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Writers' Promotion and Public Relations ToolsHow to Use EGreeting Cards for Marketing and Networking
An interview with a public relations specialist about how writers can use ecards as marketing and networking tools in today's fast-paced world of communication.
According to Steve Anderson, Public Relations Specialist with 123Greetings, there are many ways in which egreeting cards can help writers promote their work. Ecards Help Build Relationships.“When an author launches a book, an ecard can be sent to fans, critics, readers and others…because ecards are not just for communication; they’re there to build relationships between readers and the writer.” He advises that ecards be used as a networking tool to keep in touch with other writers, publishers, illustrators and artists. ECards as a Marketing ToolIt is his opinion that direct mailing for marketing a book can be annoying at time, but a warm hearted e-card makes the marketing subtle and engaging. “Using e-cards makes life [for the author] much easier. Not only are they free but it saves all the time spent in mail and paper post cards. The response is almost instant from the receivers end—it gets delivered right away and you are notified when the recipient checks your ecard. Ecards also give you the freedom to personalize the message.” In addition, Anderson points out that ecards give the author a chance to send a link directly. “The link directs the reader to the website to have a look at the desired book, work or the author’s site.” Ecards as a Networking ToolAt major social networks sites, such as Facebook, Myspace, and Goggle’s Orkut, Anderson says that “Social networking makes it much easier for the author to reach out to millions of potential fans, readers and publishers or clients through ecards. 123Greetings has a multiple sending options where you can send an ecard to 100 recipients at once. This feature makes it perfect for marketing to a huge number of people at one time.” The best way to utilize ecards is to compile a list of those you want to notify with information about an article, book, essay or other creative work you have written. The list should be broken down into categories such as critics, editors, fans, publishers, readers, etc. Some ways to use the cards include a thank you for acceptance of an article by an editor and for the forthcoming payment, reminding an editor that you are available for assignments, letting local booksellers know about a book you have written, an announcement about a book signing, congratulating another writer about a new book, and thanking someone who is or has been helpful to you.. Among the internet sites providing free ecards for writers in addition to 123greetings are American greetings, blue mountain,egreetings,greetingcards, hallmark and others shown as Greeting Cards using the Google search engine. Investigate each one to learn about the services being offered and what ecards are available at no cost. Use ecards selectively and do not overwhelm recipients with an over abundance of greetings while taking advantage of this excellent marketing and networking tool for promoting your writing.
The copyright of the article Writers' Promotion and Public Relations Tools in Freelance Writing is owned by Martha R. Gore. Permission to republish Writers' Promotion and Public Relations Tools in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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