You want your social media to accomplish more than create a presence online. You’ll also want it to build connections with your audience. This is where you begin to take control of your author’s life. That’s right, now is the time to think of your career.
So, if you already have a social media platform and realize you’ve built it haphazardly. Or, you’re setting up a new social account as a writer and looking to grow it, use this social media checkup.
It can guide you along, improve your efforts, and get results.
Follow these ten steps. You don’t want to carelessly launch social media missiles into the digital void. Do this to create your social presence that will successfully drive a growing audience.
Have a Mission Statement
I need a mission statement! Yes, you do but, it’s not for posting in your social media. It helps to clarify your values. The things of most importance you want to convey in your social media already reside within you. Writing your values down will help you clarify what they are and bring them to your conscious awareness.
Keep it short and concise. Sum this up in a few sentences. Your mission statement should have three components.
- A statement of your vision, who you are as a creative.
- Your core values to guide your content choices, both created and shared, from which you won’t deviate.
- Then ask yourself, what impression you want to make with the audience you serve.
That’s right, the audience you serve. Always keep this in mind when drafting your mission statement. When you clearly state that which you value, the people you attract will have similar perspectives. This will help keep your communications authentic, and people will notice.
It's Time to Start Thinking as….
It’s time to start thinking of you as an author. Lay the groundwork early in your career, so it’s there to leverage in the future.
As you think so, you are.
Awareness that you’re on a career path to be an author is a necessary leap. The small steps of audience engagement and content distribution that you take now will carry you a long way. Pace yourself, one step at a time, and over the days, weeks, months, or years, it all adds up.
A mindset is a powerful tool. How you think your underlying belief in yourself will strengthen and form itself in time with experience.
When you believe in your journey and realize that your effort will have an impact on success, this is your motivation.
Write Your Bio
The first thing people read when they check out your social profile is your bio. You need to communicate your essential information quickly.
Answer, who you are and why someone should check out your site. An ambiguous bio will mean a loss of connection. Connections are the entire purpose you’re on social media.
Also, write your bio in the first-person. Third-person puts up a wall between you and your visitor. You want to make your connection quick. Social media, at its heart, is all about person-to-person relationships. You want someone to follow you for the right reasons. Give it to them in your bio.
The basic formula is:
- Tell them what you write
- Plus, the reason you love this genre
- And Why your audience should care
- Offer some of your fun sides
- Equals a great bio
Remember, you are sharing one facet of your life, your creative life, the author you will become. So, ask, what do I want my followers to know about me?
Take a profile picture
Humans are visual beings, even readers. So, don’t use an inferior, poorly lit photo for your professional social profile.
The saying is cliché, but it’s on point, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”
Create a visually appealing profile picture. It needs to convey the clear message that you are approachable, so smile.
Discover your ideal audience
Okay, have you been given an exhaustive list to fill out about who is your perfect audience? Well, what if I told you, you don’t need an endless list to check off in search of an audience.
In fact, you don’t need a list at all. I know this is against what we’ve all been told.
Really, all you need to know is yourself.
That’s right. Go back and check your bio. What genre do you write in? There’s an audience out there for that.
Remember, what did you say about why you love this genre? Guess what, there are lots of people who feel the same way.
See the connection you’ve made already. You are your audience, and your audience is you.
There is only one point of divergence that is hugely important between you and your audience despite where you overlap. You create, and readers consume. Still, it all goes together really well.
How Being Everywhere Is Being Nowhere
You might feel the need to be on every social platform there is. Don’t do this. Remember, you have a book to finish. It’s better to focus on one platform. This will help you manage your time. You decide where social media fits in your day.
I focus my primary social media efforts on Twitter. I use it at the end of my writing day. This is where people in my genre congregate, so we have a lot of shared interest. I like it because of its character limit. It forces me to be fast and concise. In half an hour, I can get a good portion of sharing, commenting, welcoming new followers, following back, and shout-outs done. On my day off, I’ll take four hours to create original content to post for the coming week.
Also, I like to use social media as a reward. Writing is a solitary occupation if you let it. This helps draw me back into the world, it’s my treat at the end of my writing time.
Yes, you can have a lite presence on other social media platforms. Usually, this is where I share any quality posts of followers or curated content that’s on topic. I’ll mention that I only visit these other sites one to a few times per week.
Remember, at the start, concentrate on one social platform and make it yours. Each platform has a rhythm all its own, master it. Build a regular habit at this. Daily use produces fluency and a natural way to make connections on your chosen platform.
Time to be Bold
As writers, we tend to be reserved in social situations. Now is the time to charge forward and engage your audience.
Give complete attention to the time you are using social media and deliver value.
Make your interactions have a purpose. Check back to your mission statement. That’s the purpose to have.
A person visiting your site begins to develop an idea of you. If your core values are clear and stick to them, the reader sees that and gains an impression of you. When that happens, and the reader decides you ring true to them, you gain a new member of your audience.
This also allows you to follow back. This person picked you out, so there must be some common ground. Check out their bio and what they post. See if they’re a good fit with their overall values and goals.
Plan Your Approach
There’s no lack of content to post, and publishing it is simple. Share posts you like, curate content, share inspiring content like quotes. Respond to other’s posts. Create your own content.
Check your mission statement and use any content that resonates and reflects you.
People want relevant, varied content and discussions, not just one type of post. So yes, mix it up.
Posts that are short and creative are compelling and desired. People consume social media at a fast pace and only pause when something captures their attention.
To get that attention, post visual content. Put an image with the content you create. People like visuals. A great resource I always use is Canva. Their free platform is flat-out amazing.
Remember, people are interested in content that produces a positive effect on their day.
Know Why You're on Social Media
You’re a writer, and remember, you will be an author. This will drive your objectives toward that goal. Go ahead, plan as if you could not fail. Know that and success will be inevitable. It will be yours, and in a way, it’s yours already.
Think about what those objectives could be. How will this all lead to the author you will become? Some of those objectives might be:
- Increasing awareness, your name recognition early on
- Become part of a community
- Grow an audience before you publish
- Generate interest and create buzz when the time is right
- Build on a community
Give Yourself Permission to Have Fun
Enjoying your time on social media is a good indicator you’re doing it right. Think of this as a new challenge, a unique opportunity.
Some become uneasy when they venture away from their comfort zone and their established routine.
Avoiding new challenges will not allow you to learn, grow, and master your future.
Give yourself permission to have a broader sense of purpose for your life. Enjoy each step of the process and have your end goal always in mind. See the big picture, and yes, indeed, it’s a big picture.
In the times you feel overwhelmed, ask yourself. Is this a stumbling block? Always know that only you can define your horizons. Instead, it might be your stepping-stone.