Total Facebook Page Likes as of Today: 10,000 — But what does it mean for an author?
As of today, 5 days before my book launches, exactly 10,000 people have liked my author page.
So am I star?
Does it mean that 10,000 people are hanging on your every last post? Nope. But let’s just say that 10,000 is more than 17 (the tally of your cousins).
I see “social proof” like “perceived quality.” Back in the branding company where I used to work, we talked about the “Nordstrom Effect.” Clients, literally, asked us, “Could we have a name like Nordstrom?” (Nordstrom, by the way, is a high-end retailer in the U.S.).
We replied with something like, “Sure, no problem. Here’s what you do: Create a fantastic brand, support it with excellent customer service, do that for 100 years or so, and you’ll have a name like Nordstrom.”
They didn’t like that answer, but it was the truth.
10,000 is closer to 100,000 than it is to 0.
I’ve slogged away at gathering 10,000 Facebook likes to my “Bradley Charbonneau Author” page. I’ve promoted it, advertised for it, and mentioned it lightly in passing. So does 10,000 Facebook likes put me in the same brand class as Nordstrom? Not even close, but it’s a start.
What does 10,000 really get me?
Here’s how I see it: careful, I’m a math guy:
10,000 is closer to 100,000 than it is to 0.
You might look at that and say, “Uh. Wha?” But momentum, especially in something like physics, plays a huge role. I’m on my way up, like a rocket, and we just cleared the gravitational pull of the earth and are heading out into space where there is zero gravity. When is zero a good number? When it’s gravity. When the pull from where you were is smaller than the push towards where you’re going.
Ooh, I like that. I’m going to repeat it:
When is zero a good number? When it’s gravity. When the pull from where you were is smaller than the push towards where you’re going.
Can you see how 10,000 is closer to 100,000 than it is to 0?
Don’t ask your math teacher.
Ask an astronaut.
Ask me.
P.S. Want to know a secret? 10,000 is also closer to 1,000,000 than it is to 0. But that’s a lesson for the Advanced Math Class and school just let out.
