Social Media, Networking Well and The Writer

            This
month is all about boosting your online presence as a writer using social media
outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc. Social media really does let
you reach out to people you wouldn’t normally be able to all around the world. 

For
me, marketing or promoting yourself on these outlets is a lot like working out.
For the first little while everything is new and exciting, you’re seeing
progress, people are noticing you and changes. But after a certain point, you
reach a plateau where no matter what you do, you can’t seem to pick up the
momentum again.

            Before we discuss anything
specifically, I thought it would be good to just mention a few general points
first, and go into more detail in later posts.

            The most important thing in managing
your online presence is to not allow yourself to get lazy. You should always
set reasonable standards for yourself that you can achieve and make them known
to your followers. If you are writing a blog or making posts on Facebook at
certain intervals, continuity is key. 

People enjoy routine a lot more than they
let on, and if you fall out of this routine, they will quickly lose interest. I
have seen this happen with several of my friends in their respective fields of
interest. Make the effort to say you’ll post once or twice a week (but
consistently), so that your readers know they can depend on you and make your
site or page part of their routine.

            Probably the second most important
thing is to be present on the web in versatile personalities only if you can
manage them all effectively. What does this mean? 

This just means that you
shouldn’t have Facebook, Twitter, a website, a blog, etc, etc, if you aren’t
able to stay on top of them all. This point nicely ties in with the first point
of not “biting off more than you can chew” (to put it colloquially).

            I think another point, and one that
we have discussed in posts before about self-publishing, marketing, and
self-promotion is to make sure you keep your target audience in mind. Beyond
making sure your writing is relatable, your posts or comments should always be
reflective of the voice you want to share with your audience. 

For example, if
you are unnecessarily colloquial or ambiguous in your blogging about the latest
advancements in science when your target audience is a more academic crowd, it
will probably do more to alienate your audience than appeal to them.

            Throughout the month we are going to
be discussing certain strategies you can use that are more specific to certain
social media outlets, but these are some general tips that will help you manage
your online presence no matter what outlets you choose to use.