Category Archives: Social Media presence

Social Media Manager, Social Media presence, Time Management

Social Media Management: So What Does a Social Media Manager Really Do? by Frances Caballo

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Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler with Frances Caballo/@CaballoFrances

 

“Social media is no longer an option for writers–it is a required element of every author’s platform.” Frances Caballo

 

I am very pleased to feature author social media strategist Frances Caballo in this Wow!Women on Writing book tour for her new book,  Avoid Social Media Time Suck: A Blueprint for Writers Who Want to Create Online Buzz for Their Books and Still Have Time to Write.

I know this is a very timely topic as many of us are struggling to find our own way through social media channels and still have time to write. Frances has graciously agreed to give away a copy of her book to a commenter whose name will be selected in a  random drawing.

My reviews can be found on Amazon and Goodreads.

 

Welcome, Frances!

Frances Candid Shot 12-5-13
Author Frances Caballo

 

What Does a Social Media Manager Really Do?

 

 

Do you find that Twitter and Facebook are zapping your energy and infringing on your writing time? Or are you afraid to establish profiles on the social web because you fear that social media will drain time from your already busy day?

 

 

 

If you answered yes to either of the two questions, then it may be time for you to consider hiring a social media manager.

 

 

 

What Is a Social Media Manager & Why Would I Need One?

 

 

 

Whether you work full-time, part-time, or you’re retired, it can be difficult to wedge writing into your schedule. And if you’re published, you not only have to keep writing, you also need to work on marketing your books too.

 

 

 

A social media manager is someone who can help you with your online marketing. When you first contact a social media manager, she will ask you these questions:

 

 

 

1.    Who is your audience?

 

2.    What are your goals?

 

 

 

For example, if you write for the YA market, you need to use Tumblr and Twitter. If your novel is about a woman CEO, you need to use LinkedIn, Pinterest and Twitter. If you write a memoir, the general topic of your book will determine which social media networks you need to use. In addition, give some thought to your budget and how much you can afford to pay someone for marketing your books.

 

 

 

Finally, plan on mailing your books to your social media manager.

 

 

 

Once you discuss your audience, goals, and budget, a social media manager will send you a proposal and recommend the best social media networks for you.

 

 

 

Once the profiles are set up, you can expect a social media manager to:

  1. Balance information about your books and blog posts (this will comprise 20% of your tweets and updates) with information-rich posts pertinent to your niche.
  2. Find you new followers on Twitter and maintain the follow/unfollow balance.
  3. Thank Twitter users for retweets and an occasional Fave designation.
  4. Post 3 or more tweets daily for you, depending on your budget, and reply to comments.
  5. Post updates regularly – preferably every day – on Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn.
  6. Share information from your fans, followers and connections.
  7. Handle your advertising on Facebook and Twitter.
  8. Create a business account for you on Pinterest and repin images from your followers as well as pin images directly from your blog, website and Amazon.
  9. Create a profile for you on Tumblr and add your posts.
  10. Create an author account for you on Goodreads, add your books, list your books on Listopia, and handle your giveaways.

 

It’s fine if you only want your consultant to handle one or two social media profiles. Or, perhaps you only need her to grow your following on Twitter or take over Pinterest. You need to determine which networks are taking too much of your time and hand those off to a marketing expert.

 

***

 Thank you Frances for addressing a very important need for anyone who wishes to publish a book and establish an online presence. You have provided us with practical tips on how to gain control over our time and still do what we love best- to write.

 ****

About the Author: Frances Caballo is a social media manager for writers and author of  Avoid Social Media Time Suck: A Blueprint for Writers to Create Online Buzz for Their Books and Still Have Time to Write, Social Media Just for Writers: The Best Online Marketing Tips for Selling Your Books and Blogging Just for Writers. Presently, she is the Social Media Manager for the Women’s National Book Association-SF Chapter, the San Francisco Writers Conference, and the Bay Area Independent Publishers Association. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Google+.

 

Avoid Social Media Time Suck: A Blueprint for Writers Who Want to Create Online Buzz for Their Books and Still Have Time to Write.

 

 

Social-Media-Time-Suck-Final-for-Writers
Social Media Time Suck Book Cover

 

Synopsis: Social media is no longer an option for writers–it is a required element of every author’s platform. If you’ve been avoiding Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and other social networks because you think tweeting and posting will take large chunks of time out of your day and leave you with little time to write, think again. Using social media to market your books doesn’t need to be time-consuming. And with the four-step formula you’ll find in this book, it won’t be.

 

Whether you’re a seasoned or a newbie social media user, this book will introduce you to posting schedules, timesaving applications and content-rich websites that will help you economize the time you spend using social media to promote your books. You will learn:

 

  • How to create and perfect your author platform.
  • Where great content exists on the Internet and how you can use

 

it to further your brand within your niche.

 

  • The importance of being social and applications that make this task easy and fun.
  • Tools that enable you to track and measure your success so you

 

can better understand the return on investment of your valuable time.

 

  • Which tools prevent you from accessing the Internet when the time

 

comes to sit and write that next book.

