In our line of business we have occasion to follow a LOT of authors… on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Linked In, Goodreads, etc. And many are savvy enough to include an author auto-response on their particular social media stream and/or emails. This can be anything from “Thanks for the follow/like” to soliciting a new follower to purchase their book.
But with the amount of spam and those harsh, abrasive, “Look at me, look at me” messages out there, it will benefit you most to engage in the “soft sell” by telling folks a bit about you, sure, but also letting them know what’s in it for THEM.
Here are a few “Do’s” and “Don’ts” to get you started!
Don’t: Brag, Hard-Sell, or Respond in a “Bubble”
“Hey, now that you’re following me – buy my book @…” Yeah, no thanks.
“Thanks for liking my great page…” Brag without an offer is just a… you know.
“I’m a best-selling author, buy my books at…” Yay, you, but…
“I can’t answer you right now, I’m too busy writing.” Oh, too busy for a customer? You could at least inject a bit of humor in your message and reward me with a laugh…
(When followed on Twitter, for example) “Come like my Facebook page.” Avoid sending readers on a scavenger hunt to all your social media. They’re on Twitter because they like Twitter.
Do: Engage, Connect, or Make an Value Offer
“Thanks for following me. Here is a Smashwords coupon for 50% off (name of book…)” Wow, I have to go check that out!
“Thanks for the follow – I’ve followed you too and look forward to retweeting/sharing your posts with my tribe.” Now I feel loved.
“Thanks for liking my page. If you’re a fan of (political thrillers, steamy romance, etc.), you may enjoy reading (name of book), newly available at a discounted price @ (Amazon, BN, etc.).” Great info and a deal, too?! Happy days.
“Thanks for connecting, tell me about your favorite books!” Really? You want to know what I think, too? You, a famous author? Cool…
“I’m knee-deep in edits at the moment, but look forward to connecting with you and would like to offer you a free sample chapter of (book title and genre) at…” Aw, thanks. I respect that you’re busy and flattered that you thought of your readers in advance.
See the not-so-subtle differences in these extreme examples?
Now, tell us your auto-response or share your favorites with the WWW tribe!
These are all great suggestions! I’d like to see more suggestions in the “do” category….
Thanks, Deb. If you’re keeping up with social media you might consider auto-responding about the next event fans can enjoy… or schedule a virtual “event” at the relevant social media site. Or in the case of Drink Wine and Giggle’s book, perhaps a link to the page on your website where they can download that cool quiz about “What wine are you?”… or perhaps another list for folks, i.e. Drink Wine and Giggle pairs best with… and then offer up a list of cool gift ideas that you change with the seasons (like Oprah’s Favorite Things) – perhaps even have those link to buying pages of those products – and if you’re really cool they’ll be links to your own affiliate page so if they buy a thing you get a percentage towards your great charity efforts 🙂
First of all I am embarrassed to say that I have never used auto-responder on Twitter, Facebook or Google+. But I have received some…more of the former, “it’s all about me” than the latter. Obviously the latter is more refined, welcoming, and inclusive. So now I have to…start using it 🙂 Thanks for the heads up 🙂 Done properly, it could be a great marketing tool and you might even pick up some friends along the way. Great post!
Thanks, good lady and looks like a lot of us are in that boat, so you can expect a follow-up on the best autoresponders 🙂