Before we discuss the final aspect of your author platform - blogging - I
want to highlight some social media mistakes to avoid to keep you on
the straight and narrow...
1) Setting up a Twitter and Facebook profile and then not using it
Aim
to visit your profile daily but limit the amount of time to between 30
minutes and 1 hour, at least in the beginning. Then it can be down to
personal preference once you've established a routine. Post great
content regularly and I guarantee you'll create a buzz, not just for
yourself, but for your followers / audience too. If you can't get to a
writing group, this is the next best thing - virtual socialising.
2) Only connecting with family and friends
The
ultimate goal of social media is to raise your profile as a writer, so
you must go beyond your family and friends circle and reach out to your
target market. This will drive traffic to your website and book/s and
people will see what you have to offer.
3) Constant self promotion
There's
a well known rule with social media, the 90/10 rule - share something
of value 90% of the time (great content that helps people) and promote
yourself for the remaining 10%. Remember, people want to get to know you
before they do business with you. You need to establish likeability and
trust first.
4) No plan
Social
media can become addictive or useless without a plan of action. You
have to ask yourself the following: What do I want to get out of this?
Who do I want to connect with? How am I going to connect with them? How
am I going to establish myself as a credible writer? How will I brand
myself? What content am I going to post? How often am I going to post
it?
It may seem bizarre, but I have a blogging plan and I
actually know what my next 100 blog posts are going to say. I haven't
written them yet, but I know what content I'm using. You need to be
thinking along the same lines. It really helps if you are trying to get
into the habit of writing something every day.
5) Not tracking progress
I'm
not purely running my website and blog for financial gain at the
moment. I'm still establishing my parameters. However, this needs to be
in the back of your mind if you're freelancing and need the income. You
want to make things easy for yourself, so link your blog to all of your
social media profiles and with one click you can potentially reach
hundreds, if not thousands of people - more on this over the coming days
when we take an in depth look at blogging. The golden rule is, if you
can measure it, you can monetise it. It's good to keep an eye on how
many people are visiting your website daily and where they are coming
from. If you can see more traffic coming from Twitter for example, then
you know to put more content to Twitter to build on this success - but
also look to see why Facebook isn't working for you.
GOOD LUCK!
Thursday, 6 June 2013
Wednesday, 5 June 2013
Steps to getting started on Facebook
We've covered building a website and using Twitter, so the next item on
the list for creating an effective online presence and author platform
is - Facebook.
Here are some tips and tricks for getting started with your new account:
1) Make use of the profile photo. It sounds obvious but you'd be surprised how many people don't.
2) Be succinct with your interests. And that goes for music, movies and books too!
3) Connect with actual friends (and family of course). Don't add random people. You are showcasing yourself (and your work with a separate Facebook page - we'll come on to this in a sec) so you don't want to be networking with potential spammers and scammers.
4) Know the difference between "suggested friends" and "friend requests". "Friend requests" are ok. "Suggested friends" will list friends of friends you may not even know.
5) Leave messages on friend's Walls but nothing incriminating...
6) Go through your privacy settings with a fine tooth comb.
7) Manage your profile. Potential employers may be checking you out. I tend to think of Facebook as my fun networking and Twitter as my more serious networking, but there's a very fine line here.
8) Ah the Facebook status... There are plenty of rules and etiquette to follow with this - and most people don't. My advice is do what you have to do, but don't make a tit of yourself. I've been there, we all have ;)
9) Be wary of all the applications. I like to keep my profile clean after kicking my addiction with Farmville!
10) Don't "poke" people unless you know them really really well.
I mentioned a Facebook page - originally I set one up specifically for my debut novel, but now I just have an Author page because it can become overwhelming when there are so many elements of your online profile that you need to update on a regular basis.
Here are some tips and tricks for getting started with your new account:
1) Make use of the profile photo. It sounds obvious but you'd be surprised how many people don't.
2) Be succinct with your interests. And that goes for music, movies and books too!
3) Connect with actual friends (and family of course). Don't add random people. You are showcasing yourself (and your work with a separate Facebook page - we'll come on to this in a sec) so you don't want to be networking with potential spammers and scammers.
4) Know the difference between "suggested friends" and "friend requests". "Friend requests" are ok. "Suggested friends" will list friends of friends you may not even know.
5) Leave messages on friend's Walls but nothing incriminating...
6) Go through your privacy settings with a fine tooth comb.
7) Manage your profile. Potential employers may be checking you out. I tend to think of Facebook as my fun networking and Twitter as my more serious networking, but there's a very fine line here.
8) Ah the Facebook status... There are plenty of rules and etiquette to follow with this - and most people don't. My advice is do what you have to do, but don't make a tit of yourself. I've been there, we all have ;)
9) Be wary of all the applications. I like to keep my profile clean after kicking my addiction with Farmville!
10) Don't "poke" people unless you know them really really well.
I mentioned a Facebook page - originally I set one up specifically for my debut novel, but now I just have an Author page because it can become overwhelming when there are so many elements of your online profile that you need to update on a regular basis.
