here’s a life vest
With so many social media sites available and new ones being added every day, it’s always a wonder about which ones to join. Some people swear by Facebook, and others by Twitter. Some use only Vine and still others are loyal to Pinterest. Let’s break down these groups and get a better feel for their purpose and audience.
Facebook is the Mother of All social media networks. Family, friends, high school reunions, viral photos, and places to conduct business, all under one virtual roof. Facebook is best for:
- Communicating with broad groups of people
- A place where people can find you and like what you do
- Conversational
- Build relationships
- Build your business
Create a business page or community page (they are different) so fans have a place to find you and catch up on what new products or services you have, and not on what you ate for dinner. You can also manage ads, target customers in your niche, and tally how many views each post brings in. Building lists off these groups mean you can create perfect ads that Facebook will recognize and share. Facebook is ever changing their logarithms, so be sure to keep up to date on what works. The current trend is to create multiple conversations within your post between people engaged by your post, and not you. You can’t ask a question in the post, but you should present a topic that inspires conversation among members. Facebook Live is also a huge new tactic to stay in front of your audience, competing with YouTube to become a new source of show programming.
While Twitter is probably equally as popular, it tends to be geared toward older adults aged 65+ (Facebook demographics are women ages 35-45) and reaches a much broader market than Facebook. Many get their news for the day through what’s trending on Twitter. Twitter is best for:
- Finding what’s trending
- Following trendsetters
- Studying markets in your niche (readers for me)
- Analyzing what’s working for others in your field and what isn’t
- Posting short tweets to entice readers to visit your website as part of the funnel
The cool thing about both Twitter and Facebook (and other social media sites) is that you can link them through tools like Hootsuite or weave them into your blog so that when you post on one, you post on all. It saves time and provides you with a greater reach.
Pinterest is the fastest growing social media site in the marketplace. Like Google, Pinterest is a search engine which means it utilizes keyword phrases instead of hashtags. It’s the #3, behind Google and YouTube. People love visuals, they love sharing, and they love discovering new pictures. What benefits does it have for you building your brand?
- Pins of you interacting with clients
- Pins of your videos or business/book trailers
- Pins of you creating your product or service through the process
- Pins of what inspires you to build, create, and live
I love to use Pinterest for storyboards to give my fans an idea of what I see as far as the actors I imagine portraying my characters, examples of settings, cover and interior art, etc. Pinterest allows you to share every visual aspect of your book business with your fans. And the best part is you can link everything back to your sales page on your website.
LinkedIn is your professional network. You can connect with other like-minded individuals to help promote one another or even to find someone to mentor beneath. If you are a blogger, this is a great place to post educational articles based off your business entreprise. On LinkedIn, you can:
- Build your professional portfolio
- List your credentials for speaking engagements and conference availability
- List your awards, publications, and resume
- Find other professionals in your niche to sell to or learn from
I’m not very active on LinkedIn, but I keep my account up to date as a professional platform for potential fans and followers.
Instagram provides a quick and easy way to upload images, like pictures from school visits or short video clips from conferences. This social network connects you to likeminded individuals by niche market or topic, allowing a much kinder platform, in my opinion. There’s not as much trolling on Instagram as you find on Facebook, in particular. I use Instagram:
- To build my following at events through engaging photos
- To entice through product placement and clever phrasing for sales and bookings
- To instantly publicize speaking engagements or book signings
- To post on ‘one and done’
Instagram offers connection options to Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook, which is awesome because you can choose to share with each photo. I link to my business accounts, and now that Facebook owns Instagram, it makes marketing so much easier and reaches twice as many people with one ad. It’s a much easier way to share what’s happening in your world because it doesn’t require any writing if you don’t want to add it, plus you can post in real time as opposed to blogging about it later or doing a Facebook Live, which you many not want to or be able to do depending on the location and service.
There are so many other social media sites to choose from, and so many other ways to use the ones I’ve mentioned. It’s so easy to get caught up and lose yourself in social. Just make sure you’re not working for the social media, but it’s working for you!
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From social media and marketing to gaining support for your cause, the art of storytelling enables business owners to connect with their intended audience. Using experience as an independent author, Engle shares:
- Social media best practices
- Storytelling to share your brand
- Finding your audience
- Blogging and other ways to connect
Learn best practices for connecting, engaging, and inspiring followers who not only buy products, but share them with their circles. Use the CONTACT page to request pricing & availability.