Do I Have to Have a Blog? 4 Tips for Writers Who Hate Blogging.

By Iola Goulton | @IolaGoulton

I'm often asked this question. It seems that the very thought of marketing and platform building and blogging—especially blogging—strike fear into the heart of even the most intrepid writer. So they tell themselves they hate blogging. And don't blog.

Do authors have to have a platform? 

Yes. Your platform is how you sell books—it's your way of demonstrating authority in your chosen topic, and of developing relationships with current and potential readers.

And a blog is one of the typical components of an author platform. The others are:

• Website
• Email List
• Social Media

(If you know you need to start building your author platform but have no idea where to start, or if you've made a start but aren't sure if you're on the right track, you need to join my March Marketing Challenge: Kick Start Your Author Platform. Click here to check it out.)

It used to be said that non-fiction authors need to blog (as a way of establishing authority in your chosen field), but that fiction authors didn't. But opinion on this is changing, as a blog is a great way to establish a relationship with potential readers.

But don't let that frighten you off. Blogging isn't scary—at least, I don't think so. Although I might be lying to myself ...

In fact, I am lying to myself. Here's the big lie I tell myself:

Only one person is reading my posts.

My professional background is as a management consultant specialising in writing long and detailed reports (never mind the quality. Feel the weight!). Lots of long words and long sentences and long paragraphs. Plenty of passive voice. My early blog posts—even my book reviews—reflected that writing style. I still struggle with writing a swoof-y book review (swoof = squeezing words out of feelings).

So it was a good thing that only one person was reading my early posts. It gave me the opportunity to try, experiment, and improve. I know more than one person reads my posts now. But I still write as though only one person is going to read it. It frees me to write what I think needs to be written. And it helps me solidify what I need to include because I'm not writing for everyone. I'm writing for that one person.

(Note that the "one person" may change depending on what I'm writing. If you've ever read one of my posts and thought, "Wow. She could have been writing that for me!" ... maybe I was. Knowingly or unknowingly.)

Yes, I write for an audience of one. (Not One. He already knows!)

I've discovered a few secrets in writing and publishing over 1,000 blog posts in the last six years. Okay, so most of those were book reviews which some people say aren't real blog posts. But other people loathe writing book reviews. And Aunty Google sees them as blog posts, so they count.

Here are my four tips.

1.Think Positive

If you think you're going to hate blogging, you will. Conversely, if you think blogging regularly might be a fun challenge, it will be. If you really hate the idea of having a blog, call it something different: a journal, a diary, a magazine, a letter.

2. Find Your Voice

Blogging is great training for writing. It helps you find your writing voice. It gets you used to writing to a deadline and that's a good thing. I am a procrastinator. I say I work best with a deadline, but that just means I ignore everything that doesn't have a deadline (like, say, housework). It also means that the only way I can get anything done is by setting myself a deadline.

Blogging is perfect. I set myself regular weekly deadlines, and I achieve them (almost) every week. Plan. Write. Revise. Edit. Schedule. Promote.

The hardest part is getting started.

If you're seeking a traditional publisher, blogging regularly has the advantage of showing potential agents and publishers that you can write, and that you can write to a schedule.

3. Have a Plan

One of the most common complaints I hear about blogging is that people don't know what to write. Planning ahead helps. Jeff Goins suggests keeping a list of possible blog post topics. No pressure—just write down the topic and a few notes when inspiration hits. Later, go through your list of potential topics and pick one to write. Edit, and schedule.

I always use the schedule function. 

It means I can blog at the same time each week. When I'm on a blogging roll I can write two or more posts, then edit and schedule them to post over time. It's a much better approach than posting three days in a row, then not posting again for a month.

So pick a regular time to post, and stick with it.

4. Join a Meme

Joining a meme is an extension of having a plan. A blogging meme is where a group of bloggers post on a similar subject at a set time. The meme usually has a host, and all participating bloggers link back to the host's site (and from there, they can find other participants in the meme).

Many memes pose a question of some kind. The blogger answers the question, then asks visitors to answer the same question in the comments. This encourages participation, and is a great way of getting to know your readers.

More importantly, participating in a meme or blog hop a ready-made answer to the eternal question: what do I blog about? It's also a regular weekly or monthly blogging schedule, which Google likes.

I'll be back next week to share some of my favourite memes.

Do you blog? Why or why not?

About Iola Goulton

Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, writing contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. She is a member of the Sisterhood of Unpronounceable Names (Iola is pronounced yo-la, not eye-ola and definitely not Lola).

Iola holds a degree in marketing, has a background in human resource consulting, and currently works as a freelance editor. When she’s not working, Iola is usually reading or writing her next book review. Iola lives in the beautiful Bay of Plenty in New Zealand (not far from Hobbiton) with her husband, two teenagers and one cat. She is currently working on her first novel.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

11 Tips for Writing a Great Blog Post

By Iola Goulton

Some authors love blogging. Some loathe it. But an author blog is often considered a necessary part of an author platform (especially for non-fiction authors).

If we're going to put time and effort into blogging, let's do it properly. Here are my 11 Tips for Writing a Great Blog Post:

1. Plan Ahead

Yes, I know this sounds boring. But it will cut down on your blogging stress in two ways because it means you won’t be scrambling to write and edit a blog post at the last minute. Planning ahead also means you can write when the urge hits you … even if that’s several weeks ahead of your scheduled post date. As an example, I’m drafting this post on 22 November. I know December is going to be busy, so I’m trying to get ahead while I can.

For those of us who contribute to group blogs, planning and scheduling ahead of time makes life a lot easier for the blog admins. 

A missed post can take an hour or more of admin time in checking the blog, checking the schedule, contacting the other admins, contacting the blogger, waiting for an answer, and trying to find a substitute post.

I’m an administrator for two group blogs (this and International Christian Fiction Writers) as well as having two blogs of my own (Iola Goulton and Christian Editing Services). It gives me a good feeling to check the calendar on Monday morning and find all the posts are scheduled for the week. All I have to do is promote them (see point 10 below).

2. Find the Perfect Topic

Sometimes you’re writing a blog post with a specific goal in mind: to share a cover reveal, a pre-order, a new release, or a specific time-sensitive promotion. These are easy posts to plan and write ahead of schedule, and should be part of your regular book launch marketing plan.

Sometimes you’re writing a post that has to fit a particular theme. For example, here on Australasian Christian Writers, Monday is a craft post and Thursday is a book review. We're introducing something new for Tuesday's next year, and I'll talk a little about that in my next post (yes, planning ahead).

But more often you’re faced with a blank slate. I find those blank slate posts harder to write than when I’ve got a topic in mind. So … plan ahead. Plan out what topics you’d like to cover and when. Then you can write to cover those topics, or (if the muse hits you) you can write to please the muse.

What makes a great blog post topic? I suggest:

• Something that interests you (so you’re going to enjoy writing it)
• Something that’s not going to date quickly (so you can continue to promote the post in the future).
• Something that’s relevant to your target audience. You do know your target audience, right? Do they ever ask questions? Yes? Then write an answer. You’re likely to get the same questions over and over, and having the answer in a blog post means you can direct future askers to the post.

(Kick Start Your Author Platform has more great tips on choosing the perfect post topic.)

3. Write at least 300 words

One of our objectives as writers is to be read. Which means writing words people want to read. But first people have to find what you’ve written. This means making your blog post as appealing to Google (and other search engines) as it is to your target reader.

Which means writing a blog post that’s at least 300 words long. More words are better, but only if they are good words. No padding!

(P.S. In a group blog, that's 300 or more words of content. Not 300 words including your bio.)

4. Make Your Post Scannable

As you write, make your post scannable. Many people read blog posts via a reader (such as Feedly), or on a mobile or tablet.

In an online world, scannable equals readable.

To make your blog post scannable:

• Use short paragraphs (no more than four lines).
• Use headings and subheadings.
• Use bullet points or lists where relevant. Like here.

5. Ask a Question

As bloggers, we need to engage our readers, to keep them coming back. A great way of doing this is to ask a question.

This could be like my Bookish Question, or like #FirstLineFriday posts (what’s the first line of the book nearest you?).

Or you could ask a question that’s relevant to theme of your post. If the post is sharing your favourite novels, ask your readers their favourite novels. If you’re about Christmas, ask your readers to share their favourite Christmas memory. You get the idea.

The blogs I enjoy reading most are generally conversations where the comments are as important as the blog itself. So work out how you can turn your blog post into a conversation.

6. Revise. Edit. Proofread

We’re writers. We can do this. (If you can’t, Christian Editing Services can help you!)

7. Add a Killer Title

Feedly delivers me over 100 blog posts every single day. I don’t have time to read 100 blog posts. No one does. So how do I decide which posts to read? Based on the title.

Some people don’t want to use clickbaity titles such as 11 Tips for Writing a Great Blog Post. However, it’s only clickbaity if the post doesn’t actually deliver on the promise (or makes you click through 32 screens to get the 11 points).

Also, I’m reliably informed (thanks, Margie Lawson) that people subconsciously like numbered posts, because the numbers show us how much longer until the end of the post (not long now, people).

8. Include a Relevant Image

People like images. Search engines like images. Social media likes images—experts will tell you posts with images get more attention.

Include images. (But make sure you are using them legally.)

Your main image should be centred at the very top of the post. This is the image Blogger will pick up for social media shares (if you use WordPress, you can select a Featured Image. WordPress will display that at the top of your post, and use it for social media shares).

Intersperse images throughout a longer post—it breaks up the text and makes it more readable. 

Use design software such as Canva to brand your images, so your images stand out to someone randomly scanning through Feedly. And include your killer title with your image—that will help when you’re sharing to visual sites like Instagram and Pinterest (see 10, below).

If you’re posting on a group blog like ACW, include your author photo, bio, and social media links at the bottom of the post.

9. Add Your Byline

Tell your readers who wrote the post. This is especially important if you’re writing for a group blog with multiple contributors. Some people will choose to read the post because you wrote it. Make it easy for them to know they want to read this post.

10. Promote Promote Promote

Note: promote promote promote does not mean spam spam spam.

Promoting means sharing your post with your target audience using relevant social networks.

If your post is about your multi-author romance giveaway, share in places where romance readers congregate (hint: not LinkedIn).

I use Buffer to share to Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter—Buffer's Power Scheduler means I can even schedule multiple posts at once. A few clicks, and it’s done, with a unique message for each network (e.g. one or two #hashtags on Twitter, but more on Instagram).

Why these networks?

• For my reader-writer-reviewer posts, my target reader is on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Many are also on Twitter, and it takes only a few extra seconds to get Buffer to share to Twitter as well.
• For my writer-editor posts, my target audience is on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. The beauty of Pinterest is that people can follow specific Boards, so people who aren’t interested in writing can choose not to follow my writing-related Boards.

I share on Google+ because that is indexed for SEO purposes. Translated: sharing to Google+ means Google is more likely to show my blog post (or Google+ share) to someone who is searching for posts on my topic.

The other reason for sharing or promoting is that some blog posts get more traction on social media than on the actual blog. For example, my weekly Bookish Question often gets no comments on the actual blog post, but always gets Likes and Comments on Facebook and Instagram (especially Instagram).

One request: if you’re a member of a group blog like ACW or ICFW, consider using a programme like Buffer to share everyone’s posts, not just your own. Because this is a community. Let’s work together and help each other.

11. Engage

You finished your blog post with a question, right? Now it’s important to check back and make sure you respond to answers (and other comments). And don’t forget to check your social media networks and respond to comments there as well.

Readers want to connect, to engage. That means responding to comments in a timely manner.

That’s it. My top blogging tips. Is there anything you don’t understand or you’d like more information on? Or anything you’d like to add? Let me know in the comments.

If even the thought of establishing a blog or an author platform fills you with dread … I can help. Click here to sign up to be notified about my March Marketing Challenge: Kick Start Your Author Platform.

About Iola Goulton

Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, writing contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. She is a member of the Sisterhood of Unpronounceable Names (Iola is pronounced yo-la, not eye-ola and definitely not Lola).

Iola holds a degree in marketing, has a background in human resource consulting, and currently works as a freelance editor. When she’s not working, Iola is usually reading or writing her next book review. Iola lives in the beautiful Bay of Plenty in New Zealand (not far from Hobbiton) with her husband, two teenagers and one cat. She is currently working on her first novel.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

Reader Question: Should I Hire Someone to Build my Social Media Presence?

By Iola Goulton

An agent liked my manuscript, but said I needed to build my social media presence before he’d consider representing me. I work full time. Should I hire someone?

Short answer: Maybe. 

Long answer …

Maybe. It depends on what your agent means by a social media presence, the kind of books you write and plan to write, on your brand, and on what God wants for your writing.

Let me explain.

I don’t have an agent. I’m not seeking representation from an agent. (I’ll tell you why some other time, if you’re interested.) I’ve lurked on a lot of agent blogs over the years, and one thing I’ve found is that agents are all different.

• Some only accept electronic submissions; some only accept paper.
• Some want a query letter first, others think a query letter is a waste of time and want a full proposal.
• Some seem to think numbers are the only important aspect of a writer’s platform, others make no mention of the subject.

That’s an extended way of saying that for every agent who reads this blog post and thinks I’ve got something right, another will think I’ve got it wrong. The right answer to this question depends very much on the agent you’re talking about.

What is a Social Media Presence?

