Using Social Media for Sales Success

Using Social Media

for Sales SuccessHOW TO BUILD YOUR PERSONAL BRAND ONLINE

Laura Reeth & Leigh-Anne Lawrence

2014 Nora Roberts Writing Institute | www.nrwi.org

As a new author, should you

be using social media?

Yes.

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Do you have to be on every

social media network?

No.

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Finding Your Comfort Zone

Choose one social media platform to start with. Just one.

Decide on what “voice” you will use: Funny and wise-cracking? Playful, but professional?

Serious and scholarly?

Decide on a consistent posting schedule for your account. Stick to that schedule.

Remember: Don’t spread yourself too thin—especially in the beginning. Writing your book

is your number one job.

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Pros & Cons of Different Platforms

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FacebookCurrent Stats

- 829 million daily active users

- 1.28 billion monthly active users

- 1.01 billion mobile monthly active users

- 72% of online adults visit Facebook at least once a month

- There are more than 50 million Facebook pages

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Pros

- Well-established network with a wide

range of users in all age groups

- Most popular social media network with

largest number of users

- Posts can be pre-scheduled either through

Facebook itself or through online

scheduling sites like Hootsuite or Buffer

Cons

-Younger users are moving to Twitter,

Instagram, etc.

- Users have to be following you to see

your content

- Frequent changes to the News Feed make

it harder for your content to be seen

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Source: www.mediabistro.com

TwitterCurrent Stats

- 255 million monthly active users

-1 billion total users

- 500 million tweets are sent each day

- 46% of Twitter users tweet at least once a day

-44% of users have never sent a Tweet (consider them inactive)

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Pros

- New fans can find you easily through the

use of commonly or universally used hash

tags

- You can reach a wider range of users

- Younger users prefer Twitter to Facebook

- You can pre-schedule posts using online

management sites like Hootsuite or Buffer

Cons

- Requires more maintenance

(i.e., you should be posting daily

or even multiple times a day)

- Older or less tech savvy users sometimes

have more difficulty with this platform

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Twitter Hash Tags for Writers

What is a hash tag?A hash tag is a word preceded by the pound sign:

#writing

It allows you to tag your content so that other users can find and follow you, and, most importantly, to share your content far and wide.

Writing Hash Tags #writing

#writetip

#amwriting

#amediting or #amrevising

#writegoal

#writerslife

Publishing Hash Tags #mswl is used by agents/editors looking for submissions (it’s a great way to find agents looking for work in specific genres)

#askagent and #askeditor are used to ask agents/editors questions

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LL Get more writing hash tags at www.aerogrammestudio.com/2013/03/12/100-twitter-hashtags-every-writer-should-know

Google+Current Stats


-1.6 billion total users

- 22% of online adults visit Google+ once a month

- Average time spent on Google+ is seven minutes per month

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Pros

- Having a Google+ page will put you higher

in Google search results (posts are indexed

almost immediately by Google)

- You can pre-schedule posts through online

scheduling sites like Hootsuite or Buffer

- Google Hangouts allow you to videochat

with users live

Cons

- Very young platform that is growing due to

Google packaging it with other services

more so than on its own merit

- On average, less investment/ engagement

than Facebook and Twitter for many users

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InstagramCurrent Stats


- 20 billion + photos have been shared on Instagram

- 50 million users signed up for Instagram in a six-month period in 2014

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Pros

- Highly visual, which leads to higher

engagement

- Can be updated from your smart

phone

- Users can easily find your content

through commonly or universally

used hash tags

Cons

- Big time investment: unless you are

part of a communal project, you will

need to spend time finding other

accounts to follow and/or content

to share

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Posts book

teasers

Post photos

of hangouts

with other

authors

Post photos

from his life

(drawings, his

pet Pug, etc.)

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LR Posts photos of things that tweak her interest and photos from her life

PinterestCurrent Stats


- 70 million total users

- 84% of women and 50% of men stay active on Pinterest

- 23% of pinners use it at least once a day

- Majority of pinners are female (80%)

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Pros

- The fastest growing social media network

- Highly visual, which leads to higher

engagement

- Great for world-building and character

development; many authors create

boards of story content to share with their

readers

- Users don’t have to be following you to

find your content

Cons

- Requires a large time investment to

maintain

- No way to pre-schedule posts

- Little ROI for growing an actual fan base

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TumblrCurrent Stats

-194.6 million Tumblr blogs

- 83.1 billion Tumblr posts

- 113.6 Tumblr posts per day

-199.1 million Tumblr visitors each month (Global)

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Pros

- Platform hybrid: Blog-like with strong

visuals and graphics like Instagram

and Pinterest

- Can schedule posts for a later date

(through Tumblr)

- Excellent way to rebroadcast blog

content

- Easy to customize

Cons

- Young community of users

- Not good for longer content

(short posts are more popular)

- Requires a large time investment to

maintain

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Source: http://expandedramblings.com

Social Media 101

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The “To-Do” List

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Spend some time getting to know a platform before you start posting. Find users you like or want to emulate and follow them.

Learn the network “lingo.” Make sure you know what is considered proper etiquette on each platform.

