My first contemporary Christmas romance is coming out this November (shut up), so this weekend I had to start fresh with a new Facebook page for my romance writing, a new Twitter identity (@RomanticRusty), new blog, new Scribd.com, new Smashwords.com, the whole ball of wax.
It feels really weird having, like, three Facebook friends; not 300, not 3,000 – three! The pages are so sparse, and I have no subscribers on Scribd.com so there’s no one to “Readcast” to; every time I log on to one of these new sites I swear I can hear that lonely whistle like you hear during an Old West gunfight.
(Yesterday I swear a tumbleweed rolled through my office!)
But… but… it’s a GREAT opportunity to get social media right the first time.
Using everything everyone has taught me, recalling all the great blog posts I’ve read over the last few months about what to do, what not to do, this time around it feels like a blank slate.
It made me think how differently I might have done things with my YA social media, but also that it’s not too late to apply what I’m doing now to what I’ve already done before.
And, naturally, I have a few thoughts on how to do social media right the second time around; five of them, to be exact:
Tip # 1 – Take it Slow
First off, take it slow.
It’s nice that I have eight months before my contemporary romance comes out just in time for Christmas because it means I can take my time.
There’s no sense of real urgency so I can check in when I want – or not.
I don’t feel like I have to lose sleep over it this time, and actually it’s affected my YA social media because I’m a lot less anxious about that now as well.
It’s a good feeling when the stakes aren’t so high, so even if you do have time sensitivity around your social media – book birthdays, blog tours, etc. – you can still put things in perspective and recognize that next week, next month and next year should all be a part of your social media strategy as well as today.
Tip # 2 – Start Fresh
A clean slate is just that; a time to renew, refresh, reorganize, recalibrate – rethink.
What are you posting?
Who are you friending/not friending?
How many followers do you have/want?
Even if you’ve been doing social media for years, take a step back, or a weekend off, then come back fresh with a new set of priorities.
Think about what you post, and when, and to whom.
Think about your numbers; are they too big, too small, to handle?
Don’t be afraid to “unfriend” somebody; or a lot of somebodies.
Don’t be so eager to auto-follow or feel like there will be hurt feelings if you don’t follow back.
People are un-friend and un-follow me all the time; there are tons of people I’ve friended, followed or subscribed to who have never returned the favor – and that’s okay.
I don’t think any less of them, and I didn’t follow or friend them just to get a favor in return; I did so because I liked what they had to say, or the way they said it, or their book cover or… whatever.
It’s okay to be picky, choosy and, yes, even selective.
Remember, it’s “your” social media, too.
Tip # 3 – Aim for the Right Target(s)
I love looking at my new Facebook friends because it’s like a big wall of romance book covers!
I’ve just been really targeted this time around, slowly but surely adding a friend here, accepting one there, commenting and liking and sharing with a whole new laid back, relaxed atmosphere; it’s kind of… refreshing!
Sure, it feels like a ghost town but there’s a real advantage to only having so many friends; every post counts.
I know “they” all have hundreds, even thousands, of friends, but when you yourself only have a dozen or so – not that I’m recommending that necessarily, but… you know what I mean – you really get to know who you’re following.
And if they’re 12 targeted friends or followers, if they’re all in your genre and talking about stuff that matters to you – and you to them – the relationship is twice as strong.
So if you’re overwhelmed by your sheer number of Facebook friends, if you turn around to answer the phone and have 300 new tweets waiting when you turn back, think about who you’re following, and why, and go through your lists and clean it out.
I’m not saying strip it bare but it’s YOUR prerogative to periodically slow down, take it easy and get selective in who you’re connected with.
Why not take advantage of it?
Tip # 4 – Share and Share Alike
If you’re just starting out in social media, or just starting over, it’s a great opportunity to recognize that social media is about sharing, not dominating.
This whole experience has been a great opportunity for me to just move slowly, breathe and see my new connections as true allies versus someone who might just “buy my book” one day.