Tuesday, 4 June 2013
Using Twitter effectively
Following on from my last post about Twitter, once you're up and running try these 3 tips and see how you get on:
1) Tweet about what you love and enjoy. This will keep you interested in tweeting regularly - and will keep your followers interested in you.
2) You may still be learning about the hashtags, but my advice is - be creative with your own! The only way to be noticed amongst the frenzy of activity is to be original.
3) Advertisers are tracking content all the time so exploit this and use emotive language / concepts in your tweets that will generate an emotional response in your followers.
1) Tweet about what you love and enjoy. This will keep you interested in tweeting regularly - and will keep your followers interested in you.
2) You may still be learning about the hashtags, but my advice is - be creative with your own! The only way to be noticed amongst the frenzy of activity is to be original.
3) Advertisers are tracking content all the time so exploit this and use emotive language / concepts in your tweets that will generate an emotional response in your followers.
Monday, 3 June 2013
Steps to getting started on Twitter
You know I am a massive fan of Twitter, so today I'm going to share my
thoughts on how to use it to build your author platform. Remember the
four foundations to get your online presence up and running - Website,
Blog, Facebook, Twitter.
Twitter is about building a network of like-minded people around you in cyberspace, and largely people you've never met before. What do they say - Facebook connects you with people you went to school with and Twitter connects you with the people you wish you'd went to school with. This 140 character phenomenon allows the flow of information, advice, tips and industry news to be shared amongst millions instantly worldwide.
And guess what - you can use it to promote yourself and your work! Here's how:
First and foremost, sign up for an account. It's free - and simple. Keep your username relatively short and remember it's part of your author brand so nothing obscure. Also, make sure you really use the profile paragraph to describe yourself and update it when your writing / freelance career takes a different turn.
Search for people in the writing community. Following a few of the thought leaders will lead you to more people you may be interested in.
Something I'm only dabbling in at the moment but by no means using effectively is the list feature. Twitter lists allows you to create categories of people and organisations to follow all at once. Start by finding lists created by someone in your niche and then have a go at setting up your own list. The more people you follow, the more important (and useful) this feature gets.
Follow the tweets. You don't need to be tweeting at this stage. Just read what people in your niche are putting out there and click through to any relevant links. At this point I started marking interesting tweets as "Favourites" so I could come back to them. The amount of information can be overwhelming, but stay calm.
Tweet valuable information. This is my last pointer and for me what the Twittersphere is all about. Once you feel confident, write some great content to help others and get it out there. For every self promoting tweet, give a tweet back encouraging someone or re-tweet something that's useful and inspiring. Twitter is not just about selling and that's the beauty of it.
Twitter is about building a network of like-minded people around you in cyberspace, and largely people you've never met before. What do they say - Facebook connects you with people you went to school with and Twitter connects you with the people you wish you'd went to school with. This 140 character phenomenon allows the flow of information, advice, tips and industry news to be shared amongst millions instantly worldwide.
And guess what - you can use it to promote yourself and your work! Here's how:
First and foremost, sign up for an account. It's free - and simple. Keep your username relatively short and remember it's part of your author brand so nothing obscure. Also, make sure you really use the profile paragraph to describe yourself and update it when your writing / freelance career takes a different turn.
Search for people in the writing community. Following a few of the thought leaders will lead you to more people you may be interested in.
Something I'm only dabbling in at the moment but by no means using effectively is the list feature. Twitter lists allows you to create categories of people and organisations to follow all at once. Start by finding lists created by someone in your niche and then have a go at setting up your own list. The more people you follow, the more important (and useful) this feature gets.
Follow the tweets. You don't need to be tweeting at this stage. Just read what people in your niche are putting out there and click through to any relevant links. At this point I started marking interesting tweets as "Favourites" so I could come back to them. The amount of information can be overwhelming, but stay calm.
Tweet valuable information. This is my last pointer and for me what the Twittersphere is all about. Once you feel confident, write some great content to help others and get it out there. For every self promoting tweet, give a tweet back encouraging someone or re-tweet something that's useful and inspiring. Twitter is not just about selling and that's the beauty of it.
Sunday, 2 June 2013
Building your website
I was clueless when it came to creating my own website and my advice to you is keep it simple.
You can easily build the foundation and then add to your site as time
goes on. I picked Weebly as my web host based on several recommendations
from friends. Originally, I started to build my website with iWeb, but
Apple making this defunct meant I had to swiftly move elsewhere. The
only spend has been on upgrading to the Pro features and buying my
domain name www.piarastrainge.com year on year.
All in all I spent approx £70 on both these things (depending on exchange rates - Weebly is an American web host), but that figure would be less if I opted to buy for a longer period of time. I'm now two years into my website with Weebly and so far I've been very impressed. Weebly is easy to navigate and build with. There is a Stats page and you can also link to Google Analytics to monitor your progress / hits. They are constantly working to improve the features they offer, so more and more tools are becoming available. The only downside for me is the fact I can't link my existing Weebly blog to this one on Google's Blogger platform.
It's really down to personal recommendations, personal preference and what you feel comfortable with. So do your research, choose wisely and then invest in your decision.