Fill out your profile completely (that includes adding a nice photo and providing a link back to your website or blog if you have one).

If you share content by others (which you should), make sure to give them credit. Doing so builds reciprocity and good will.

Use proper spelling and grammar in your posts.

Share yourself as well as your work: let your audience know when you are excited, when you’re working on a new project, or have read an amazing book that really touched you. Share what interests you outside of writing.

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The “Don’t Do It!” List

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Don’t rant. Rants can be dangerous and can make you look unprofessional and petty.

Don’t get defensive if someone questions or disagrees with you (or your work).

Don’t get in arguments with fans and followers.

Don’t just talk about yourself.

Don’t ignore questions or requests.

Don’t disappear for months at a time. Static accounts become dead accounts.

Don’t mix and match your professional and personal views: keep them separate. Think of your

professional writer persona as your business persona: what you would say to friends and family

you might not say to co-workers.

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Bad Behavior: Amy’s Baking Company

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What Happened: Arizona-based restaurant Amy’s Baking Company was featured on “Kitchen Nightmares” in May 2013. The show revealed that the owners:

- Resold cakes made by other bakeries at higher prices- Treated their employees terribly- Cursed out customers who complained about their food

Social Media Firestorm: A public shaming campaign began on sites like Yelp, as well as the bakery’s

Facebook and Twitter pages. The owners did not handle it well.

One of their early Facebook posts read: “I AM NOT STUPID ALL OF YOU ARE. YOU JUST DO NOT KNOW GOOD FOOD. IT IS NOT UNCOMMON TO RESELL THINGS WALMART DOES NOT MAKE THEIR ELECTRONICS OR TOYS SO LAY OFF!!!!”

Sources: International Business Times (www.ibtimes.com)

www.fox.com/kitchennightmaresLL

http://www.ibtimes.com/kitchen-nightmare-contestants-amys-baking-company-insult-everyone-complete-online-meltdown-1259285

http://www.ibtimes.com/

http://www.fox.com/kitchennightmares

Warning: Author Faux Pas Alert

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Lynn Shepherd (a.k.a. the author who told J.K. Rowling she should stop writing adult

fiction for the sake of other writers)

What Happened: In February 2014, Shepherd wrote an article for the Huffington Post stating that Rowling should stop writing for adults because her book “sucked

the oxygen from the entire publishing and reading atmosphere” and that she

should “keep writing for kids, or for [her] personal pleasure – I would never deny

anyone that - but when it comes to the adult market [she’s] had [her] turn.”

The Result: She was publically shamed on social media and on literary and writing blogs. People also took to Amazon where they began leaving negative reviews for

Shepherd’s work, effectively lowering her star ratings, damaging her personal

brand, and diminishing her potential fan base.

Sources: http://litreactor.com/news/author-hilariously-tells-rowling-to-stop-writing-if-she-cares

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/lynn-shepherd/jk-rowling-should-stop-writing_b_4829648.htmlLL

Back to Basics: Social Media for Authors

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Finding Your Balance: Writing vs. Marketing28

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1. Set priorities. Your first priority needs to be your writing. If you’re not writing, there’s nothing to

market

2. Create a schedule. Schedule time to work on social media. This includes not only posting your

own content, but finding other users to follow, commenting, sharing content by others, etc.

Don’t forget: Schedule time to walk away and return to your writing.

3. Be consistent. Stick to your schedule and don’t let your social media (or your writing) lapse.

Author-Specific Social Media

New Authors

Share what you’ve learned about writing

Share what you’re reading when you’re not writing to encourage conversation

Share your non-writing interests like cooking or arts in your city

Talk about your creative process including your struggles and challenges

Established Authors

Offer sneak peeks of your writing

Hold contests for fans/followers

Offer giveaways (bookmarks, etc.)

Continue doing everything in the left-hand column (make sure readers continue to see the “real” you)

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Social Media & Writer Resources

Social Media News

& Updates

Business 2 Community

Grow

Jeff Bullas

Mashable

Media Bistro

The Next Web

Social Media Examiner

Social Media Today

Marketing/Branding

Resources for Writers

The Book Designer

CopyBlogger

Galley Cat

Jane Friedman

Where Writers Win

The Write Life

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Final Takeaways: Building Your Personal Brand

Be yourself. Be real and authentic. Your voice is your brand.

Be professional and respectful of others.

Focus on the positive instead of the negative.

Think before you post. Once something is online, it lives forever.

Be gracious. Thank followers who mention you or compliment your work.

Share content by others. Don’t just promote yourself.

Create community. Schedule time to browse sites, read things that capture your interest, comment, and participate in online conversations.

Be consistent. Post content on a weekly or daily basis.

Treat social media like email. Check your accounts every day and respond to fan questions in a timely manner.

Remember: Social media is about engagement. If you don’t engage, your fan base won’t grow.

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Questions?

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Laura Reeth

Follow: @lmreethLeigh-Anne Lawrence

Follow: @writenowsocial

Using Social Media for Sales Success

Social Media

Transcript of Using Social Media for Sales Success