Here Is A Quick Way To Improve Your Twitter Profile To Sell More Books

If you are on Twitter and you are happy to simply connect with friends and pass the time of day, then this article is NOT for you. If fact, this blog is probably not for you.

However…

If you are interested in using Twitter to sell more books, then welcome aboard.

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I am betting that by just making a couple of the changes that I outline in this article you will be able to sell more books, all without doing any extra work.

Sounds too good to be true?

Well, it all comes down to attitude.

So here’s the big secret — Twitter is nothing more that a funnel to direct potential fans to buy your book.

Yeah, I know it’s not that simple.

And…

I am not suggesting that you become the Spam King. But come on, let’s face it. If you are a self-publishing writer AND you are not using Twitter to draw attention to your book, then you are wasting your time.

With all that in mind. Here’s the tips that will earn you sales:

1. Pick a memorable Twitter name — It should be a name that relates to you, is easy to spell and is searchable. Please note - Harry Potter is not a searchable name. Think about just how many Google pages you will have to wade through until you finally come to your link. I would also suggest you stay away from the name of your book. After all, what happens when you write that second book?

2. Add a sexy profile pic — Now I am not talking swimsuit sexy, I am talking Twitter sexy. Your pic should be either a clear head and shoulder picture OR a picture relevant to your book (book covers work well). Remember, your picture needs to be clear even when shrunk down and viewed on a phone. Oh yeah, and please resist the temptation to change your picture every couple of days. Fans get used to seeing your picture, each time you change it you risk confusing or losing followers.

3. Supercharge your bio — OK, tip 1 and 2 are good, but this is the gold dust. The aim of your bio is to do two things: Explain what you will be tweeting and to show people why they should follow you.

My suggestions is that you include a description of the kinds of tweets you write. For example, you might say, ‘I tweet 5 or 6 times a day with links to resources for writers.’ Or… maybe, ‘My tweets come thick and fast but always focus on what it means to be a writer.’

The second part is to SAY how your tweets will add value to your followers. For example, you could say, ‘My tweets will try and teach you to write more effectively.’ OR… maybe, ‘My tweets will direct you to free resources for writers.’ Remember, you are trying to add value to your followers.

Here’s @BubbleCow’s bio to try and give you a taste:

Self-Publishing or Submitting To An Agent? We can help… Publishing experts tweeting links to help you get published and sell more books.

‘So what’s this got to do with selling more books?’ I hear you shout.

Well… everything in fact. By carefully constructing your bio, you are pre-selecting your followers. You see, bigger isn’t always better. You are looking for Twitter followers who may, one day, buy your book. If you have written a book about the history of the Second World War, then you want followers interested in history. If you have written a romance novel, then you want readers of romance novels. The key is not no be afraid of putting off followers.

Let’s take another look at the @BubbleCow bio. The first line says, ‘Self-Publishing or Submitting To An Agent?’ This is a very clear message. If you are not a writer, then BubbleCow is not for you. In fact, if you are not a writer, then I really don’t want you to be following @BubbleCow, our tweets will just be annoying.

This means that it is important that you use words in your bio that resonant with the types of people you want to follow your Twitter feed.

4. Link to your website — The final piece of the jigsaw is the link to your website. I suggest that you think very carefully about where you send people who are clicking the link from your Twitter profile. To send them to a general webpage is a waste. My advice is that you send them to a page designed especially. Here is a link to the page from the @BubbleCow profile. If you follow the link you will see that it is designed to try and direct the actions of the reader. We want people to check out our services, so we provide them with clear instructions.

So this leaves the question — What do you want people to do when they come to your site? If you want them to buy your book, then make sure the Twitter landing page has a huge book buying link. If you want them to sign up for a newsletter, then make the form clear.

So… that’s it.

These few tips will help fashion your Twitter profile page so that it will pre-select followers and then direct them gently (or not so gently) to your book.