Indie Tuesday—Reaching YA or NA Readers Online

by Charity Tinnin @CharityTinnin

What if your readers don't read traditional blogs? This is a question both Jessica and I have wrestled with as young adult/new adult authors. Most 30 and under readers don't follow traditional blogs, and a growing number of teens use Facebook less now that their parents and grandparents have accounts. So how does an author reach YA or NA readers online?

Social Media Update—Why I've Switched from Tweetdeck to Hootsuite

For the past couple of years I’ve been singing the praises of Tweetdeck, an ancillary program to help you organize your Twitter stream. Well no more, I’ve spent the past few weeks switching to Hootsuite and I’m MUCH happier.

Why? Well, unfortunately, nothing stays the same in the changing climate of Social Networking! I know that’s the single most frustrating aspect of Social Media, but it’s one we all have to expect and learn to work around.

Last year Tweetdeck was bought by Twitter. Initially I thought that might be a good thing. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Most of the things I liked about Tweetdeck have been eliminated and we’ve been left with a clunky program that’s mostly ineffective.

Luckily, Hootsuite is more than taking up the slack. Now, before you ask, Hootsuite does have a FREE option. That’s actually the account I’m using right now, although I do think I’ll be moving up to the lowest paid option before too long. But here’s what I get in the free account: 

• 5 social profiles.
• Basic analytics.
• 2 RSS feeds.

Best of all, Hootsuite does most of the things Tweetdeck used to do. Here’s a short list of what I like about it. 

• It’s easy to schedule Tweets and Facebook posts
• You can copy and paste tweets into the update window with ease.
• It has two options for URL shortening.
• It keeps track of your @contacts to make tagging easier.
• It has a GREAT get-acquainted video to help even the rawest beginner get started. 

Every morning I spend about thirty minutes scheduling my main Tweets and Facebook posts for the day. I usually line up at least 15-20 updates for the day. I try to schedule them evenly throughout the day so I can reach people in different time zones. Here are some of the things I try to include every day.

• I search my inbox for interesting articles from my favorite social media sites.
• I post updates from my regular writing related blogs, including My Book Therapy, the Blue Ridge Conference site, Novel Rocket and Chip MacGregor’s blog. There are many others, but these are some of my favorites.
• I look to see which of my friends’ blogs have sent me an email update and I try to highlight those.
• Most days I include something about my blog or books, but lately I haven’t Tweeted as much about myself. I haven’t really needed to. A lot of the people I interact with on Twitter are as diligent about posting info about others as I am.

During the day, while I’m working I check Hootsuite periodically to see who’s retweeted or mentioned me.

I do try to do an @reply to anyone who highlights something I’ve done. This accomplishes two things—it gives them a mention and it’s a public way to say thank you.

A lot of people ask me if my schedule has been beneficial? You better believe it! I’ve reached the magic 1000 follower mark on Twitter and I’ve been adding between 15 and 20 followers a day. And, I don’t spend much more than the 30 minutes every morning to schedule my Tweets and Facebook posts.

So I’m curious, how is Twitter working out for you? What are your frustrations and successes. Let’s learn from each other.

Don’t forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie

Thursday Review—Social Media Examiner

I try to stay up to date on Social Networking and SocialMedia Examiner is one of my go-to sites. I’ve been impressed with the relevance of their topics. I’m also a fan because they explain the many different applications in plain English—no undecipherable geek speak here.

The site is huge, with daily updates. But they keep it manageable with well thought out categories that make sense, no matter where you are in your social networking journey. They also have an active Facebookpage that proves a case study for everything they teach. Their sizable presence on Google+ is proof that this is no behind-the-times teaching site.

Another thing I really like is all of the video tutorials available. I don’t normally watch online videos—the quality of the average online offering tends to be poor and slanted toward selling me something I don’t need. Not these. I really enjoy them, a switch for me, since I generally find it easier to read directions and apply them. Social Media Examiner offers many different ways to develop competence in social networking.

Overall, this is one of my top picks when it comes to researching an unfamiliar aspect of social media. I recommend you sign up for their daily updates and like their Facebook page.

What about you? Do you have any sites you recommend to help us stay up to date with social media?

Don’t forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie

So How Much Time Do I REALLY Have to Spend on Social Networking?

Truthfully—the bare minimum.

Yep, you read that right.

But what about the hype, the promises, the RESULTS? Don’t the results increase in direct proportion to the effort? No, not so much.

Fairly quickly, the return on investment when, it comes to time and social networking, begins to diminish. I that sounds counter-intuitive, but it’s the absolute truth.

That said, how much time is required?

It depends…on your expertise, your audience and the desired result. 

Your Expertise

With any new skill, including social networking, there is a learning curve. It takes time to come up to speed on how to use Twitter, Facebook and Blogging platforms effectively.

But, you don’t need to become an expert. After all, you want to be a writer—not a social media expert! So how do you know when you're expert enough to be effective? Here are some basics you should have mastered:

Twitter: You need to have a Twitter account and know the basics of tweeting. Here is the first, second and third in a series I wrote about Twitter. And one stand alone post about Twitter.

• How to compose an effective tweet.
• How to use hashtags correctly. Here’s a post on that.
• The difference between a direct message, a reply and a tweet.

Facebook: You need to have a Facebook account and know how to navigate Facebook. Here's a helpful post.

• How to accept friend requests, as well as send them.
• How to hide unwanted posts.
• How to compose an effect Facebook post.
• How to configure your account privacy settings to protect yourself and your family while still interacting with readers and clients.
• The difference between a regular page and a fan page.

Blogging: You should have a blog—to practice writing on a deadline if nothing else. Here are parts one, two and three of a series I wrote on blogging.

• You need to know how often to post. Unsure what’s best? Here’s a post to help you decide.
• How to use keywords and labels effectively.
• How to tie your title to your keywords.
• How to use photos and videos to illustrate and partner with your posts.
• How to answer comments effectively.
• Which platform best suits your needs and skill level. Here is a comparison of the three most popular platforms.

Over the next few weeks I’m going to be explaining these topics more in-depth. But for now here’s my short answer on how much time to spend each day—once you’re familiar with social networking.

You should spend no more than 30 to 45 minutes per day, five days a week on social networking. 

Yep, after talking with thousands of authors and writers, I’ve found that any more time than that becomes counter-productive and actually interferes with our writing.

If you’re spending more time than that per day, something’s not working. So now it’s your turn, how much time do you spend daily on social networking? Is it working for you? Do you know how to tell if it’s working? I’d love to have you share your answers and your questions in the comments.

And don’t forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie