SOCIAL LEADS: AUTHOR Q&A with Shay Banks #interview

Today's guest is author Shay Banks! Her book is titled SOCIAL LEADS: YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PLAYBOOK TO GENERATING MORE LEADS IN THE NEXT 90 DAYS and she is here today to talk about her new book and what surprised her about the whole process of getting published.

Welcome to The Writer's Life! Now that your book has been published, we’d love to find out more about the process. Can we begin by having you take us at the beginning? When did you come up with the idea to write your book?

I came up with the idea about a year ago. I kept encountering business owners and solopreneurs who just were struggling to get leads from social media. I would host workshops and speak at events in Dallas and I would hear the same questions “How can I make this social media thing work for me?” “What kinds of post am I supposed to write?”

I thought about writing a series of blog posts but then decided to just to put everything in a book as a way for people to reference over and over again.

The information in the book is timeless I feel because it’s based off solid marketing principles. The social media platforms may change, but the principles of generating leads do not.

Who is your publisher and how did you find them or did you self-publish?

I chose to self-publish. I feel like self-publishing offers much more control for authors. I get to choose the cover, the content, the length of the book, the size, etc.

Is there anything that surprised you about getting your first book published?

Well this isn’t my first book to publish. I’ve self-published 4 others. The first time I wrote a book I put a lot of pressure on myself to be perfect. Since then, I’ve been less focused on perfection and more focused on getting the content out there.

Yes, there are going to be people who will get upset about typos or misspellings. But for the most part, what I have found is that just getting the book done and into the hands of the people that need it is more important than trying to create the perfect book.

Do you believe a book cover plays an important role in the selling process?

Just like a person is judged by the clothes they wear (whether right or wrong), a book is judged by its cover.

Choosing the right book cover is so important that I have saved book cover images on my phone, on my laptop, and in a physical file folder on my desk. It helped me get an idea of how I wanted to have my book cover designed. The book cover is literally the billboard that is designed to attract your ideal readers. It’s a vital step in the selling process and should not be taken lightly.

How hard was it to write a book like this and do you have any tips that you could pass on which would make the journey easier for other writers?

Writing the book is the easy part, in my opinion. If you just allow yourself to write, let the words flow, the book will write itself. The tricky part comes when it’s time to organizing the book. For me, that is what takes the most time.

My advice: Give yourself a deadline and then add 3 months.

I actually wanted to finish this book by November of 2019. It just didn’t happen. I had to re-structure the book three times. I needed to add more details in certain places so that there was more clarity for the reader. I had to edit, then re-edit, and then re-edit again all the changes.

What other books are you working on and when will they be published?

I’m focused solely on this book at the moment. But I’m sure more books will be coming in the future.

What’s one fact about your book that would surprise people?

I don’t think there’s anything that will surprise people. They may be taken aback by ALL the information I’m giving away! Or they may be taken aback by the fact that I literally give examples of posts for different platforms that people can adapt to their own industries.

But I don’t think anything will surprise people. I think more than anything, this book will give them clarity about social media marketing for their business. It will also arm them with action steps they can take right now to market their business in a non-sleazy and non-salesy kind of way across all social media platforms.

Finally, what message are you trying to get across with your book?

I really want to convey to the small business owner and solopreneur who is overwhelmed with running their business that if they want their business to make money, they cannot neglect social media marketing. Period.

Ya know, ten years ago, social media was like this sandbox people just dabbled in for fun. But now, it’s a necessity. In fact, according to Forbes 78% of consumers judge whether to do business with a company based off that company’s social media posts.

That’s incredible right? So my main message here is, big or small, social media marketing s supremely important.

But it doesn’t have to be as overwhelming as most business owners are making it out to be. You CAN generate leads from social media with a following of a couple hundred people and by posting a few times per week.

Thank you again for this interview! Do you have any final words?

I am so grateful for this opportunity. Thank you so much for the interview and allowing me to share my knowledge. If anyone would like more information they can definitely email me or follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram.

Shay Banks helps entrepreneurs get more leads and sales with social media. If you’re not filling your pipeline with new leads, Shay can show you how to use your social media pages to do just that. Get more leads now by grabbing your free social media toolkit at: www.shaybanks.com.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

Website: www.shaybanks.com

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/sbankstech

Struggling To Profit From Social Media?

It’s more than likely not your fault. There is a lot of misinformation (and outright lies) being told about how social media is supposed to work. In Social Leads you will discover post ideas to use on Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and more!

Your Very Own Social Media Playbook You Can Use Over and Over

If you want to add social media to your marketing plan, this is the playbook you need to get started. Understand how each platform works and how so you can achieve your business’s goals. Inside this action-oriented book, you’ll learn:

How to get traffic to your social media pages for free
What to do when you’ve tried everything on social media and you’re not getting results
Example social media posts (with pictures) to help get your creative juices going
Plus more!