If your agent thinks a good social media presence is 100,000 engaged Twitter followers, then I can make some suggestions. Start by reading Rayne Hall’s book on building your Twitter following, and implement her suggestions. Then read Ian Sutherland’s book. He built a following of over 100,000 people in around a year, and he offers support services to help other authors do the same. That might be something you could consider … but only if that’s what your dream agent is thinking of.

What does this agent expect in terms of building your social media presence?

But this might not be what your dream agent means. So you need to know what he means before you invest your time or your money in developing a social media presence. Does he mean social media or does he mean a platform—your entire online presence including social media, your website, and your email list?

Also, what manuscript did you submit that he liked?

• Fiction or non-fiction?
• What genre?
• Was it written for adults, teenagers, or children?

You’ve got the basics of a social media presence although it could do with refreshing, updating, and perhaps expanding (depending on your book):

• Website and a blog (although they should be combined onto one site).
• Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn.

You also need to consider developing an email list and regular newsletter to subscribers, as this might be what your agent is looking for).

Build Your Brand

But how you do this will depend on what you are writing, and who you are writing for. You need to decide who you are, and build your author brand around that persona. Then you need to attract and engage with potential readers.

I believe you should do this yourself.

Because you can’t hire someone to tell you who you are.

Once you know who you are and who you want to be online, you can hire someone to help you broadcast that message. But you’re going to have to do some of the hard work up front.

It’s generally agreed that a non-fiction author needs more of an author platform to interest an agent than a fiction author. That’s especially true in the case of true-life stories—for example, I’ve read that agents aren’t interested in cancer stories. They’re all too common.

Once you’ve decided who you are, and once you know what kind of platform your dream agent wants you to build, then you have another decision: is that what you want to do? Is it what God wants you to be doing? (I ask because your social media profiles make it clear you’re a Christian.)

Should you hire someone to build your social media presence?

The answer is going to depend on the answers to other questions:

• What does this agent mean by “build a social media presence”? This is the most important question.
• What manuscript is he interested in? What’s the genre? Is this the same as the books you’ve previously published, or different?
• What is your brand? In other words, who are you? How do you want people to see you?
• What does God want for your writing? Is this closed door a challenge for you to get past, or is it a door God doesn’t want you to open? Is chasing this agent God’s plan for you and your writing?
• How much is hiring someone going to cost? What results will you get? Is that return on your investment worth it to you?
• Could you find a way to do this yourself, perhaps by investing in online tools such as Buffer or Hootsuite?

Once you've answered those questions, then you can get back to your original question: should you hire someone?

I suspect the answer is no.

That might change in a couple of weeks or a couple of months, when you find the answers to some of my other questions. By then, I suspect, the answer to your original question will be obvious.

If you’ve got a question you’d like me to answer in a future blog post, please email me via www.christianediting.co.nz/contact, or tag @iolagoulton on Twitter.

About Iola Goulton

I am a freelance editor specialising in Christian fiction. Visit my website at www.christianediting.co.nz to download a comprehensive list of publishers of Christian fiction. 

I also write contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist—find out more at www.iolagoulton.com.

You can also find me on:
Facebook (Author)
Facebook (Editing)
Instagram
Pinterest
Twitter

Please Like Me!

Please Like Me

A few months ago Paula Vince posted a fascinating article at vincereview.blogspot.com.au about why people don’t leave comments on blog posts. The discussion was illuminating. Many people commented (ironic?) offering various reasons from previous comments being misunderstood to the challenges of technology. What was agreed was the need to continue to support each other in promoting and encouraging each other on this writing (and publishing) journey.

I have a similar question. Why don’t people press like on a Facebook post?

It’s a simple thing. Press the like button, or if you want to invest a little more, hold the like button to get an emotion (love, haha, wow, sadness, anger). Hey, if you really care, write a comment. What puzzles me is how people can ‘see’ an article and just move on, not even acknowledging they’ve read it. Especially when it’s such a simple thing to press ‘like’.

I’m a relative newbie to Facebook, having only been on since 2014. Prior to that I couldn’t really see the point, as I felt social media had the potential offering a sheeny-shiny, shallow artificial connection that made users think they really were connected, at the expense of real deep relationships earned over years. Turns out I was right. And wrong. Wrong because Facebook can be more than just a friendship-meter, tracking your popularity (ugh! who wants to revisit those high-school days? Oh wait…) It has the opportunity to connect acquaintances (those from Omega conferences, etc), to share useful information (I’ve learned HEAPS about writing from my ACW friends) or track how a loved one far away is doing (not in some creepy stalker-like way!). My sister has lived overseas for the past four years, first in England, now in Canada. Her photos of her many trips have been (literally) eye-opening, and something that Facebook expedites, as opposed to an email with a link to download her photos via the Cloud or Onedrive or some other method of streaming photos. Facebook can be good. But it has a downside, too.

