Comments on: Can booksellers and publishers use Twitter to drive business? http://booksellersblog.com/2009/02/23/can-booksellers-and-publishers-use-twitter-to-drive-business/ Online marketing and blogging discussion for independent bookstores Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:17:25 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: How Independent Bookstores Are Using Twitter | culturalentrepreneur.org | Britt Bravo http://booksellersblog.com/2009/02/23/can-booksellers-and-publishers-use-twitter-to-drive-business/comment-page-1/#comment-1087 How Independent Bookstores Are Using Twitter | culturalentrepreneur.org | Britt Bravo Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:59:15 +0000 http://booksellersblog.com/?p=341#comment-1087 [...] 2 days 2. Making things happen using social media 3. What I Think about Twitter for Booksellers 4. Can booksellers and publishers use Twitter to drive business? 5. How I follow 1700 people on Twitter in only 20 minutes a day 6. A simple way for bookstores to [...] [...] 2 days 2. Making things happen using social media 3. What I Think about Twitter for Booksellers 4. Can booksellers and publishers use Twitter to drive business? 5. How I follow 1700 people on Twitter in only 20 minutes a day 6. A simple way for bookstores to [...]

]]> By: The Daily Square - Ornamental Edition | Booksquare http://booksellersblog.com/2009/02/23/can-booksellers-and-publishers-use-twitter-to-drive-business/comment-page-1/#comment-394 The Daily Square - Ornamental Edition | Booksquare Thu, 26 Feb 2009 02:32:03 +0000 http://booksellersblog.com/?p=341#comment-394 [...] Can booksellers and publishers use Twitter to drive business?Ann Kingman compiles a range of responses. [...] [...] Can booksellers and publishers use Twitter to drive business?Ann Kingman compiles a range of responses. [...]

]]> By: The Daily Square — The Volcano Edition | Booksquare http://booksellersblog.com/2009/02/23/can-booksellers-and-publishers-use-twitter-to-drive-business/comment-page-1/#comment-393 The Daily Square — The Volcano Edition | Booksquare Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:40:45 +0000 http://booksellersblog.com/?p=341#comment-393 [...] Can booksellers and publishers use Twitter to drive business?Ann Kingman compiles a range of responses. [...] [...] Can booksellers and publishers use Twitter to drive business?Ann Kingman compiles a range of responses. [...]

]]> By: Fiction Writers Review » Blog Archive » lit and tech linkage http://booksellersblog.com/2009/02/23/can-booksellers-and-publishers-use-twitter-to-drive-business/comment-page-1/#comment-390 Fiction Writers Review » Blog Archive » lit and tech linkage Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:10:35 +0000 http://booksellersblog.com/?p=341#comment-390 [...] Twitter help publishers and stores sell books? Check out Ann Kingman’s findings on the Booksellers [...] [...] Twitter help publishers and stores sell books? Check out Ann Kingman’s findings on the Booksellers [...]

]]> By: Ann Kingman http://booksellersblog.com/2009/02/23/can-booksellers-and-publishers-use-twitter-to-drive-business/comment-page-1/#comment-386 Ann Kingman Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:12:31 +0000 http://booksellersblog.com/?p=341#comment-386 Thanks to everyone for your very thoughtful comments. I wish I could respond to each of you individually, but I'm on the road this week, talking to bookstores about books and, yes, twitter. <br /> While I don't think every bookseller needs to be on twitter, I do think that it can drive people to your events, which often leads to sales. Chances are that you currently have few customers on twitter now, but more and more people are joining every day. Add to that the number of people near to your store that are not current customers -- it's just possible that they will hear of a great event through twitter and decide to check out your store. <br /> And of course, the most valuable part of twitter is the networking and interaction with other booksellers, publishers, authors, media folks. I've probably learned more from my time on twitter than from any other channel. While this doesn't directly drive sales, it is an important part of bookseller education and keeping up with what your customers are hearing, reading, and talking about. <br /> Thanks, all! Thanks to everyone for your very thoughtful comments. I wish I could respond to each of you individually, but I’m on the road this week, talking to bookstores about books and, yes, twitter.

While I don’t think every bookseller needs to be on twitter, I do think that it can drive people to your events, which often leads to sales. Chances are that you currently have few customers on twitter now, but more and more people are joining every day. Add to that the number of people near to your store that are not current customers — it’s just possible that they will hear of a great event through twitter and decide to check out your store.

And of course, the most valuable part of twitter is the networking and interaction with other booksellers, publishers, authors, media folks. I’ve probably learned more from my time on twitter than from any other channel. While this doesn’t directly drive sales, it is an important part of bookseller education and keeping up with what your customers are hearing, reading, and talking about.

Thanks, all!

]]> By: Holly Powell http://booksellersblog.com/2009/02/23/can-booksellers-and-publishers-use-twitter-to-drive-business/comment-page-1/#comment-379 Holly Powell Tue, 24 Feb 2009 09:30:13 +0000 http://booksellersblog.com/?p=341#comment-379 This is a a great post.. An insightful one and a good topic to talk about. In my own opinion, I can say that booksellers and publishers can use twitter to drive their business.. By having a twitter account, twittering everyday or regularly, most likely, the followers can know about your business and if they are interested in your product, then I would say that through the use of twitter booksellers and publishers can drive business. This is a a great post.. An insightful one and a good topic to talk about. In my own opinion, I can say that booksellers and publishers can use twitter to drive their business.. By having a twitter account, twittering everyday or regularly, most likely, the followers can know about your business and if they are interested in your product, then I would say that through the use of twitter booksellers and publishers can drive business.

