As writers, we are very prone to the latest social networking craze that comes our way. How many times do we rush out to learn about a new tool someone has recommended to us? Do you know how many social networks you are on? If the answer is more than four, has it ever occured to you that perhaps you’re on too many?
Do you like to tweet? Do you like posting a status on Facebook? How the heck does Pinterest work anyway? If the answer is “no,” or if you don’t know what I’m talking about, then perhaps you shouldn’t be doing any of it.
How many of us joined MySpace when it first came out because someone told us it was great for author promotions and then migrated to Facebook for the same reason? How many of us joined Twitter, Pinterest, the list goes on, in the same way because someone said this was the latest thing without considering if it was really good for you and what you are trying to do.
Besides, do you really know all those “friends” on your social networks? How many of those “friends” do you really think are following you and what you do with interest? Do you get my point? How many of those “friends” do you really pay attention to?
Scary thought, isn’t it?
Did it ever occur to you that social networking can be like multilevel or “pyramid” marketing when it comes to people like us? The first few people to join usually benefit the most, whereas those who follow usually get left behind, lost amongst the millions.
Marketing yourself or your work isn’t just about social networking online; sometimes you have to do market yourself in person too. But it’s getting harder for published authors to stand out of the crowd every day, and this is especially true with social networking online.
I used to tell all of our authors that they needed to create a webpage and a blog. While I do believe that is mandatory for an author to have a presence online, I no longer believe that they must have a website and/or a blog. These days, a website and blog can be the same thing. However, the person must choose what they like to do and what fits within their personality, not to mention their technical skill.
So how do you stand out of the crowd? I’ve been given this a lot of thought lately, and I’ve drawn two conclusions:
1) Use the tools that you like to use.
Jack of all trades, master of none. This is how I think many of us approach social networking today. We follow people from one “sure fire” network to the next, and in the end, we have all these “tools” but don’t know how to use them or if they even work for us and what we want to accomplish. Specialize in only a few, or even just one.
Some of you may not have a blog or a webpage but just have a Facebook page. There is nothing wrong with that, especially if you like using Facebook and it’s easier for you to use that rather than maintain a blog. The point I’m trying to make is that you should use the tools that fit you and your needs regardless of what anyone else says.
If you prefer to use Twitter over Facebook and have both, then get rid of your Facebook account (or vice versa) despite how many friends you have. Shocking, I know, but it’s not against the law to delete an account. No one is going to come after you. You won’t have to turn in your author license. Chances are that if no one is really following you, then they’re not going to miss you. Life is too short to put up with things that you don’t like to do, especially if it’s voluntary.
2) Give people a reason to follow you by letting them that get use to you.
What I mean by that is the old fashioned “build your audience” advice. I’ve preached this in my other articles (Curb Your Enthusiasm, When Authors Don’t Try). You must cultivate your sphere of influence. There’s no quick way around this. You will have to spend time doing what it is you like, whether it’s online or not, and then over time, build an audience a.k.a “a following.”
But how do you do this? Well, you can’t do it if you’re lost in the crowd. You must stand out. Be a leader and not a follower. Although I hate the cliché, I’m going to say it anyway: think outside of the box.
And you know what? Your favorite tool may not even be online! Think about it. Some of you are well ahead of me on this.
Be creative. After all, you are a writer. Ask yourself the following questions and see if it helps you focus:
- What is it about yourself or your current project that you can use (dare I say, “exploit”) to stand out from the rest?
- List all of your social networks—online AND off. Do any of them facilitate in transmitting your answer to the previous question to a large audience? If not, can you create something that can?
©2013. Zetta Brown. If you like this post, then stop by Zetta’s Desk or Zetta’s House of Random Thoughts.
Didn't see your blog, Zetta, until this morning. That's how disconnected I've gotten from electronic socialization in the past month, and I'm sorry because what you wrote is exactly how I feel about the subject. Lately, my only internet networking has been with the company publishing my POD and dozens of frantic emails to helpful employees who've answered my midnight questions. Now I need to "exploit" my novel. Unfortunately, it's about a serial killer and I don't know many of those to connect with. Thank you for your supportive words.
