Make Twitter Work for You, a Post by R. Clint Peters

I recently learned a very important lesson, reported in a previous blog entitled: Something to Think About on a Wednesday Morning.

What did I learn?  If you do nothing, you get nothing.

It seems to be a very simple lesson, but it is also a lesson we all sometimes forget.

How did I learn the lesson?

The first indication that I wasn’t seeing results in The Book Reviewers Club Twitter account was the lack of e-mails telling me that someone new was following the club (@review_club).   Every time someone follows the club on Twitter, an e-mail is sent to thebookreviewersclub@hotmail.com,

Normally, the account gets five or more e-mails per day, but recently, the account has received one or two.  Why?  Because I have not been tweeting anything.

The only time anyone on Twitter knows you exist is when you tweet something.

Yes, it is a hit and miss situation.  Your tweet will normally be seen only if one of your followers happens to be sitting at his or her computer at the exact moment you send the tweet.  (Yes, there are those who scan back into previous tweets, but for the purpose of this discussion, they are a very small number.)   If I send no tweets, no one will know that The Book Reviewers Club is still alive.  My bad.

Unfortunately, there seems to be a pattern of tweets that should be automatically ignored, although occasionally, even I click on something I see in the tweets running down my computer screen.

The objective of every tweet is to have someone click on the link provided  in the tweet.  That’s where the numbers game begins to be played.  Only 1 in 100 followers will see the tweet, and 1 in 100 of those who see the tweet will click the link.   I am confident the casinos in Las Vegas like those odds for their winners.

The Book Reviewers Club has 1559 followers.   Using the math, 15.59 will see the link and 1.55 will click on it.  When I was tweeting, I was sending out 5-8 tweets per day.  Apparently, someone saw the tweets and clicked on the link to follow the club; the club e-mail was notified several times each day that someone new was following.

And, when the tweets stopped, the notifications stopped.  Simple math.

Now, how do I get more than 1.55 people to take a look at The Book Reviewers Club (and take a look at the club membership by clicking through the various pages on the club blog)?  It’s another simple answer:  Increase the number of people who can potentially see the tweet by retweeting.

I have a personal Twitter account with 688 followers.  Each time I tweet on The Book Reviewers Club account, I go to my personal account, and retweet what was sent out on @review_club.  In one simple click, I add 688 to the 1559 for a total of 2247 potential viewers of each tweet made by @review_club.  It is no longer 1.55, but 2.24 followers who have the potential to take a look at The Book Reviewers Club.

How does that effect you, as a member of the club?

First, every time someone clicks on the link to The Book Reviewers Club, http://theauthorsclub.wordpress.com, that person has the opportunity to read your biography, and if available, to take a look at some of the things you have written.  (Note:  Check your biography to insure it is up to date and has ALL of the information you want to be made available.)

This is where things have the potential to get very interesting.  There are many reasons for someone to click on the link to the club.  The one I like best is someone looking to purchase my novel for a screenplay.  (I like Tom Selleck in the role of John Pendergast.)

Back to the numbers game.  How can you, as a club member, increase the potential views of The Book Reviewers Club?

Here are a few ways:

Follow The Book Reviewers Club on Twitter (@review_club)

Retweet every Tweet sent from The Book Reviewers Club to your followers on Twitter.  (It’s easy.  Go to the search box on your twitter page, type ‘@review_club’ (without the ‘), you will get a lit of all the tweets sent out from The Book Reviewers Club.  Go down through the tweets, and click on retweet.  You will then retweet the tweet from The Book Reviewers Club — and increase the number of potential viewers of the club, and the potential number of people who will see you.)

Submit a post to The Book Reviewers Club blog.  Your name will be prominently placed on the post (in the title) , which will put YOUR name on Twitter (Every post on The Book Reviewers Club is Tweeted.)

I have rededicated my efforts to making The Book Reviewers Club the best that it can be.  I will be posting something from R. Clint Peters once each week, in addition to the repeating posts of members biographies (1 -2 each week), and book reviews (as they come in).  I have requested several club members to submit posts, and extend an invitation to everyone who reads this blog to submit something that can be posted.

Remember, if you do nothing, you get nothing. 

#ABlogPost #RClintPeters