Earlier this summer I was sitting on the deck in the growing dusk after supper listening to the Boy talk with his cousins (my niece and her husband, let’s call them Suze and Sam) about social media. Suze is hovering around age forty; she recently left academia—where she eschewed social media—and has a consulting business. She knows she needs to add social media to her marketing efforts, but what? I told her about my Twitter experience* but the Boy felt she shouldn’t bother. Twitter’s dead,** he said; he recommended Instagram instead.
A year ago I had an author friend tell me no, she’s not on Facebook, she’d chosen to focus on Google+ instead. Since every single author I know has at least a FB “page” (as opposed to a personal profile) and most do have profiles, I was puzzled by her reasoning. I have been on G+ since the days you had to have an invitation, and I have yet to see the charm of it. I post there, in the same way I post to Twitter (my blog posts, and interesting articles I see elsewhere), whereas I use Facebook for pretty much everything: to keep up with faraway friends and author friends; get up-to-date information about retailers I’m fond of or causes I’m passionate about; laugh and chatter about my work and life; see what’s happening in the news; make lunch dates; set up invitations; and a lot more.
As is my wont, I mentioned the “error” of my author’s ways on Facebook … and got set straight posthaste. 🙂 Here’s some of what I learned.
A web presence is vital, and it should start with a website; social media is not a substitute for a web presence but should be done in addition to—particularly if your website is static. That said, many small businesses use Facebook in place of a website (that is, for incoming—people looking for them). It’s a great way for your true fans to interact with you and each other, but there are problems with counting on it for marketing (that is, don’t count on folks seeing your outgoing material). Feeling creative? Consider a YouTube channel. It can function a lot like a blog.
Twitter is much more useful for outgoing marketing, but use it to drive traffic to your website and some valuable content. Do not use it to shout about your latest five-star review; it’s tiresome.
Be more specific and less general. You need to analyze based on your target market. (Jane Friedman has a great post on this very thing.) If you are a YA writer it isn’t true that Facebook is key, because teens are using Instagram and Twitter.*** LinkedIn would be a waste for YA writers but could be wonderful for folks who write nonfiction and are selling their expertise, as it’s a social site for professionals/experts. If your demographic is female, Pinterest is a must. The point is, social media is not one-size-fits-all.
Google+ can be important for SEO reasons. Remember, Search Engine Optimization is “the process of affecting the visibility of a website or web page in a search engine’s unpaid results,” says Wikipedia. And it goes on: “As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search engines work, what people search for, the actual search terms or keywords typed into search engines and which search engines are preferred by their targeted audience.” Thus, because Google is the search engine of choice for gazillions of people, and Google will always choose its own platform first, you should consider a G+ presence. That said, it still feels like an empty warehouse to everyone I spoke with.
I’m not on Instagram. Nor do I use Pinterest. I have a presence on LinkedIn but am bothered by the fact that people I don’t know at all not only want to network with me but also “endorse” me for things I do not have any expertise in. To be frank, I spend too much time in front of the computer now—and that’s another bit of advice that came up: don’t spread yourself too thin. It’s much better to do one thing well—whatever feels good to you and will reach the group of people you want to reach.
Which brings me to my last thought: there are new ways to be social being born every day. (Here’s an article about “fringe” social networks and how to know if you should use them.) Others have been around but may just be getting up on your radar. Tumblr (here’s an interesting article you should consider), Snapchat, Vine, Reddit … check ’em out if your tribe seems to be migrating in that direction. (Jane Friedman wrote about this just last week.)
But remember, social media marketing is like exercising: if it’s too much like work, if it’s not fun (Zumba, anyone?) you won’t do it. Keep an eye on your herd, and roll with them.
* It should be noted that my plan for world domination through Twitter has not evolved: my subscriber numbers are no longer growing. And I’m OK with that.
** Your mileage may vary; the Boy isn’t a marketing guru, but he has literally grown up with social media, and he knows what’s hot and what’s not.
*** And Tumblr, Snapchat, Vine, Reddit, and who knows what else.
Tweet: To social media or not to social media, that is the question.
Tweet: The point is, social media is not one-size-fits-all.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”