Viral Marketing? Think Content

Bill Wasik

It's no secret that FaceBook, Twitter, and YouTube can provide far-reaching and free marketing, but the question is, how to use them effectively? Bill Wasik, senior editor of Harper's Magazine, creator of the Flash Mob, and author of And Then There's This (Viking, June 2009), presented a primer on creating content for social media, including tips on what not to do, at the ABA education session "Viral Marketing in Our Viral Culture" at BookExpo America.

Wasik began by giving a quick overview of old versus new media, and noted that we can all be in the media business now. But not all new media is created equal. In order to be successful at creating "spreadable" information, that information must be genuine, he said. In other words, thinking in terms of "viral marketing" can lead to creating content that feels like marketing, or an ad, and then it's dead. The common pitfall, Wasik said, is "pointing people to what you want them to see rather than creating something interesting."

Instead, "the moral of the story is to give away content," he said. "Think extras." Supply additional information, either curated or original, including book excerpts, author Q&As, videos, author backstories, and consider asking visiting authors for original content. He also reminded booksellers to link to authors' sites, which "can create a very positive feedback loop."

Booksellers can parlay their role as book curators into author-information curators and add value to their websites, said Wasik. "The reason people love independent bookstores and come to independent bookstores is that you can tell them what's good and what isn't. That same controlling intelligence can be used on a website as a way to help people sift through the vast Internet."

In response to a bookseller who asked if social media is only relevant to young people, Wasik underscored that FaceBook has "really crossed a chasm" in terms of age. "My mom and my father-in-law have sent me FaceBook requests," he said. "It's a mistake to think of it just being about a younger demographic."

During the session, several booksellers mentioned how inane social media can be, and Wasik agreed, but said that shouldn't stop anyone. "It's definitely a lot of noise. But you can't ignore that world. It's more useful instead to talk about how to use it."

Still, social media has no shortage of bookseller fans. One said that she finds Twitter, which has 14-million users, to be a time saver. (ABA's Sarah Rettger has written a concise introduction to Twitter.) To winnow titles for a Europa backlist special, she tweeted a question asking booksellers what they recommended. She got good feedback and placed her order. She said, "It's given me a lot of time back." --Karen Schechner