Tag Archives: Online Communities

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Bryan Adams and ‘Baby Grand’

So I’m doing what I do every morning, checking out various social media sites for news and trends, and I come across the new song “Don’t Look Back” from Bryan Adams, one of my all-time favorite recording artists (his was my very first concert when I was a teenager):

http://twitmusic.com/embed/songs/don-t-look-back

And I think to myself, Hey, this is perfect for BABY GRAND. “Don’t look back” is a recurring theme in my debut thriller. And the song’s opening line, “Look into the eyes of a child,” made me think of little Charlotte Grand, who is at the center of the story.

So I ask Bryan Adams — via Twitter, of course — if I may declare “Don’t Look Back” the unofficial theme song of Baby Grand and he says yes.

How cool is that?

So there you go. New theme song. Next on the list is to get Robert De Niro to agree to play Gino Cataldi. Hmmm…

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Keep Your Automated DMs to Yourself

Okay, people. I understand the need for marketing your stuff (Facebook pages, blogs, etc.) and how difficult it is to get anyone’s attention in this crazy-distracted world we live in, but the automated DM isn’t the way to do it. I’m constantly surprised by the number of people on Twitter who use automated DMs. (For those who don’t know, a DM is a direct message sent via Twitter which can only be seen by the receiver and sender, not by the entire Twitterverse, and an automated DM is one that is addressed, basically, to “to whom it may concern.” It’s like receiving a mass, bcc email. Or an automated telephone call.)

Automated DMs might be the hottest thing in the Twitterverse, as I saw it described by one blogger, but they leave me feeling rather cold. If you want to thank me, do it as a mention, or do it with a personalized DM. You want me to like your Facebook page? Get to know me first — or, better yet, let me get to know you better.

I read once about a Tweep who goes so far as to unfollow anyone who sends him an automated DM after he follows them. I haven’t done that — yet. But, remember, there’s a reason I followed you in the first place. It’s because I thought you were interesting. And had something to say. Not because I was asked to do so in an automated message.

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This. Could. Be. You.

Are you a writer? (Note: Read this post in your best 2 a.m. infomercial voice.) Have you thought about guest posting on a blog, but didn’t know where to start? Who to contact? Do you wonder who in their right mind would let you write a guest post?

Well, this is your lucky day!

I am looking for guest bloggers who have something to say about writing — how to do it, why to do it, where to do it… You get the idea.

Contact me through Twitter or my website. And if you act now, you will receive… well, you will receive nothing, but I always wanted to say that.

Thank you. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

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My First (& Probably Only) Facebook Ad

I’ve had my Facebook Fan Page for a few months, and I’d always seen those little ads on the right side that try to goad you into advertising on Facebook.

I was curious about it, so I decided to give it a try. I created a cute little ad, using my Baby Grand graphic and the easy-to-use Facebook tools, and set a week-long campaign. I didn’t want to spend all that much for this little experiment, so I set a daily budget of $5 for 7 days with a CPC (cost-per-click) set-up. There is a bidding system with Facebok ads that, after reading extensively about it, I still don’t really understand, but basically in order to be seen, you bid with other advertisers to secure ad space. Bid too low, and you don’t get seen — which I learned the first two days, when I ignored the suggested bids and chose to set a bid of 5 cents. On the third day, I caved and set a bid of $1.17 (the low end of Facebook’s suggested bid range) — which I thought was ridiculously high for a suggested bid, considering my daily budget was $5, but whatever.

And voila! The impressions started, and so did the clicks. Few of them, but there they were. At the end of my little week-long campaign, I had about 93,000 impressions and a mere 36 clicks from those (was it my ad copy? my graphic? my intended audience? who knows?). And of those 36, only about 10 or so actually became a fan of my page.

In the end, I spent $30 for 10 fans. Probably not the greatest or most cost-efficient marketing strategy ever attempted, but I have to say my new fans are wonderful and active, and I satisfied my curiosity.

Would I do it again? Probably not. It was fun, but word-of-mouth suits me — and my pocketbook — just fine.

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Updated Website

Yes, still waiting…

And while I am, I figured I’d go ahead and update my website. For those familiar with my old website, I know what you’re thinking… “Uh, it looks pretty much the same.” Au contraire! Okay, so my illo is the same — love my New York girl! — but I’ve actually streamlined things, slimming down from about 14 pages to 4, and updating my bio, services and contact pages. You can also link to this blog from every page of the site, as well as to my Facebook fan page, and Twitter and LinkedIn profiles. Plus, on the homepage there’s a link to the Amazon page of Good Girls Don’t Get Fat (my other baby), which is available for pre-sale now.

A big, big thank you to Amy Newton of Newton Designs who not only designed my original website, but created the new one as well. The testimonial I wrote on her website 5 years ago is as true today as it was then: “Amy is not only professional and conscientious, but very patient and easy to work with.” She’s fab, folks. The whole package.

Okay, so another thing crossed off the old to-do list. Now what?

Ring, phone. Ring…