Publishing and Social Media

Social Networks have become powerful tools for connecting people with a common interest who would normally have difficulty connecting due to distance, time or other barriers. Facebook brought social networking to the masses. But now niche communities are being created specially for niche groups with a common interest, allowing online sharing and communication around a particular topic, cause or passion.

Communities with a particular interest are now creating dedicated social network websites quickly and easily using online software like SocialGO.com. These social networks are not part of some larger network like Facebook. Instead they are websites that are totally and wholly dedicated to the special interest topic, cause or passion.

This White Paper sets out to provide you with a clear and easy to execute road map so that your business can achieve commercial success from Social Media.

Download - Publishing and Social Media White Paper (1.55MB PDF)

Why Use Social Networks

At the core of the value proposition to publishers is the passionate reader fan bases that often surround titles or authors. Publishers are increasingly using our software to build dedicated online communities around a specific author, genre or title. These online communities deliver highly effective marketing opportunities for publishers such as:

  • The publisher builds substantial marketing databases (ie: the community members) which are specific to each book, genre or author and critically, the data bases are "opt-in", so you have permission to send members marketing emails which are not considered spam.
  • The publisher "owns" the community and hence has a direct relationship with readers (cutting out book retailers).
  • The publisher controls all advertising on the niche social networks where readers spend extended periods communicating and sharing with one another.
  • You can embed digital bookstores in the social networks in order sell books (hard copy & digital) direct to readers.
  • You can embed digital bookstores in the social networks in order sell books (hard copy & digital) direct to readers.
  • Creating online communities for specific books, genres or authors is low cost and very straight forward using SocialGO software.
  • The network is fully branded, not third party branded (Facebook).
  • Create communities of passionate supporters and evangelists, not just Facebookers who "like and leave".
  • Use Facebook and Twitter as conduits to drive traffic to multiple special-interest, branded social networks.

Individual Authors Social Networks

Soon, any website that is not socially enabled will be a lame duck. The time is ripe for authors to step up to a new level of connectivity and move to a single, socially-enabled platform that will enable them to create a community of fans in a branded environment.

  • Create branded fan communities around authors.
  • Functionality of multiple Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, Wordpress, Eventbrite pages, all in one place, on one easy to manage site.
  • Post Author interviews, blogs, commentary and video.
  • Offer live chat with author.
  • Promote new books.
  • Build and mine a valuable 'opt-in' database of fans.

Social Networks for Book Club

As a publisher you might want to create unique, branded, private social networks to give away to amateur book clubs across America. You will be doing a valuable service to individual book clubs by giving them a tool that will connect and empower their club in ways that a web site alone cannot:

  • Keep their book club engaged, effective and well informed.
  • Organize and coordinate themselves.
  • Attract new members.
  • Interact with chat, video chat, messaging and forums.
  • Schedule and manage meetings and events.
  • Share information, reviews, extracts and opinions online.
  • Collect dues.
  • Receive discounts on other HBG books.
  • Access exclusive material.


Social Networks for Genres

Romance, Crime Fiction, Biographies, Poetry, Mystery, Non-Fiction, Travel and any other genres you can think of all have large existing communities of fans. Creating a socially-enabled website for each genre brings that community online under a single brand and encourages loyalty to a single publisher.

  • Create 'sticky' global communities around multiple genres.
  • Encourage chat, blogs, reviews and more.
  • Run genre related promotions.
  • Post author interviews and promote events and launches.
  • Sell books and promote brand awareness.
  • Build and mine a valuable 'opt-in' database of readers.


Conclusion

Private social networks are already taking off in the amateur sports world as teams recognize the benefits that a next generation private network can offer them over Facebook. This is the opportunity for publishers to potentially capture millions of readers under one brand, with dozens of genres, hundreds of authors and thousands of amateur book clubs all durably connected in a highly sticky, opt-in environment that solicits multiple visits.

Special offers, discounts, merchandise, promotions and competitions, book signings and more can all be run through social networks that connect you directly to the readers that buy your books. You will own a huge opt-in database of customers that you can sort by location, age or literary genre, giving you an unsurpassed level of connectivity.

Cost

All of this - even deploying thousands of networks to amateur book clubs all over the country - would be possible at a very low cost. Our premium product is $25 a month and we offer extremely attractive discounts for bulk sites. We can also design a custom template and provide a support package that would include a dedicated help desk, "how to" guides, videos, webinars and more.