Using Rank My Book as Part of a Social Media Marketing Plan by Ken Dunn

Dear Writers,

I’m always on the lookout for new social media tools for authors. When I heard about Rank My Book, I thought you’d want to hear about it, too. Ken Dunn is the founder of Rank My Book. Enjoy!

Rochelle, the Write Now! Coach

Using Rank My Book as Part of a Social Media Marketing Plan

By Ken Dunn

In recent years, social media has become the principal place for promotion, for people from all walks of life, from small business owners to famous actors.  Of course, authors are also taking advantage of social media avenues like Facebook and Twitter to promote their works on a global scale. A marketing strategy that includes a good deal of social media can be critical for both emerging and successful authors.  However, if an author only uses these sites for self-promotion, fans and followers will quickly tune out.  It can be a struggle to engage effectively, especially if an author is missing their target audience.

Authors often set up accounts on Facebook and Twitter, but as their posting and engagement decreases, so will their visibility.  Twitter is an opportunity to engage with a global community, whether it’s sharing news (personal and worldwide) or engaging in a discussion with other users.  Facebook, on the other hand, is great for posting pictures and videos, sharing events the author might be taking part in, and more in-depth content to keep readers interested and entice them to engage.  The social aspect of social media can be taken advantage of to build a loyal readership.

Facebook and Twitter can be very effective for authors to promote a new book and engage with readers, but there are also examples of social media that exist just for readers.  By engaging with a smaller but more passionate audience, authors are increasing their potential reader base.  GoodReads helps connect readers with other readers, so those that love an author’s book can share it and build buzz.  This is a great way to promote a work without burning out the fans that may follow an author on Twitter and Facebook; fans will do the work by simply sharing a book they love.  Rank My Book takes things a few steps further, engaging readers in several ways that can help an author gain notice for their book.

Rank My Book has several features that authors can take advantage of as part of an overall author social media marketing plan:

• Rank My Book is free, easy-to-use, and dedicated to helping authors promote their work.  Authors with little or no marketing budget can benefit from the site as much as those with funds earmarked for the purpose.

• Both readers and authors can contribute books on Rank My Book.  This enables authors not only to share their own books, but also engage with readers as readers themselves by sharing favorites.  There’s no limit to the amount of books an individual can add.  Allowing authors, contributors, and fans to promote, rank, and share books creates a strong community of literary people.

• Rank My Book is an objective, worldwide ranking system for books.  Once a reader or author contributes a book, other users may become fans.  The more fans a book has, the higher its rank; books are ranked by genre.

• Authors have the chance for their book to be ranked among the best in its genre.  If this occurs, authors are able to add this credential to their book jacket, media kit, and bio.  Also, authors can link their page to an online store or blog, making it extremely easy to sell more books.  In addition, Rank My Book makes frequent Facebook and Twitter posts promoting its highly ranked books.

• Authors are able to contribute articles.  Contributing can help an author gain notice in the Rank My Book community, as well as worldwide by sharing the link on other social media platforms.  In addition to connecting with readers through articles, this can also help bring new users to Rank My Book.  An author’s article can be a springboard to draw in others who will rank their book highly.

New and seasoned authors alike know that social media is a vital for book promotion and readership building.  Rank My Book includes a global ranking system unique to other social media, making it a powerful tool, and a useful part of any author’s marketing strategy.

About the author. Ken Dunn is the founder of Rank My Book, an unbiased worldwide book ranking website where authors and readers can share their favorite books.  In 2008, he self- published his first book, Being the Change, selling over 100,000 copies and his second book, The Most Important Minute, was even more successful.  He partnered with three colleagues to publish his third book, MLM Heart Attack, which was when he realized that the self-publishing world was flawed and that he had a lot to offer it, determining that he would change the way that people read, write, and experience books.  Ken currently lives with his wife, Julie, and children—Matthew and Laura—in Toronto, Canada. Follow Ken Dunn on Twitter @Ken_Dunn