Did you know social media can be like a drug? In 2012, a Harvard University study on social media found that talking about oneself through social media activates a pleasure sensation in the brain usually associated with food, money and sex (www.pnas.org/content/109/21/8038). Dopamine – that organic chemical in our brains – is released when we get a response, whether it’s a ‘like’, or a text, or our tweet re-tweeted. Dopamine – that same sensation that occurs for gamblers, smokers, drinkers – is highly addictive. We want more, more, more – we become insane by greed! (to quote Barbara Cartland 😁).

Getting likes makes us feel good. (Hello?) But what if we don’t get the ‘likes’ we crave? What if the post we craft, or the news we think so amazing, earns the social media equivalent of a dismissive eye-rolled ‘whatever’?

The drug that makes us check our status before saying good morning to our spouse, that makes us upload photos of meals or check our phones instead of talking to our dates, that makes us think about our emails rather than actively engage in work discussions – this drug has the potential to cost relationships. Motivational speaker Simon Sinek explains it clearly here: youtu.be/jeAtNduPFmI

Rather than listening to people to truly hear we listen to craft our reply. Rather than spending time, lots of time, with those who see us at our best AND worst – those who truly know us – we look for affirmation from those we barely know. Those very same people whose indifference is revealed by their scrolling past your post to find another more titillating, more worthy of a ‘like’.

Have you ever had to ‘go dark with social media? Take time away because it just doesn’t make you feel good anymore? I have. (Honesty time here). Sometimes I’m just not secure enough to cope with the plethora of information Facebook bombards my feed with. Sometimes I’ve unfollowed people because my ‘highlight reel’ cannot compare to theirs, and instead of getting that ‘feel good’ hit, I get a shot of ‘feel bad’ 😢. Sometimes I re-follow them, sometimes not. I know my posts have the potential to make others feel the same way. I try to make my posts positive, to be light and salt, to not add to the negativity so prevalent in certain circles (aka the news). I don’t actively go out of my way to make people feel less (does that sound arrogant? SO don’t mean to be; hear my heart). My sister told me about a Facebook ‘friend’ who posted about her amazing boyfriend who just graduated medical school, finishing her elation with a breathily snide ‘what has YOUR boyfriend done recently?’

Ouch.

Narcissistic, perhaps?

Insensitive, much?

People who spend more time on Facebook suffer from higher rates of depression than those who don’t. ‘Seeing everyone else’s highlight reels: how Facebook usage is linked to depressive symptoms’ was published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology in 2014. In it, there’s a clear link showing studies provide evidence that people feel depressed after spending a great deal of time on Facebook because they feel badly when comparing themselves to others. (Read more: http://guilfordjournals.com/doi/abs/10.1521/jscp.2014.33.8.701)

I’m an introvert by nature. Sure, I can put on a smile and, given the right circumstances, act like the life of the party (I’m not pathologically introverted!) – even if I find myself exhausted at the end. Being introverted means I worry about what others think. Sometimes I can even obsess over it, wondering what people REALLY meant, rather than taking their words at face value. Sometimes I feel emotionally fragile, and can go to a dark place, my ‘cave’ where I can only cope with those I know who truly love me, despite my flaws.

Some of you may be aware that in a few short weeks my debut Regency ‘The Elusive Miss Ellison’ releases in the US. I’m very aware that there will be negative reviews and potential for 1 star ratings - not because I think my book is bad! – but because that’s the nature of putting your creativity out into the world for assessment. What one person loves another loathes. I get that.

I’m learning (still learning!) that my security is not to be found in other’s opinions, not to be found in comparing myself to others, but to be found in Jesus Christ.

I am not the sum total of ‘likes’ received.

I am the child of the King. Chosen for His purpose. Appointed, anointed to share His love and light and hope, especially through the medium of words.

Australasian Christian writer – you are, too. Beloved, anointed, appointed by the King.

When I remember this, when my focus is on God, who truly has my best interests at heart, then my heart lifts, and I’m reminded of the bigger God-picture, the bigger God-purpose that instills confidence and hope in my future. I need to feed on the truth of His word rather than the feeds of the often faceless popularity-pollsters in the virtual world. When I notice I’m addicted to other’s opinions, ‘going dark’ on social media might be the detox I require to get the balance right, aided by an increased dose of Bible, prayer and praise.

