The One Thing You Need to Know About Social Media

I have said this before:

“Social media is social.”

Despite how often this is said by me and other social media types, people continue to miss the point of networking via social media. In case you missed it, the point is that it’s social.

What does “social media is social” mean exactly?

To be social is to interact, to listen as well as talk, to get to know others as they get to know you.

I know the dance of socializing doesn’t come naturally to everyone. The beauty of online interaction is that if you really kind of hate people you can mask your natural distaste for human interaction. If you are a bit shy, it’s easy to put your best foot forward and make connections that would be harder to make face-to-face. If you’e extroverted and not the best listener, you can work on that in the digital realm as well.

The key takeaways about being social on social media are A, listen more than you talk; B, express interest in others’ lives and work; C, respond to people who talk to you first; and D, it means do NOT immediately shove what you’re selling or doing at people that you don’t know–and who don’t know you.

Social media networking basics

If you keep the above in mind as you handle your business and personal social accounts, you’ll do well. You might want something more concrete, though, and this section is here to deliver useful steps you can start taking today.

  1. Choose two or three people you want to try to get to know. Maybe they’re in your field. Maybe in a similar field. Maybe you admire them and want to be a little more like them.Be realistic in your picks. You aren’t going to be BFFs with the most famous people in the world because you tweeted them once or twice. You want to choose people who are active on the social media platform you’re using, who respond to people, and are willing to network.Follow them.
  2. Choose two or three people who may be potential customers or readers. These can be anyone expressing interest in the kinds of things you do. You can use searches on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to find people’s public posts about your topic.Follow them.
  3. With both cases, you’ll want to set aside time each day (even a few minutes if that’s all you have). With that time, you’ll read what those people have shared. If it’s appropriate, comment. If not, you can still throw a like their way. If you have a question that relates to the topic they are posting about, then ask in the comments/reply section.Be slow and gentle. See how things go. If you don’t get a response the first time, try again another day.People have to see your name multiple times before you’ll seem familiar to them, so don’t get discouraged. It can be a long process and given how busy and inundated some people are, it won’t always work.Don’t internalize this stuff. It is a big world out there and you’ll find success if you keep going. So keep going!

    On the other side of this coin, when they do reply, don’t gush or go nuts, either. One or two replies doesn’t mean you have made an intimate friendship.

    Beware the false sense of intimacy that can be fostered by social media. Be reserved and polite and give a person plenty of space and time to get to know you. Your interactions all add up to how people perceive you, also known as your “personal brand”.

  4. As you are comfortable, start the process over with  new people. Continue your efforts beyond the first few people you try it with.Growing an audience can be slow and tedious sometimes, but keep at it. There are more advanced moves for growing audience that I can discuss in another blog post, but this is a great way to get started. It will help you get a feel for networking and connecting online. Indeed, learning about networking and social interactions will help with your face-to-face interactions, too!
  5. If you feel a need to unfollow someone, please do. You don’t have to stay following the same people forever if the connection isn’t working out for you–for any reason.That said, don’t follow and unfollow people as a technique to grow your numbers. It’s against my own ethical code, and against the spirit of real networking. Techniques like those may work for short-term gains, but it will not grow you a loyal and lasting fan base/network.In a related vein, I talk more about why you shouldn’t buy followers here.
Those are the first steps as I see them. Have you ever tried this? Do you have any questions? Let me know in the comments or through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.


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Fall Workshops: First Lead-Up Exercise for Twitter

Hello again, everyone! I have two social media for authors workshops coming in September, one in Pickering and one in Brampton. In preparation I have exercises participants can work on over the summer. They will then bring the results with them to the workshop on the day they attend.

Since I am doing this in conjunction with BeNovel Marketing Services, the exercise is hosted on its site. Go take a look, and if you are in or have friends in the GTA, please share this with writers you think may be interested. Early-bird pricing has a few weeks to go and you won’t want to miss out on the hefty discount for getting in on it early!

Register here (scroll down, the registration is right on the page), and view the Twitter Challenge exercise here.

Coming soon: tips for editing comic book scripts.

My Can-Con Schedule: Ottawa Awaits!

A rare day of two blog posts. Here’s the first one for your reading pleasure. — Beverly


This weekend I am attending Can-Con, a science fiction and fantasy convention (with a little horror and comics thrown in for good measure,) in Ottawa. As an immigrant to Canada I am especially excited that the hotel is only a few blocks from Parliament Hill. I plan to walk down and hope to get a few people to join me. It’s likely to be a slow, easy walk since my lungs are still in the throes of a lingering chest cold. Breathing. It’s hard sometimes. :

But I digress. My schedule for this convention is quite simple.

Friday

Whatever I feel like doing.

Saturday

Whatever I feel like doing.

Sunday

Noon, in Room 2: What does a publicist do and what can a publicist do for you? This one is me and one of my clients, the delightful Marie Bilodeau, author of the Destiny series and much more.

1 pm to 3 pm, in Room 5: Private consultations with yours truly. It is for online image and social media critique and advice. This means you get free coaching and see what kinds of services I can offer aside from traditional publicity. These are very limited, so sign up at registration early!


