google+ or Christian Chirp.

Only to find the learning curve for each one is steep and bending upward.
About the time we learn one, there are another five waiting there like temptations saying, "You can have it all if you just learn to do me!"

However, none of us have time to learn everything and do everything, and keep up with everything. It just doesn't work. Worse, we're on our own to learn these things with no one to ask and no one to show us how.

Can I get an "Amen"?

If you're like me, you've tried many things to market and promote your work--whether that's books or your blog. Unless you are a natural (or really have taken classes), you're probably frustrated that no matter what you do, they don't seem to be coming.

I feel your pain, so after years of living with this makeshift marketing "strategy," God showed me a new way. It's called "Grace & Faith Author Connection." In this all-Christian group, members agree to help promote others' work on Twitter, Facebook, and across the social media spectrum. 

No longer are you tweeting to your 500 followers. Now, three other authors can see your post and retweet it to their followers as well! Then that 500 becomes 2,000. But maybe it's not just three who see it but five or 10 or 20. We have over 60 members, so who knows how far that message will go.

Plus, when you join G&F, you're not alone trying to figure all of this stuff out. We have tutorials to help you learn to do Twitter posts. Mondays on our blog help you make the most of promotions. No longer are you at the mercy of a social media Goliath.

Through the simple stones we show you, you can vanquish this Goliath once and for all--and all in the presence of people who believe and trust in God and His wisdom and strength as much as you do.

So if you're ready to go from haphazard to happily ever after, check us out. We might be just what you've been praying for!

Staci Stallings is the founder of Grace & Faith Author Connection. To join the group, send your Name, Email Address, Twitter handle (if you have one), and/or Facebook page to staci_stallings at hotmail dot com (altogether!) with the subject:  G&F New Member, and Staci will let you know what your next step is. I hope you will join us for this new and exciting marketing adventure!

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