If you use social networking to market your book, it's possible to reach thousands of people with the click of a mouse. However, it's important to take the time to make a personal connection with those people when you can.

Here are a few examples:

LinkedIn: I meet a lot of people at events, and afterward I often receive generic requests to connect on LinkedIn. I will never understand this, as it takes only two seconds to delete the template invitation and write a personal note reminding me how we met. When I ask someone to connect, I always include a personalized message and follow up with an email if he or she accepts. You never know what opportunities might arise through a brief email exchange!

Facebook: See above if you have a Facebook page for your book or for yourself as an author. When people "like" your page, try to take the time to send them a note of thanks.

Twitter: If someone references you in a post, acknowledge it! It's easy to check for "@ mentions" on Twitter when you log in. If you only tweet about yourself, eventually people will get annoyed, so try to join in the conversation and provide value to your followers.

Newsletters: While this isn't your typical "social" channel, I've found it useful for my online networking. Anytime people sign up for my newsletter on my website, I reply with a personal email thanking them and asking how they found out about me and/or my novels. After they respond (usually shocked that I took the time to acknowledge them), I let them know I love hearing from readers (who doesn't?). I also send a link of easy ways to spread the word about my books. Then each person is off and running to help me market my novels and spreading positive word-of-mouth publicity - all because I took a moment to say thank you.

Social media is a great way to get the word out about your book. Just don't forget the power of a personal touch when you're reaching mass audiences through online marketing.

-Maria

Maria Murnane writes romantic comedies and provides consulting services on book publishing and marketing. Learn more at www.mariamurnane.com.

This blog post originally appeared on CreateSpace.com. Reprinted with permission. © 2011 CreateSpace, a DBA of On-Demand Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved.