by Edie Melson @EdieMelson
We all know it’s important for writers to have a solid presence
online.
But many of us struggle with Social Media commitment issues. We
have good intentions, but our follow-through may be less than stellar.
So today I’d like to share some tips to help you stay on track.
Stay Committed to Social Media
1. Set Reasonable Expectations. I think this is the most important piece
of advice I can give you. When I first started blogging, I wanted to excel at
it. So my inclination was to set the bar high, posting at least five times a
week. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I might not be able
to keep up. So instead I started slow, posting once a week, and only adding
more days to my schedule when I knew I could handle it. It has been the
smartest thing I’ve ever done. I’ve managed all my social media this way, and I
believe it’s the one thing that has contributed the most to my success.
2. Don’t try to do it all at once. Along with reasonable expectations, don’t
try to jump into everything at once. I began with blogging, moved into
Facebook, and then into Twitter. Taking things one at a time helps you
establish good habits without overburdening yourself.
3. Don’t try to do it all. It’s important to find a few things that
you like with social media and stick with those. As I’m writing this, there are
approximately 123 social media platforms. Five minutes from now that number
will change. We can’t all do everything. Find the networks that work for you
and concentrate on those instead of chasing every new things that comes up.
4. Diversify. Yes, stick with only a few. But make sure
you are spreading your social media time between several networks. We all know
that things change, and that’s true with social media. If you have all your
social media eggs in one basket, you can get burned when those changes occur.
5. Give yourself a break. Trust me, life happens. There are going to be days when you
won’t be able to give the time you want to social media. Relax, it will be
fine. Kids get sick, deadlines appear, and tragedies strike. Keep your
priorities reasonable and learn to be gentle with yourself.
6. Set a time
limit. Remember
social media is the means to an end. It’s the way to connect to your audience.
Use it as a tool, but don’t spend all your time on it. Most of all, don’t let
it interfere with your commitment to writing.
7. Celebrate
your successes. It’s easy to get discouraged when the numbers move slowly.
But small consistent steps will get you where you want to go. So celebrate the
process.
8. Remember
they’re people, not numbers. Yes, we want to improve our platform, but don’t focus on the
numbers, focus on the relationships. After all, that’s why we’re doing this.
These are the
things I use to help overcome my social media commitment issues. I’d love to
hear your tips, too. Be sure to leave them in the comments section below.
Don’t forget to
join the conversation!
Blessings,
Edie
TWEETABLES
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ReplyDeleteHi, Edie. It has taken me about a year of visiting blogs and interacting in FB reader and author groups to find where I fit and where my time is well spent. It feels good to declutter. :) The most important thing I’ve learned through that process is it truly is about relationships and people, not numbers. I’ve been able to develop relationships that started by meeting someone at a writing event, and I look forward to meeting online friends face-to-face at future writing events.
ReplyDeleteKaren, that’s awesome! Thanks for sharing your journey, Blessings, E
DeleteEdie, I've been following your advice and I'm growing followers and enjoying my time on social media. I take 1 hour Monday morning and post all my social media for the week; 1 per day on Facebook and 3-4 on Twitter. I use IFTTT to repost this blog whenever you post. It looks like I'm active all day. I take 5 minutes two to three times per day to check in and thank people for following, and/or read other tweets. If I don't stick to my schedule I will spend all day on Facebook.
ReplyDeleteCherrilyn, you do such an awesome job! And now you’re showing others the way! You’re an inspiration to so many, blessings, E
DeleteGreat tips, Edie! Blessings!
ReplyDeleteIngram, I’m so glad you found them helpful!
DeleteHi Edie,
ReplyDeleteThese principles are key, and I follow this model myself. Although what's hard is allowing for myself when life happens. It'd be interesting to me to find out how many of us struggle with this? I currently blog once a week, but I hope to add a second day this summer. Thanks for the wonderful advice.
Blessings,
Laurie
Laurie, we all struggle with social media and blogging when life happens. But when we have a process in place, it’s much easier to get back on track, Blessings, E
DeleteEdie, when I first set up my blog I tried twice a week. But, I found it took a lot of time so I went to once a week. Then, I found out about a link up and writing for five minutes, not editing (much) and then posting an linking. It's fun, and I've met a lot of people through this. The hard thing about blogging isn't writing the post and finding the pictures. I love hearing from readers and I love visiting commenters' blogs, but it takes time. I'm trying to balance that. I've always been consistent with my blogging schedule (twice/week). I take a break in December, and sometimes in the summer if we have a lot of family commitments. I always let my readers know when I do this.
ReplyDeleteFor other social media, last fall, I began scheduling tweets and posts for Twitter and my FB author page. I usually schedule them the weekend before. My Twitter posts have gotten more attention, and I've gotten new followers. I felt like taking the time to schedule posts on my FB author page didn't garner the ROI I'd hoped for. Now, with the new rules, I won't be scheduling any, but I am trying to figure out a schedule for me to post on my page. It's just disheartening when my numbers are so low.
Sorry, I wrote a novel without intending too. Great post, Edie!