MARKET MONDAY - Twitter Part 5

While working on some of my own promo stuff at the time of this writing, I realized I left out a very important part of Time Management when it comes to Twitter -  or any other Social Media. The use of an auto-posting service such as HootSuite can be invaluable!

There are several different 'purchase' levels for HootSuite but I've been using the FREE level for three years and haven't found a need to spend money. While the paid for levels do offer additional usage options, for the most part, the free level works for what we do.

Basically, you log into Hootsuite using your Twitter account. From there, you can schedule tweets several weeks out... such as author signings, speaking engagements, cover or book releases. I spend one day doing nothing but loading hootsuite for all seven of my blogs and  now our Oghma account.

You can set the date and the time you want a tweet to go out. In the fall when things are quieter around here I'll be talking more about 'timing' of tweets. For now, think about when you think the majority of your readers are on twitter. That's the time slots you want your tweets to go out.

Also.. you can set a tweet to run more than once a day... say to catch people before they head out to work in the early morning (those city commuters) or a lunch hour.  Don't spam with more than two a day. However, each tweet must be worded slightly different or Hootsuite will not allow the second tweet to go out.

There really isn't a learning curve to Hootsuite. Like anything else you find your footing then you'll sail from there.

Another thing Hootsuite (and there is another but I can't think of it at the moment) does is allow you to connect all of your social media platforms together so when you post something one place, it goes across the board to all of your social media outlets.

I do NOT recommend this.  Read my lips - I do NOT RECOMMEND this avenue. While it can be a time saver, this also takes away the 'personal' side of connecting with your readers. Also, if something happens to one account, you'll be locked out all the way around. Ask how I know :-D

Social Media platforms do not take long to connect on. Just sign in with a purpose, take care of business then move on.  If you don't think you can do that, I'm sure there's a high schooler in your neighborhood who'd love to earn a little extra cash.

There are also marketing services out there. They offer packages for doing different aspects of the marketing you do not want to do. I recommend Jar O Marbles. Annette's link is on my sidebar.
That said, You CAN do your own marketing. You just have to be smart about how you spend your time.

Okay, for the rest of the month, we'll be talking about Facebook and how to use the platform effectively.

Happy Writing!
Angela

MARKET MONDAY - Twitter Part 4

How was your week? Are you getting reactions to your posts? Are they being liked/ retweeted? Great!

No? Really? There should be some activity. At least once a week, add to your followers. If someone likes/ retweets one of your tweets, click on their name and learn about them. If they are paying attention to your tweets they find what you have to say valuable and are a great person to follow. Sometimes people want to follow you, but they'll hold back. They'll retweet or like one of your posts to see how YOU react.

Remember... this is a SOCIAL medium. This is conference networking on a much larger scale.

And within this virtual conference of networking you'll find a unique way to get involved in conversations. If you look on your left sidebar you'll see #'s with words/ phrases next to them. These are topics that are Trending. There are also topics of conversations that happen on specific days.

As I type this, there is a trending topic #BadThingsToHearInTheDark.... Hmmm you may find fodder for a new story in that one. Today (May 28th) is also #NationalHamburgerDay

This is the last installment in Twitter. If you have questions, you can always leave something in my comments or use the Contact Me on my side bar... or better yet, DM me on Twitter and I'm happy to help.

Tweet Tweet
Angela

MARKET MONDAY - Twitter Part 3

How are you doing with your Twitter account? Are you failing to post? Finding the task too time-consuming.  Yeah.. that can happen.

Like any other Social Media, you can get lost of the swirl of stuff. Either the stuff is so boring you can't look away, or you can't stop reading.  Face it, even in 140 characters people can talk about absolutely nothing.

So how do you avoid Twitter becoming just another time-suck and not a productive tool in your Marketing arsenal?

As with anything else, to be productive you have to set limits. I start each morning with a list of what I need to do each day on my social media accounts. 

I've changed this up a bit from when this picture was taken back in January. I now only have the first two columns. I've also turned this into a laminated bookmark and use a wet-erase marker to check off my tasks as I go through them.

FYI - the first column is all short-coded with Email accounts/ FB accounts and Blogs that I have to attend to at least every other day, if not daily.

Email: I have 5 accounts. Ogham Creative Media, Country Angel (music), author account, Stampin' Up business and my art account.

FB: These pretty much coordinate with my Email accounts.

Blogs: Again, an email account associated with each one in some form, with the exception of my weightloss journal and the Ozarks Journal. You'll also notice a new acronym at the very bottom. That is my Shawna Kelley blog should I choose to stay with writing erotica or some heat level. I've not decided yet, but it's there for now. Being at the end of the list, easy enough to chop off. Everything else is a constant.

Oh, Twitter - I only have three accounts - Author, Music, Publisher. The publisher one I take care of up front after I've done FB. I pull info from our FB account on our authors and make sure they're plugged into Twitter. My music and my author one are on my phone all the time. I've not been very good about the author one in the past, but I'm trying to get better. Just haven't been able to get a footing on anything this year with so many changes in our household. I feel like I've been on a roller coaster - and I HATE roller coasters LOL.. There - a fact about me I bet you didn't know... And a good thing for a tweet. 

So how long does it take me to go through that check off list? About 90 minutes. But keep in mind... that's not just one account. You should  be able to hit your author account for both Twitter and FB in 30 min. 

For this week, set a timer when you get on any of your social media accounts. Start with 45 minutes and wean yourself down to 30 minutes or less. 

A great on-line timer is - Countdown Timer

The KEY thing to remember is this:

Every minute you spend doing the useless stuff on Social Media (like those silly dog/ cat videos) you are not taking care of business. Not taking care of business is costing you $$$$$.  

Another fun fact... Did you know that most of the top-earning CEO's only check their email twice a day? Once in the morning as they are making their To-Do list for the day then again near the close of day for anything pressing they need to follow up on and to start their list for the next day. 

CEO's know TIME IS MONEY.  

Don't short your check over a cat video and call it research. 

So this week, make sure you're following me... @AngelaDrakeA. Let's network to make each of us more productive.

Creative Blessings!

Angela