Thanks for the info, Allyson. I've been invited by various people to join them on Google+ but I haven't because I don't have time to learn another social network. It's been on my to-do list. :)
@Stephanie - Thanks! I like finding pictures for my blog posts:)
@Cindy - Hey, if you can manage multiple networks--and like it--more power to ya! :D
@Kasey - It is so easy to get distracted by the socializing aspect of all of this, and it all piles up if you leave it alone for a few days. But the good thing is that no one can force you to do any of it, and if you want to take a day/week/month/year off from socializing on a network, you can. I'm not saying that there may not be consequences, but we're all adults here.
@Kathleen - I deleted my LinkedIn account a few months back even though I had a lot of good contacts on it. Why? Because I don't really see the point in it as an author. It's like preaching to the choir, IMO. Plus, many of my contacts I know how to reach in other ways, and I'm not (currently) looking for any services. I know from personal experience that LinkedIn works very well for other professions, but I personally don't think it works as an author.
I think the important thing is for an author to sit back and decide (plan) what would best serve their purpose and then do it. If you want to keep it simple, then do so, but if you want to go full tilt, rock on!
You know, you just kind of lifted a huge load off my shoulders. I started a tumblr account a month ago and haven't visited it since. I've hundreds of contacts on Linkdin that never have led anywhere (some of them have to do with my human rights work, but so does my fiction.) So having gone through the torments of creating a website, I'm going to keep it. Going to keep trying to figure out Twitter, and Facebook comes naturally and is my major source of networking, but it's nice say now, "Zetta says I can stop." Time to put the effort into agent queries.
Damn! I'm always telling my clients that Social Media is potentially useful, but that you need to approach it like it's a hungry, potentially dangerous beast--because if you don't manage it well and feed it regularly, IT WILL EAT YOU ALIVE.
But if you do manage it well (and feed it regularly), it can be a valuable asset.
Thanks, Zetta, for being willing to look this potentially useful too/potentially wastful timesink in the eye and share what you see!
Well, just poke me in the eye, why don't ya! LOL, I am all over the place, but I enjoy it.
Hi Zetta, the photo you have posted with this discussion is apropos!
Regards,
Stephanie Renee dos Santos
Email: stephaniereneedossantos at gmail.com
Blog: www.stephaniereneedossantos.com
@Karen The timer is a good suggestion. I can use the one on my phone. Thanks!
@ Alexandra-It is easy to get caught up in the platform craze and lose writing time. Keeping a focus on having actual product is very important. I can get sidetracked into clicking alot of blog links and losing valuable time so I use a timer on my laptop to remind me, time to move on. Each segment, platform issues, social media, Facebook, even answering emails gets a set amount of time. When that buzzer goes off(actually for me its a wolf howling!), I move on and when the work is done, I am ready for the fun of writing.
Great post Zetta... just because something is there doesn't mean you have to use it!
I think management is key. I know there is a business side to writing and publishing and I am very green behind the ears. My concern is the establishing of the social platform is taking away my time to write. I have to have an actual manuscript or the social platform is being built in vain. I still need to submit stories to lit magazines to establish my credibility as a writer. So my goal is to focus on my blogs, Twitter, & FB and add any additional social media programs one at a time and only if it fits into who I am as a writer. My main goal is time management right now. But I agree, Zetta, one shouldn't jump on the SN bus until one is ready.
Zetta, I agree with your reply to me. The girl with 7K twitter followers currently has over 60K reads on her first book. And over 350 Amazon reviews. The guy who passed on the Quincy Jones' endorsed book? Was in his early 20's. He'd wanted the movie rights but didn't like her social media numbers. Did I mention he was in his early 20's? AND in Hollywood? I suggested she try and load her platforms and call him in 6 months with new numbers but she was older (late 50's) and didn't see the value. I fear she made a big mistake.