 

  • Exercises for introverted writers to help you feel comfortable on the social web.

 

 

 

Frances Caballo is also hosting a book giveaway for Avoid Social Media Time Suck on Goodreads during the month of April.

 

How about you? Have you found a way to balance social media with writing? Do you think you can benefit from the services of a social media manager?

 

We’d love to hear from you. Please leave your comments below and good luck on the drawing!

 

Next Week:

Monday, 4/14/14: ” Your Story or Your Family” by Memoir Author Saloma Miller Furlong, author of Bonnet Strings.

Author Brand, Author Platform, Social Media presence, Using Twitter Hashtags

Social Media: Friend or Foe? 8 Lessons I’ve Learned About Using Social Media

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Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler

 

“ By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen destination.”  Christopher Columbus (1451-1506)

 

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Friend or Foe?
Photo Credit: Dreamstimefree

 

Since establishing an online presence has become an essential task for any writer who seeks publication, the topic of how to handle social media comes up a lot these days. In fact, I have received several requests to do a blog post about how to manage both social media and writing.

 

I do not profess to be a social media expert. There are plenty of people out there, many whom I have learned a great deal from—Dan Blank, Joanna Penn, Jeff Goins, Jane Friedman, Porter Anderson, Nick Thacker, Christina Katz,  Nina Amir, Alexis Grant, Michael Hyatt,Kristen Lamb—to name a few. I’m happy to pay forward what I have learned and offer some tips on what has helped me turn what can be perceived as a foe—time drain, distraction—into a friend—making meaningful connections.

 

The main question I receive is:

 

How can I make social media work for me?

 

Here are a few lessons I’ve learned along the way:

1.  I need social media to reach my audience (since I’m not a celebrity). This presumes I know who I am and can communicate this clearly via author profile/bio. (Branding)

2.  When I communicate on social media, I need to project my authentic self. My participation in social media is an extension of who I am and what my beliefs are.

3.  I need to follow proper etiquette

4.  The only way I’m going to know what works is to try different social media channels.

5.  I need a way of measuring what’s working, i.e. Google Analytics, Twitter stats, etc.

6.  I can’t do it all. After I’ve tried some out, I need to select a few to concentrate on.

7.  I need to rein in, set limits and manage the time I spend on social media.

8. I need to be social and remember that the main advantage of using social media is to make meaningful connections.

 

Here’s how I’ve put these lessons into action:

1.  I make sure my profile is up to date and consistent with my brand across all channels.

2.  I check myself at the door before I post anything anywhere.

3.  I try to keep a ratio of 1:5 in sharing my work: works of others.

4. I tried numerous channels and concentrate my efforts on my blog,Twitter (Hootesuite) and Triberr. I use Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google+  and Goodreads but to a lesser degree.

5. I use WordPress stats, Google Analytics,Twitter stats . I recently signed up for Sumall.com (free) which offers daily and weekly summaries of interactions across my channels-Twitter, Facebook, blog and Google+.

6.   Same as #4 and check out this post by Dan Blank: “I Am Changing How I Use Social Media: More Social, Less Media.”

7. As per Porter Anderson’s suggestion, I signed up for Rescue Time, a tracking system for improving productivity by managing social media distraction. Pomodora is another popular tool to use.

8. I have made many meaningful connections over these past five years of being on social media. This has led to guest posting opportunities both on my blog and for other blogs. And the way I keep track of all my contacts and activities is a productivity system called Highrise.

 

A few extra pointers:

 

* Be consistent with blogging at least weekly.

* Comment on other blogs that align with your brand.

* Share the work of others freely. If you use Twitter, use #hashtags to extend the reach of the post or book review.

* Probably the nicest thing you can do for fellow authors is to post reviews of their books.

 

 

Turn social media into a friend who helps you make meaningful connections and extend your reach to your audience.

 

 

 

 

How about you? How do you manage to balance social media with writing? Is social media a friend or foe?

 

I’d love to hear from you. Please leave your comments below~

 

 

***Newsflash***

I’m pleased to announce that after months of researching, listening, pondering and praying, I have finally made a decision about the best route to publication for my “baby”. I signed with a small publisher this week! Stay tuned for more details.

Also, thanks to all of you who participated in my Memoir Title survey. Your comments helped me to clarify the title that I feel best reflects the heart of my story. I ended up keeping the original title but I changed the subtitle. Introducing:

Ever Faithful to His Lead: My Journey Away From Memoir

Announcement of  winners of Doreen Cox’s memoir and novella:

Congratulations, Kathy and Debbie! Thank you for stopping by and commenting. Kathy, you won Doreen’s memoir,  Adventures in Mothersitting and Debbie, you won Doreen’s novella, A Sacred Journey.

 

On Thursday, 4/10/14, I am honored to participate in a Wow-WomenonWriting Book Tour for social media strategist and author Frances Caballo. Her new book, Avoid the Social Media Time Suck: A Blueprint for Writers to Create Online Buzz for Their Books and Still Have Time To Write should help answer a lot of questions that we have on managing social media.

 

Hope to see you there , too.