Important Convention Links

Panelists. I like this one because I am on top. Yay alphabetical order!

Special Events. I like the look of some of these, especially the horror film screenings!

Pocket Program. Always a useful item.


Hope to see you there this weekend. Please don’t hesitate to say hello if you know me from online! Have any questions in the meantime? Email me here. Also, one more plug for my mailing list! You pretty much only get notices when I post a blog post, so it’s a quiet list. You can sign up for that right here. And you totally should!

Urban Fantasy Twitter Chat, GenreLitChat #3

It’s that time again! Thursday, September 4th at 8 p.m. Eastern / 5 p.m. Pacific is the next #GenreLitChat, and this time it’s urban fantasy. You can participate in this chat by sending me questions ahead of time for me to ask the panel, or simply being on Twitter and following the hashtag. While this is a moderated discussion, you’ll be free to reply and interact as normal on Twitter.

The urban fantasy group consists of: 

Mia Marshall is the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award-winning author of the Elements urban fantasy series. Before she started writing about things that don’t exist in this version of reality, she worked as a high school teacher, script supervisor, story editor, legal secretary, and day care worker. She has lived all along the US west coast and throughout the UK, where she collected an unnecessary number of degrees in literature, education, and film. These days, she lives in a small house in the Sierra Nevadas, where she is surrounded by her feline overlords.


Nicholas Kaufmann is the Bram Stoker Award-, Thriller Award-, and Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author of Dying Is My Business, Die and Stay Dead, Chasing the Dragon, Hunt at World’s End, General Slocum’s Gold, and Still Life: Nine Stories. Over the years, he worked in publishing, owned his own bookstore, managed a video store, and was a development associate for a literary agent. He lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife and two ridiculous cats.

Linda Poitevin is the author of dark urban fantasy (The Grigori Legacy from Ace/Roc Books) and contemporary romance (self-published). Linda lives near Ottawa, Canada’s capital, and in her other life is wife, mother, friend, gardener, coffee snob, freelance writer, and zookeeper of too many pets. When she isn’t writing, Linda can usually be found in her garden or walking her dog along the river or through the woods.

Alexander Kosoris was born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario. He lived on residence in Toronto, Ontario while attending the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto between 2006 and 2010. While there, he discovered his love of writing, spending much of his free time writing short stories, one of which he expanded to arrive at his first novel, Lucifer. After graduating, Alexander has moved back to Thunder Bay, where he now lives, working as a pharmacist. Whenever he gets a moment of leisure, Alexander enjoys listening to and playing music, as well as riding his bicycle.

Launched in 2009, All Things Urban Fantasy is the place where para is normal. Currently a group of five readers and bloggers, we’re dedicated to reviewing the latest books in the urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and speculative fiction genres. Participating in the chat will be Kate, who has been running ATUF for about a year now, and loves urban fantasy with a passion. 


You can use the TWUBS link or just follow the hashtag on Twitter. Also, please feel free to email me questions you would like me to ask the panelists. 

I look forward to seeing you at 8 p.m. Eastern / 5 p.m. Pacific on Thursday, September 4th!


Self-Planning for Self-Promotion: A Book Marketing without B.S. Web Workshop

I am doing an in-depth online workshop on self-promotion for all authors and comic creators. This isn’t just for the self-published, either. If you’re published by any house, big or small, you know how much work falls to you for your own book marketing and publicity. In fact, it’s telling that my clients primarily fall in the small-to-medium publisher category, with the next largest being major publishing houses. (And yes, I have a few self-published/owner-created comics clients, too!)

Right now there are two dates: Thursday, March 27th at 7 p.m. Eastern Time and Sunday, April 13th at 1 p.m. Eastern Time (get those tickets here). I will do this again a few times a year as long as there is interest, so if you miss these, let me know what time is good for you and I will take that into consideration when I schedule the next one. (Also, if you can gather 6 or more people interested in the workshop, I’ll create another event at a time chosen by your group.)

Here is a tentative course outline:

  • Pre-Planning
    • Honestly determine your strengths and capabilities
    • Choose the right tools for you
    • CreateSpace and other print-on-demand vs. traditional printing vs. ebook-only
    • Decide whether to create a business entity or publish under your own name
  • First Steps
    • Plan and Outline
    • How far in advance to send review requests?
    • How far in advance to hire help if you are going to?
    • How to get blurbs?
    • Publicity: interviews, guest blogging
    • What about traditional media?
    • One-sheets for mailed books
    • Book trailers and other video
  • Details
    • How many and what type of targets?
    • Get your data right here!
    • Review copies: physical vs. electronic
    • Keep consistent, good records
    • What does return on investment mean in this context?
    • Social media: tips, tricks, and useful apps
  • Obstacles
    • Toughening up to criticism–or how to cope if you can’t
    • Connections and networking: more important than you think
    • Growing too fast: slow follower growth is GOOD
    • The importance of honest people
    • Self-publishing and industry respect
  • Q&A
This should all take between 90 minutes and two hours, depending on how many questions there are–and please do bring questions! Also, feel free to email me questions ahead of time if you don’t see them addressed in the outline and I’ll do my best to work them into the material.
Buy tickets here:
I look forward to meeting with you soon!