My prayer is as I continue this writing journey, with all its ups and downs, that I – and you – will know deep within our soul that ‘likes’ don’t need to matter as much as His love.

His love – the true hope for all the world.

Your turn:

What makes you ‘like’ or simply pass by a post?

Have you ever had to ‘go dark’ to save your soul? If so, what helped you ‘rebalance’?

Carolyn Miller lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children. A longtime lover of romance, especially that of the Regency era, Carolyn holds a BA in English Literature, and loves drawing readers into fictional worlds that show the truth of God’s grace in our lives. Her Regency novel 'The Elusive Miss Ellison' will be published in the US by Kregel in February 2017. She is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency.

Connect with her:    www.carolynmiller.org    

                                 http://www.pinterest.com/camillering

                                                                     https://www.facebook.com/CarolynMillerAuthor

                                                              https://twitter.com/CarolynMAuthor

How to be on Twitter 24/7 Without Being on Twitter 24/7

By Iola Goulton

This week I'm going to talk about how to automate your Twitter account so you’re being a good Twitter citizen.

Yes, this will require a little time to set up. 

But it really is set-it-and-forget-it. Mostly.

Here are the main tools I use:

CrowdFire (previously JustUnfollow)

This tool is for managing Twitter followers. Twitter has rules about how many accounts you can follow, and the basic aim is to ensure you follow roughly the same number of accounts as follow you, so keeping your follower/following ratio close to 1:1. Tools like CrowdFire allow you to identify which accounts you follow that don't follow you back, so you can Unfollow these people and best manage your following/follower ratio.

The free version of CrowdFire allows you to follow up to 50 accounts per day, and unfollow up to 100 (well, these are my limits. Your limits might be lower if you have less than 5,000 followers).

The paid version allows you more follows and unfollows, and allows you to connect Instagram as well. I've just upgraded on a month-by-month basis, mostly to manage my Instagram followers. I haven't decided if I'll make this a permanent investment yet. It might depend on whether I get to keep the USD 5.99 promotional price, or whether I'll have to pay the USD 9.99 full price.

RoundTeam

I'm on the free plan, which allows me 200 tweets per month. I’ve set it up so I’m retweeting 5-6 tweets per day from a List (the @ACWriters list of ACW members). Every time someone on the @ACWriters list tweets, Roundteam put that tweet into a “bucket”, then tweets one post an hour between midnight and 6am (New Zealand time).

Paid plans start at USD 10 per month. 

These allow you to connect more than one Twitter account, and to have more tweets per month. The paid plans also remove the promotional tweets (at the moment, for every 50 tweets I send, RoundTeam will send one automated Tweet from me extolling the virtues of their service).

SocialJukebox (previously TweetJukebox)

You all know what a jukebox is: in the old days, it had a bunch of 45s and you could select which song you wanted from the playlist (for the younger readers: a 45 is a record with only one song on each side). They also had a random play function, and that is the concept behind Social Jukebox.

You load a virtual jukebox up with tweets, and SocialJukebox sends them randomly at predetermined intervals. 

So, for example, you could have a jukebox for old blog posts that you tweet each Thursday using the #tbt (throwback Thursday) hashtag. Yes, you have to load the posts into the relevant jukebox, but it’s a once-and-done thing: once you’ve loaded a post, it will be in that jukebox until you delete it. If I was going to post self-promotional tweets, I’d create them in SocialJukebox, then set it to post. Not too often—I wouldn’t want my Twitter stream to become all about me (the general guideline is to make no more than 20% of your posts about you).

SocialJukebox was previously known as TweetJukebox, and it just offered Tweets. The new version also posts to Facebook and LinkedIn, although I don’t use those options. Yet. (Mostly because while I don’t mind seeing Tweets repeated, I’m not a fan of seeing the same Facebook post over and over. And if it annoys me, it’s reasonable to expect it will annoy my followers as well). So I have to work out an effective sharing strategy.

Thank You Tweets

But the handy feature of SocialJukebox is that it automatically sends out thank you Tweets each Friday—an @mention and thank you to up to 50 people who have retweeted or mentioned you during the preceeding week. It’s always polite to say thank you, and this feature makes it easy.

I am currently on the basic paid plan for Social Jukebox. 

This gives me more Jukeboxes and thank you tweets to 100 people. I paid USD 120 for a year, but the prices are about to go up (to reflect the move from just supporting Twitter, to also supporting Facebook and LinkedIn). Even so, the new price of USD 24.99 per month is cheap compared to MeetEdgar, a similar tool, which is now USD 79.99 per month.