Some of the faces are familiar, some are brand new, so it’s a nice mix of folks to share with; advice, feedback, tips, movie and book and CD recommendations, agreements, disagreements – I’ve definitely had a lot more “fun” this time around, because it’s felt less like work.
Are you sharing enough with your Facebook friends and Twitter followers?
Do you feel collaborative when you log on, or… greedy?
Think about why you’re there, and what everyone else is doing, and who you feel most aligned with.
If it’s not about sharing, then what’s it all about?
Tip # 5 – Have Something to Give
My first contemporary romance is a Christmas novel called Claus Encounters of the 25th Kind, so my “freebies” this time around are two short holiday stories that take place in the same town as my book: Snowflake, South Carolina.
And since it’s just coming on spring, I’m not as anxious to share them, to Readcast them, to broadcast, like or push them.
Don’t get me wrong; I took a long time designing covers, self-editing, primping and post, but I’m a lot more relaxed about how I push them this time since it’s so long before the holidays.
And even so, they’ve still gotten a few hundred reads already on Scribd.com and Smashwords.com, so… it’s already to give just for the sake of giving.
To provide a free excerpt, work in progress or complete story without expecting in return.
Heck, the book I’m promoting doesn’t even come out until November, so right now it’s more about visibility, availability and charity then anything else; and it feels really good to go about posting and sharing with that attitude.
Again, and I say this every time, I’M NO SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERT!
But… but… this experience of starting from scratch with a fresh, clean slate has really been enlightening for me and, with this post – and those to come – I hope it will be for you as well!
Yours in YA,
Rusty
PS: If you liked these tips, why not check out over 5 dozen more of them in my completely FREE eBook, Zombies Don’t Tweet: 65 Social Media Tips for YA Authors @ http://www.scribd.com/doc/50890918/Zombies-Dont-Tweet-by-Rusty-Fischer
It feels really weird having, like, three Facebook friends; not 300, not 3,000 – three! The pages are so sparse, and I have no subscribers on Scribd.com so there’s no one to “Readcast” to; every time I log on to one of these new sites I swear I can hear that lonely whistle like you hear during an Old West gunfight.
(Yesterday I swear a tumbleweed rolled through my office!)
But… but… it’s a GREAT opportunity to get social media right the first time.
Using everything everyone has taught me, recalling all the great blog posts I’ve read over the last few months about what to do, what not to do, this time around it feels like a blank slate.
It made me think how differently I might have done things with my YA social media, but also that it’s not too late to apply what I’m doing now to what I’ve already done before.
And, naturally, I have a few thoughts on how to do social media right the second time around; five of them, to be exact:
Tip # 1 – Take it Slow
First off, take it slow.
It’s nice that I have eight months before my contemporary romance comes out just in time for Christmas because it means I can take my time.
There’s no sense of real urgency so I can check in when I want – or not.
I don’t feel like I have to lose sleep over it this time, and actually it’s affected my YA social media because I’m a lot less anxious about that now as well.
It’s a good feeling when the stakes aren’t so high, so even if you do have time sensitivity around your social media – book birthdays, blog tours, etc. – you can still put things in perspective and recognize that next week, next month and next year should all be a part of your social media strategy as well as today.
Tip # 2 – Start Fresh
A clean slate is just that; a time to renew, refresh, reorganize, recalibrate – rethink.
What are you posting?
Who are you friending/not friending?
How many followers do you have/want?
Even if you’ve been doing social media for years, take a step back, or a weekend off, then come back fresh with a new set of priorities.
Think about what you post, and when, and to whom.
Think about your numbers; are they too big, too small, to handle?
Don’t be afraid to “unfriend” somebody; or a lot of somebodies.
Don’t be so eager to auto-follow or feel like there will be hurt feelings if you don’t follow back.
People are un-friend and un-follow me all the time; there are tons of people I’ve friended, followed or subscribed to who have never returned the favor – and that’s okay.
I don’t think any less of them, and I didn’t follow or friend them just to get a favor in return; I did so because I liked what they had to say, or the way they said it, or their book cover or… whatever.
