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Getting Published Now!
Coronado Adult Education
Spring 2015
Social Media – Challenges and Opportunities
February 17, 2015
“If you decide to become a professional writer, youmust, broadly speaking, decide whether you wish towrite for fame, for pleasure, or for money.”
Ian FlemingHow to Write a Thriller
Recap of What We Covered Last Week
Establishing an Online Presence
• Review of weeks one through four
– Why write – writing skills in general
– Writing for and selling for publication
– Writing and selling non-fiction
– Writing and selling novels
• What makes your online material unique?
• Beating the competition for “eyes”
• Balancing content and entertainment
• Doing-it-yourself…or…?
This Week:Social Media
Challenges and Opportunities
“Social media is not just a spoke on the wheel of marketing. It's becoming the way entire bicycles are built”
Ryan LillyWrite Like No One is Reading
Social Media-Challenges and Opportunities
• Everyone is doing it
• Vote early and often
• Building a following
• Sustaining momentum
What This Evening Is – and Isn’t - About
• What it isn’t:
– A primer on how to use social media – I suspect you all know how to do that already
• What it is:
– Thoughts on how to use social media to support and promote what you publish
“Over the past 60 years, marketing has moved from beingproduct-centric (Marketing 1.0) to being consumer-centric(Marketing 2.0). Today we see marketing as transforming onceagain in response to the new dynamics in the environment. Wesee companies expanding their focus from products toconsumers to humankind issues. Marketing 3.0 is the stage whencompanies shift from consumer-centricity to human-centricityand where profitability is balanced with corporateresponsibility.”
Philip Kotler
Everyone is Doing It
• 74% of online adults use social networking sites
• 71% of online adults use Facebook
• 23% of online adults use Twitter
• 26% use Instagram
• 28% use Pinterest
• 28% use LinkedIn
Vote Early and Often
• There are no limits to how much you can use social media
• This goes to the number of sites you use as well as to how often you are on those sites
• However, as with your online presence (website) it comes down to how you invest your time
• Most “practitioners” advise a Zen approach; “If you don’t do it excellently, don’t do it at all”
Building a Following
• There are many ways to build a following – find the one that’s right for you
• You can even “buy” a following on media like Twitter – if this is really what you want to do
• Most people find that letting a following build naturally conveys the best long-term benefits
• Remember that social media following is a very ephemeral thing (Un-friending, Tweepie, etc.)
Sustaining Momentum
• Building a following on social media carries an implicit obligation – to stay with it!
• As one indication, Twitter tells you when a person’s last Tweet was – and Tweepie keeps score too
• You want to make social media your servant not your master
• Recognize that there are dangers that come with this http://www.georgegaldorisi.com/who-likes-you
…now let’s get to the “where” and the “how to”
…but first…a strategic pause
“A fixation with connecting with 'friends' onlinecomes with the risk of disconnection withfriends waiting for you to be present in theoffline world.”
Craig Hodges
Do You Really Want To Do This?
• It can be time consuming – or all-consuming
• It can be boring
• It can be distracting – to the detriment of your work
• It can be expensive in terms of missed opportunities
• Doesn’t have a definable return on investment
• At the end of the day it is ephemeral
…on the other hand…
Benefits of Social Media
• You can reach a global audience
• Social media is accessible to everyone
• Most social media tools are easily learned
• You control your content and periodicity
• If you have no Web presence, agents, reviewers and readers are a lot less likely to take you seriously
• Publishers will ask: “What platforms are you on and how many followers do you have?”
A Slice of Social Media
A Slice of Social Media
• Blogging
• Text Messaging
A Slice of Social Media
• Blogging
• Text Messaging
“Your email inbox is a bit like a Las Vegasroulette machine. You know, you just check itand check it, and every once in a while there'ssome juicy little tidbit of reward, like the threequarters that pop down on a one-armed bandit.And that keeps you coming back for more.”
Douglas Rushkoff
• E-mail remains the most “personal” of all types of media we use – except perhaps the phone
• Since it is asynchronous in time, it lends itself to you just launching something at any time
• You can also create multiple “lists” for various communities of interest
• Many people you e-mail expect a reply when they e-mail you – and the clock is ticking
• Know the “rules of the road”
• Learn how to handle your in-box
“Don’t focus on having a great blog. Focus onproducing a blog that’s great for your readers.”
Brian Clark
Blogging
• Your blog is typically your “stream of consciousness” of content you want to share with the world
• It’s not just about getting people to look at your blog once, it’s about getting them to come back to it
• Use the “Goldilocks” approach to blogging – not too much, not too little by remembering what you like
• It always helps to periodically build on material you’ve blogged on before
“In modern politics, even the leader of the freeworld needs help from the sultan ofFacebookistan.”
Rebecca MacKinnon
• Having at least a decent Facebook page is an expected attribute for any professional
• In much the same way as your website, your FB page should balance content and sizzle
• Be judicious regarding who you follow – it can overwhelm your e-mail inbox
• Facebook is a great opportunity to engage both your left and your right brain
“Twitter is my bar. I sit at the counter and listen to the conversations, starting others, feeling the atmosphere.”
Paulo Coelho
• In some ways, Twitter is today’s news “ribbon” in Times Square
• Twitter enables you to redistribute content that you find and want to share
• Twitter provides a great opportunity to drive people to your website
• Exercise caution and don’t “over-market” on Twitter – people can easily see through this
“The real challenge is for each of us to determinewhere we feel we can make the most impact.”
Jay Samit
Like Many Things in Life Using Social Media to Enhance Your Writing Reach Involves
• Organization and planning
• Knowing your target market
• Getting creative
• Staying consistent
• Picking some – but not likely all – types of SM
• Setting realistic goals–especially the time you invest
...if you are interested in learning more…
One Way to Learn More About How Social Media Can Help Your Business
• Tracy Petrucci
• www.tracypetrucci.com
• Coronado Adult Education
• March 4-25, 2015
“Being a comparatively successful writer is a good life.You don’t have to work at it all the time and you carryyour office around in your head. And you are far moreaware of the world around you. Writing makes youmore alive to your surroundings and, since the mainingredient of living, though you might not think so tolook at most human beings is to be alive, this is quite aworthwhile by-product, even if you only write thrillers.”
Ian FlemingHow to Write a Thriller
...let’s see what we’ve learned…