The paid plan also allows me to access three Twitter accounts ... so I can create an Australasian Christian Writers Jukebox to support and promote our blogger members.

More on that later ... 

Buffer

This requires a little more input in my part. It works in a similar way to RoundTeam and SocialJukebox in that it automatically posts content for me. The only difference is I have to load the posts in myself, and each will only post once (although there is a multiple post option). I find Buffer to be an excellent tool for posting new content or news, whereas SocialJukebox is better suited for evergreen content (content which isn’t going to date—like a book review or Bible verse meme).

I’m on Buffer’s Awesome plan, which costs me USD 10 per month.

This allows me to link up to 12 social media accounts—including Pinterest and Instagram. If I could only justify one paying for social media plan, this would be it, because it enables me to post throughout the day even when I'm out of wifi zone (as I will have been for the last three days by the time you read this).

This is also how I share many of my posts to the Australasian Christian Writers Facebook group.

No, I'm not on Twitter (or social media in general) 24/7. But tools like this allow me to be "active" even when I'm asleep.

Do you use any free or paid tools to help you manage social media? Which tools do you recommend? 

About Iola Goulton

I am a freelance editor specialising in Christian fiction. Visit my website at www.christianediting.co.nz to download a comprehensive list of publishers of Christian fiction. 

I also write contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist—find out more at www.iolagoulton.com.

You can also find me on:
Facebook (Author)
Facebook (Editing)
Instagram
Pinterest
Twitter

Dear Author, You Need to be on Twitter

By Iola Goulton

As many of you probably know, I review books. Lots of books. I currently have over 800 reviews on my blog, going back over five years. Some are for books I loved, some for books I loathed, and some for books which were good books but not spectacular.

I review on my blog, and copy the reviews to other sites such as Goodreads, Amazon, Christian Book Distributors, Koorong Books, and Riffle. I also share a lot of my reviews on social media—Facebook, Google+, Pinterest … and Twitter.

And when I share a book I loved, I want the author to know about it. 

That’s not me being egotistical. It’s me being practical: authors love reviews, especially positive reviews. It encourages them:

But I want them writing, not stalking Amazon and book blogs looking for reviews. So when I post a review to Twitter, I like to tag them in the review so I can be sure they’ll see it when they do check. It also brings my review to the attention of other people looking at the author’s Twitter feed.

An author will often share my tweeted review, potentially bringing it to the attention of more readers. Well, why wouldn’t they? They want reviews, especially positive reviews. They want their current and potential readers to know about those reviews, in the hope that will influence more people to buy their book. This is a biblical principle:

If I say something about myself, it's not valid. If you say it, it is ... especially if someone else agrees with you.

There’s even an internet buzzword for it: user-generated content (or UGC). 

That’s a simple way of saying they author (the producer) gets shareable content (Tweet, book review, meme) from users (me). Because me (or you) saying something positive about a book is more powerful than the author saying it herself. Or himself.

It’s self-promotion, but not the annoying kind. Sure, Twitter is full of authors spamming the feed with “buy my book!” promos every six minutes. That’s the annoying kind of self-promotion, because it’s all about the author. The beauty of user-generated content is it’s from the user. An author who retweets me is promoting me as much as she’s promoting herself.

But not every author is on Twitter.

Or if they are, they have weird names that means I can’t identify them. And that means I can’t tag them in my posts. It means they don’t benefit from my user-generated content. It means they’re missing out on me promoting them—which means they have to promote themselves. Probably by spamming.

To plagiarise Jane Austen, it is a truth universally acknowledged that authors hate promoting themselves.

Fine. I get that. But that’s not a good reason to avoid Twitter. It means you’re thinking about it the wrong way. Instead of thinking of Twitter as another social media network you have to be on to promote yourself, think of it like this:

Twitter is a way readers, reviewers and authors can find you and influence for you. And a way you can influence for promote readers, reviewers and other authors.

Doesn’t that sound better? Pay it forward. Be relentlessly helpful. Make social media about other people, not you.

Some authors aren’t on Twitter because they think it’s going to be a lot of work. It’s not (or if it is, you’re doing it wrong). There are heaps of free (and paid) tools that will help you manage your Twitter account. I’ll be back next week to talk about some of my favourite tools.

Meanwhile, if you’re not on Twitter, why don’t you head over there and set up an account?

While you’re there, follow me (@iolagoulton) and Australasian Christian Writers (@acwriters). Then leave a comment with your Twitter user name so we can follow you back, watch for your Tweets and retweet you. If you’re on Twitter … well, that’s even more reason to follow us!