Zetta, you are absolutely right. Carving our own paths is essential. I think you really hit on some important aspects for all writers. Especially for new writers still learning the way.
Thanks for the comments, y'all. I'm interested in hearing what others are experiencing.
@Karen - It IS about finding what works for you and running with it. I'm just making suggestions and sharing some of the things I've done and observed, while hopefully getting others to think and decide what works for them. There IS a lot of free advice floating around and much of it is contradictory, but that's the dilemma. What works for one may or may not work for another. If we all knew what the secret was, we'd all be doing it. There is no consensus, I'm afraid. For example, I've gotten rid of several blogs and other social networks that I really have no use for. All I'm saying is that don't feel bad if you don't feel compelled to follow the crowd or if the next "must have" tool doesn't suit your purpose.
@Suzy - You're right. Publishers do want to know if an author has a platform or following, but not every publisher demands a huge following. Smaller houses just want to see if they've been using the Internet to establish themselves and are prepared to grow from there. There are still tons of people who want to be widely published authors but have not attempted any kind of online presence apart from an email account. If a person is serious about making sure their work is reaching their audience, the need to do much, much better than that.
Sometimes agents can't see the forest for the trees. I would be the last to knock your friend with the 7k Twitter followers. If only a fraction listens/follows their lead, THOSE are the people who generate word of mouth, which is by far the best kind of marketing, IMO. Perhaps Twitter isn't the best platform, but with some creative thinking (what exactly, I don't know) it can still produce the goods. As for your other friend with the 75 followers AND an endorsement from Quincy Jones, if an agent can't build something from that, they can't be worth it, IMO.
Another thing is that many authors with stars in their eyes are not aware that many of the gurus and "overnight" successes had a solid fan base already. J. A. Konrath had several books and an established fan base. E L James already had a following with fan fiction and a career as an advertising exec to build upon. These fan bases didn't happen overnight, but it's funny how people seem to forget the struggle when the struggle ends.
While I do agree with several aspects of this approach I also see some flaws in the logic. It is important not to blindly follow along with the crowd without knowing where it's going or even if you want to go there and yes to also to realizing what form of marketing/building a platform works individually. Yet I am starting to get a headache from the barrage of advice currently floating far and wide on the internet surface, blog, don't blog, Facebook, no, Twitter instead or do both or create your own social network from a tin can and some string. What will be relevant in five years or even two? It's anybody's guess. Right now the current lemming tide is to A. You must Blog and blog ferociously as if your life depended on it( or in this case your entire writing career) B. You must have a author website C. You must by any means necessary create a following as loyal and rabid as a Twilight midnight launch.
So I ask you, which is it? What should we do? The only relevant answer to me is to do whatever you can manage and hope like hell the lifeboat makes it to shore.
As much as I agree with the intent of this post, I'd have to disagree on one aspect of it. Publishers, both traditional and indie, pick authors with large platforms to facilitate marketing which will hopefully help sales. I know that's how I got my deal. They would never admit that and keep referring to my "large social network" but it's not large at all. Not compared to authors like Amanda Hocking or Jenny Lawson, both of who have sold many more books than I have. (many MANY more)
I engage regularly on Twitter, followed by FB, then LinkedIn, my blog (PLEASE MAKE BLOGS GO AWAY FOR THE LOVE OF GOD)and very rarely on my Tumblr. I quit G+ because it was just people posting pictures of famous photographers and I removed myself from Klout as their algorithms threatened to give me aneurisms. So I agree you have to choose wisely.
A friend of mine with 7,000 twitter followers was told by agents and publishing companies alike that she needed a bigger social network. And she's a spectacular writer who finally self-published. Another friend was called in to meet with an agent after Quincy Jones endorsed her book. The agent asked her how many Twitter followers she had, and she had hardly any. Facebook? 75. The agent said he couldn't help her. And he had already read her book and loved it!