If you’re a writer, you know you need a following. You’ve probably heard a lot lately about the value of building a “platform.” That’s what everyone seems to be talking about these days on every writing and agenting and publishing blog and website out there. And there’s good reason for that.
With the publishing industry in such a state of turmoil these day because of the advent of ePublishing, agents and publishers are leaning toward writers that can bring their own “following” to the table in the form of a large social media network. So an existing platform is a definite positive asset in your marketing toolbox.
And that’s great-if you have a platform. The problem is, a lot of unknown writers don’t know how to go about creating such a network of devoted followers. Word of mouth is one communication method. Email can add another message channel. Of all the potential ways to communicate your message, social media is probably the most powerful at this point. And one way to cash in on that media and increase your network is to create a “fan page” on Facebook. There are several ways to create a fan page, but following the steps below will give you a very dramatic result and cost you absolutely nothing.
STEP ONE: Head over to Wix.com and create your fan page.
Wix is a flash-based hosting service for websites and blogs. It’s a great site that has a lot to offer. They have a large selection of templates that are designed specifically for Facebook fan pages. And they’re very simple to use. Go to the site, pick your template, and begin. You don’t need to have your fan page already set up on Facebook.
The Wix system is very intuitive. Even if you’re not graphic design savvy, you shouldn’t have any trouble getting through it and creating something beautiful to use as your new Facebook fan page.
STEP TWO: Publish your new fan page.
As mentioned, you don’t need to have your fan page set up on Facebook. You can take care of that requirement when you’re on the Wix site. And once you do that, you can publish your new page to your newly created fan page location. It’s really that simple.
STEP THREE: Invite friends.
Once you get your page uploaded, you can click on the “invite friends” link and start sending out invitations to your new fan page site. You can either pick existing Facebook friends or import your own email list. You’ll also want to let new friends know about your new fan page. If you get a friend request at your regular page, send them a note with your new link when you accept their request. Before you know it, you’ll have a growing network of new friends and the kind of platform agents and publishers are looking for.