Why Social Media? Part 2

In Why Social Media? Part 1 we talked about the individuality of social media and today I’d like to explore how we can utilise our social media presence for sales.

As we talked about in Part 1, social media works because we bring our individual selves to the social media table. It’s here that we get to share our thoughts, plans, achievements and even our businesses.

As soon as we include business we have to tread carefully, just as we would when we’re sitting at a dinner party with friends. Just as we might figuratively roll our eyes at that friend who seems to monopolises the conversation with their new business we have to understand that the same applies within our social media circles.

We are generally more than happy to support our friends and this is obvious as we ‘like’ and ‘share’ each other’s stories through social media. When our friends have businesses we often recommend them to others and as a community we support worthy causes just as easily.

The level of relationship that we have with that friend at the dinner party dictates whether we are annoyed by them discussing the status of their passion or happy to hear how things are going and decide how we might support them or even buy from them.

Within our social media circles it works the same. We want to hear from our friends but less interested to be bombarded by businesses who only want to sell something! This notion of selling suddenly becomes relative.

If a friend sells gym bags and we buy one, do we feel as if they were ‘selling’ to us? Likely not but we might feel that way if that same friend sends us a generic email every day telling us that we should buy one.

Our presence on social media allows for countless opportunities to sell our products or services but the key point is that our aim should be to sharing (selling) ourselves.

Our business page or profile page, depending on which way we have decided to brand our product, must seek friends first.

Gather friends, invite interested people into your social media friendship circle, share about your life, your dreams, your writing, your books, your services, what causes you believe in and even what you 

stand for.

Casually interested people become interested, interested people become friends, friends support each other and that support turns into sales.

Kathy Smail, after her family roles, is a Communicator who loves the impact of words and is 
working on a novel, when she can drag herself away from reading. Her previous role as the Social Media Manager for a national retailer and various roles in Corporate Affairs, Marketing, Human Resources and Learning & Development has fed her passion for getting the message across. 


She can be found chatting:
Facebook: Kathy Smail Social Marketing Business
Twitter: @KathySmail
Instagram: kathysmail_social_marketing
The Web: www.kjs.com.au

Why Social Media? Part 1

Social Media is a gift!

It can be an incredibly rewarding gift but can often feel awkward and clunky like a toddler trying to wear their mother’s high heels, even with the big grin on their face.

Social media gets a bad rap for making us feel as if we have to manage something akin to trying to dress that wriggling toddler however, embracing the ‘why’ of social media before the ‘how’ can be incredibility liberating.

So ‘why’ social media?

Let’s look at what it is. Social media is a ridiculously broad term for many hundreds of sites, platforms and apps which enables users to connect, engage, and share information.

It’s important that we make the point that promotion or sales are not necessarily the reason why most of us use social media. One could argue that social media platforms are all about self-promotion and the popularity for selfies as well as the rise in photo sharing, particularly of staged meals photo would likely support that thought.

Some 1.57 billion people are listed as having a Facebook profile and that doesn’t include the many pages that we also own. These may be for businesses, charities, community groups or for a group of friends who like to keep in touch in a quieter space.

Quieter spaces are hard to find in our busy world but social media gives us space to be ourselves, or a version of ourselves (if we wish, but that’s another article!). We get the chance to show off our children, connect with like-minded people across the world, argue a point, learn from others, increase our areas of influence and do it all from our couch. The Sensis Social Media Report for 2016 shows us that 26% of Australians check their social media sites more than 5 times a day and another 24% at least once a day. So half of us are using social media sites every single day.

I’d like to suggest that the ‘why’ of social media is that our platforms are an extension of us- our hearts, our dreams and our lives. We are individuals connecting with other individuals. A spider’s web of connecting fibres across the world to places that we might only ever dream of travelling to.

The more connected that we are to others, the more influential we become and the more influenced we can be.

It’s the power of influence that is the ‘why’ of social media.

In Why Social Media? Part 2 we’ll talk further about how to use the ‘why’ of social media turns into sales on social media.

Kathy Smail, after her family roles, is a Communicator who loves the impact of words and is 
working on a novel, when she can drag herself away from reading. Her previous role as Social Media Manager for a national retailer and various roles in Corporate Affairs, Marketing, Human Resources and Learning & Development has fed her passion for getting the message across. 


She can be found chatting:
Facebook: Kathy Smail Social Marketing Business
Twitter: @KathySmail
Instagram: kathysmail_social_marketing
The Web: www.kjs.com.au