It’s okay to be picky, choosy and, yes, even selective.
Remember, it’s “your” social media, too.
Tip # 3 – Aim for the Right Target(s)
I love looking at my new Facebook friends because it’s like a big wall of romance book covers!
I’ve just been really targeted this time around, slowly but surely adding a friend here, accepting one there, commenting and liking and sharing with a whole new laid back, relaxed atmosphere; it’s kind of… refreshing!
Sure, it feels like a ghost town but there’s a real advantage to only having so many friends; every post counts.
I know “they” all have hundreds, even thousands, of friends, but when you yourself only have a dozen or so – not that I’m recommending that necessarily, but… you know what I mean – you really get to know who you’re following.
And if they’re 12 targeted friends or followers, if they’re all in your genre and talking about stuff that matters to you – and you to them – the relationship is twice as strong.
So if you’re overwhelmed by your sheer number of Facebook friends, if you turn around to answer the phone and have 300 new tweets waiting when you turn back, think about who you’re following, and why, and go through your lists and clean it out.
I’m not saying strip it bare but it’s YOUR prerogative to periodically slow down, take it easy and get selective in who you’re connected with.
Why not take advantage of it?
Tip # 4 – Share and Share Alike
If you’re just starting out in social media, or just starting over, it’s a great opportunity to recognize that social media is about sharing, not dominating.
This whole experience has been a great opportunity for me to just move slowly, breathe and see my new connections as true allies versus someone who might just “buy my book” one day.
Some of the faces are familiar, some are brand new, so it’s a nice mix of folks to share with; advice, feedback, tips, movie and book and CD recommendations, agreements, disagreements – I’ve definitely had a lot more “fun” this time around, because it’s felt less like work.
Are you sharing enough with your Facebook friends and Twitter followers?
Do you feel collaborative when you log on, or… greedy?
Think about why you’re there, and what everyone else is doing, and who you feel most aligned with.
If it’s not about sharing, then what’s it all about?
Tip # 5 – Have Something to Give
My first contemporary romance is a Christmas novel called Claus Encounters of the 25th Kind, so my “freebies” this time around are two short holiday stories that take place in the same town as my book: Snowflake, South Carolina.
And since it’s just coming on spring, I’m not as anxious to share them, to Readcast them, to broadcast, like or push them.
Don’t get me wrong; I took a long time designing covers, self-editing, primping and post, but I’m a lot more relaxed about how I push them this time since it’s so long before the holidays.
And even so, they’ve still gotten a few hundred reads already on Scribd.com and Smashwords.com, so… it’s already to give just for the sake of giving.
To provide a free excerpt, work in progress or complete story without expecting in return.
Heck, the book I’m promoting doesn’t even come out until November, so right now it’s more about visibility, availability and charity then anything else; and it feels really good to go about posting and sharing with that attitude.
Again, and I say this every time, I’M NO SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERT!
But… but… this experience of starting from scratch with a fresh, clean slate has really been enlightening for me and, with this post – and those to come – I hope it will be for you as well!
Yours in YA,
Rusty
PS: If you liked these tips, why not check out over 5 dozen more of them in my completely FREE eBook, Zombies Don’t Tweet: 65 Social Media Tips for YA Authors @ http://www.scribd.com/doc/50890918/Zombies-Dont-Tweet-by-Rusty-Fischer
Good luck! Sounds very exciting and like a lot of work. :)
ReplyDeleteJulie/PFirewolf
Thanks, Julie; it is!!!
ReplyDeleteFantastic Post! I have been discussing this very thing with several of my writtery friends! :) I love your tips and will be applying them to myself! Best of luck to you! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info.....You should get out more;) Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThanks, MD and CG for stopping by! I appreciate your comments...
ReplyDeleteJust ran across this after a Google search for "starting over with social media". This is something that I am on the brink of doing. I have learned an immense amount in the past few years, but I am at a point now where I am just overwhelmed. Thanks for posting this.
ReplyDelete