The content you need to be showcasing on your site includes any or all of the following:
An ABOUT ME section - your literary inspirations and aspirations
Sample writing - published and unpublished
News & Events - forthcoming book signings, readings, etc
YouTube video - of you reading from your book / latest work
Blog - I believe this is where people who visit your site really get to know you. I absolutely love blogging because it makes me write every day and I can be totally at ease. We'll talk more about this later on...
Remember - the best websites are the ones you can easily navigate, aren't too cluttered and have colour that enhances rather than blinds you. Check out your favourite author websites to see how they do it.
Trust me, it's a great feeling when you can finally add your own www. to your business card!
All in all I spent approx £70 on both these things (depending on exchange rates - Weebly is an American web host), but that figure would be less if I opted to buy for a longer period of time. I'm now two years into my website with Weebly and so far I've been very impressed. Weebly is easy to navigate and build with. There is a Stats page and you can also link to Google Analytics to monitor your progress / hits. They are constantly working to improve the features they offer, so more and more tools are becoming available. The only downside for me is the fact I can't link my existing Weebly blog to this one on Google's Blogger platform.
It's really down to personal recommendations, personal preference and what you feel comfortable with. So do your research, choose wisely and then invest in your decision.
The content you need to be showcasing on your site includes any or all of the following:
An ABOUT ME section - your literary inspirations and aspirations
Sample writing - published and unpublished
News & Events - forthcoming book signings, readings, etc
YouTube video - of you reading from your book / latest work
Blog - I believe this is where people who visit your site really get to know you. I absolutely love blogging because it makes me write every day and I can be totally at ease. We'll talk more about this later on...
Remember - the best websites are the ones you can easily navigate, aren't too cluttered and have colour that enhances rather than blinds you. Check out your favourite author websites to see how they do it.
Trust me, it's a great feeling when you can finally add your own www. to your business card!
Your online presence
What exactly is an online presence and an author platform?
Well, in this post I'm going to explain what they are and how to create and cultivate them.
I always start with the bottom line so you can see where I'm heading and this is it - if you can go to an agent or publisher (if you still fancy trying your hand at being traditionally published) and prove to them you already have a fan base and readership in place for your book, it stands you in a far greater position of being considered for publication. Since there is little or no marketing budget for debut novelists, you are showing them the demand is there and all they need to do is work with you to build on the foundations.
My advice - get working on your author platform right away. If I'd known about it, I would've started mine at least two years before I published my first novel.
It isn't just about making yourself known. Through developing my online presence, I've learned about the changing face of the publishing industry. Tracking trends is so important also.
In the old days, an author platform was defined by television appearances and radio interviews ie. public, high gloss visibility in the national media. Why has it changed? Simply because the way people choose books has changed. Now people are more likely to visit Amazon (for example) and look through recommendations, then read reviews in the press or pick up tips from a television show. The new model of an author platform still involves visibility and reputation, of course it does, but today it's more about interaction between the author and the reader online.
Every good author platform should contain the following:
A website
A blog
A Facebook account
A Twitter account
We'll talk about each of these in future blog posts so you can understand what the different elements should be doing for you.
How long you want to be around as an author and writer online largely depends on you. One thing's for sure however, it's a process that needs to continue for as long as you want a readership. Without your personal input and interaction through the above channels, your author platform will crumble.
Well, in this post I'm going to explain what they are and how to create and cultivate them.
I always start with the bottom line so you can see where I'm heading and this is it - if you can go to an agent or publisher (if you still fancy trying your hand at being traditionally published) and prove to them you already have a fan base and readership in place for your book, it stands you in a far greater position of being considered for publication. Since there is little or no marketing budget for debut novelists, you are showing them the demand is there and all they need to do is work with you to build on the foundations.
My advice - get working on your author platform right away. If I'd known about it, I would've started mine at least two years before I published my first novel.
It isn't just about making yourself known. Through developing my online presence, I've learned about the changing face of the publishing industry. Tracking trends is so important also.
In the old days, an author platform was defined by television appearances and radio interviews ie. public, high gloss visibility in the national media. Why has it changed? Simply because the way people choose books has changed. Now people are more likely to visit Amazon (for example) and look through recommendations, then read reviews in the press or pick up tips from a television show. The new model of an author platform still involves visibility and reputation, of course it does, but today it's more about interaction between the author and the reader online.
Every good author platform should contain the following:
A website
A blog
A Facebook account
A Twitter account
We'll talk about each of these in future blog posts so you can understand what the different elements should be doing for you.
How long you want to be around as an author and writer online largely depends on you. One thing's for sure however, it's a process that needs to continue for as long as you want a readership. Without your personal input and interaction through the above channels, your author platform will crumble.
New series - How to build your author platform
Ok, it's been a while, largely because I've been putting together a Twitter / Weebly blog / Google Blogger marketing plan of action!
So, here we go then... First up, a series of blog posts on building your author platform.
I hope you enjoy it.
So, here we go then... First up, a series of blog posts on building your author platform.
I hope you enjoy it.
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