]]> By: The Daily Square - The Phantoms of Ephemera Edition | Booksquare http://booksellersblog.com/2009/02/23/can-booksellers-and-publishers-use-twitter-to-drive-business/comment-page-1/#comment-378 The Daily Square - The Phantoms of Ephemera Edition | Booksquare Tue, 24 Feb 2009 04:58:33 +0000 http://booksellersblog.com/?p=341#comment-378 [...] Can booksellers and publishers use Twitter to drive business?Ann Kingman compiles a range of responses. [...] [...] Can booksellers and publishers use Twitter to drive business?Ann Kingman compiles a range of responses. [...]

]]> By: Adrian T Dayton @adriandayton http://booksellersblog.com/2009/02/23/can-booksellers-and-publishers-use-twitter-to-drive-business/comment-page-1/#comment-373 Adrian T Dayton @adriandayton Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:52:22 +0000 http://booksellersblog.com/?p=341#comment-373 This is all good stuff to hear. I am still learning about twitter, and I think the bottom line is that QUALITY creates buzz. If you write a great book, and it is high quality, twitter can help facilitate the conversation. Look at Slumdog millionaire, even before the Oscars it was by far the most talked about movie on twitter. It wasn't because Danny Boyle was a genius of SEO, but becuase he created a great product. This is all good stuff to hear. I am still learning about twitter, and I think the bottom line is that QUALITY creates buzz. If you write a great book, and it is high quality, twitter can help facilitate the conversation. Look at Slumdog millionaire, even before the Oscars it was by far the most talked about movie on twitter. It wasn’t because Danny Boyle was a genius of SEO, but becuase he created a great product.

]]> By: Drew Goodman http://booksellersblog.com/2009/02/23/can-booksellers-and-publishers-use-twitter-to-drive-business/comment-page-1/#comment-372 Drew Goodman Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:47:31 +0000 http://booksellersblog.com/?p=341#comment-372 I will agree with Rich and disagree with Rob and Adrian. Twitter is a part of a conversation- stress the word "part." Twitter isn't the end all and be all. It isn't there to replace face to face conversations in the bookstore or sales on your website. It is a great way to engage others about books- whether that is authors, publishers, reps, other booksellers, or customers. Do those "tweets" turn into sales? Not directly, no. But, are you incorporating Twitter into your strategy of the greater social media? Do you use your "tweets" to point at your YouTube videos, your Facebook page, your blog, your sign up page for your email newsletter? When you mention a great book that you just read, do leave a link to your review or to your website? Do your blog readers know that you are on Twitter; do you have a Twitter app on your blog? Are you mentioning you are on Twitter in your newsletter, your YouTube videos, your Facebook account? Twitter alone will not increase sales. Incorporated with other forms of social media, even without 10,000 followers, Twitter can be effective at getting others to see what books you are talking about and bring them to one of your other sites, or store, for more information, and maybe an actual purchase. Twitter is a part of the conversation, but an important part. I will agree with Rich and disagree with Rob and Adrian. Twitter is a part of a conversation- stress the word “part.” Twitter isn’t the end all and be all. It isn’t there to replace face to face conversations in the bookstore or sales on your website. It is a great way to engage others about books- whether that is authors, publishers, reps, other booksellers, or customers. Do those “tweets” turn into sales? Not directly, no. But, are you incorporating Twitter into your strategy of the greater social media? Do you use your “tweets” to point at your YouTube videos, your Facebook page, your blog, your sign up page for your email newsletter? When you mention a great book that you just read, do leave a link to your review or to your website? Do your blog readers know that you are on Twitter; do you have a Twitter app on your blog? Are you mentioning you are on Twitter in your newsletter, your YouTube videos, your Facebook account? Twitter alone will not increase sales. Incorporated with other forms of social media, even without 10,000 followers, Twitter can be effective at getting others to see what books you are talking about and bring them to one of your other sites, or store, for more information, and maybe an actual purchase. Twitter is a part of the conversation, but an important part.

]]> By: Heidi Miller http://booksellersblog.com/2009/02/23/can-booksellers-and-publishers-use-twitter-to-drive-business/comment-page-1/#comment-371 Heidi Miller Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:36:59 +0000 http://booksellersblog.com/?p=341#comment-371 Thanks for the link love! And to comment to Rob, I think that the Twitter/Facebook combo is pretty powerful. I use TwitterFeed to automatically post my Tweets as Facebook status updates, so both accounts appear very active without having to log in constantly. Twittering a link to a Facebook event has proven very successful for me and for my clients--and then, of course Twittering after that the photos and videos are posted to the Facebook page. And to respond to Adrian, remember that you're not looking for direct sales from followers. The real value is in word of mouth marketing. Sure, maybe only 2% of my 1,700 follower would buy my book (if I had one), but if those 2% then reTweeted my book-signing events to THEIR 1,500 followers each, you can see how the word could easily reach tens of thousands of interested parties quickly. Make sense? Thanks for the link love! And to comment to Rob, I think that the Twitter/Facebook combo is pretty powerful. I use TwitterFeed to automatically post my Tweets as Facebook status updates, so both accounts appear very active without having to log in constantly. Twittering a link to a Facebook event has proven very successful for me and for my clients–and then, of course Twittering after that the photos and videos are posted to the Facebook page.

And to respond to Adrian, remember that you’re not looking for direct sales from followers. The real value is in word of mouth marketing. Sure, maybe only 2% of my 1,700 follower would buy my book (if I had one), but if those 2% then reTweeted my book-signing events to THEIR 1,500 followers each, you can see how the word could easily reach tens of thousands of interested parties quickly. Make sense?

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