Nancy Hendrickson

If you’re like me, most of your Amazon purchases are completed only after reading other people’s reviews. We may not trust a publisher’s hype, but we do tend to trust the opinion of other readers.

Can you use this review system to market your own book?  You bet.  Here’s how.

Search Amazon for a book you’ve read that ranks high in your genre.  Then, register to be an Amazon reviewer (if you already have an account, you can review).   BUT, make sure you’ve set up a profile page that includes a link to your own website.

Next, write a review for the popular book.  Either in the review itself, or in your profile, be sure to mention you own book or website. If other readers perceive that you really know the topic, they’re more apt to go over and check out your book.

You’ve probably been reading about Twitter for Business all over the Internet. Some of the big-time marketing gurus swear their success is due, in part, from their (non-spammy) Twittering.  What do you think?

I’ve been playing with Twitter for several months and my experience is a positive one. I landed a client via an online colleague’s "followers", and have recently picked up several followers who are interested in my writing, marketing and consulting services.

If you’ve never Twittered, get over there and open a free account.  Then have some fun with these Twitter tools: Twitter Widget: Adds a card to your Twitter photo, name and latest post. (here’s a sample) Ten Best Twitter Tools for WordPress: Includes scripts to Tweet from your sidebar or add your RSS feed to Twitter. Twitter Fan Wiki:

Dozens of cool applications for Twitter. Includes tools like Outlook add-ons, desktop Twitter clients, and Firefox add-ons.