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Top Three Thursday: Social Media News You Can Use

TTTPearsWelcome to my Thursday feature. Here’s where I link three useful and interesting articles from excellent information sources all about social media and marketing subjects.

As you know, changes are always happening in the world of social media. We have a lot to keep up with!

In Poynter’s recent blog titled “Facebook is testing products to connect it’s users to local news”, they explain the latest installment of features offered by Facebook. These new testing products are designed to help continue to push and promote local happenings for users to keep them up to date on what is happening in their own neighborhoods.

Instagram’s recent blog post “New Objectives Now Available in on Ads in Stories”, covers why they decided to change direction from only focusing on reach and targeting in their new advertising offerings. Now ads are capable of incorporating Traffic, Video news, Conversions, and Mobile App Installs.

In Adweek’s recent update for Twitter titled, “Twitter Adds 9 Million New Users in 3 Months, Surpassing Q1 Estimates” it appears that even though this social giant was on the decline in popularity, it is now making a BIG comeback. This is great news for Twitter, and its loyal fan base, but what does it mean for the rest of 2017? Good question.

See you next week with another edition of Top Three Thursday: Social News You Can Use.

Melody Jones is your social media aspirin. She helps take the pain out of social media for you! Check out her services and see which one can reduce your social media pain the most.

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Should Authors Have a Strong Social Media Presence?

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Charles Dickens once wrote that “you can’t shut out the world…you must mingle with it…make the best of it…and make the best of yourself into the bargain.” Social media is as important to writers as the words they put on the page. If you cut yourself off from the world, you lose connection with your readers.

There are some authors (like Joanna Trollope) who believe that social media engagement is a threat to literature, but I disagree.

It is human nature to be social in some form. Social media interaction allows us to do so from the comfort of our own homes. You can give articulate responses in pajamas and no one would know the difference.

Social media is beneficial for writers. Your online presence is necessary and valuable to your author brand. Here are some tips to get you started.

Nix the Drama

You’ve seen it happen. Flame wars, insults, rumor spreading, schoolyard-style bullying and more are what give authors in social media a bad name. Your social media presence represents who you are to your readers. They will remember how you act, so keep the drama to a minimum.

Be Comfortable in Your Skin

I’m not talking about taking selfies. I mean show your fans, friends, colleagues, and potential readers something you enjoy doing. If you like to paint, share that. If you enjoy planning your week on a paper calendar or in a planner, snap a quick photo before you add personal data to it so they can see your process. When you’re ready to ship off new products, show the shipping production line. I work with one author who shares the view Author's Catout her window when she’s writing, and her affection for her cats who regularly lay on her keyboard.

The behind-the-scenes posts are what makes you stand out from the crowd!

It’s Not About Sales (Most of the Time)

Social media is about being social. While your end-goal is to gain loyal book-buying readers, you won’t get there by pounding them with promotional material post after post. By the same token, if you never post about what you do or the services you provide (with links, of course, since most of your social media readership are now mobile-only users), they won’t engage with your sales funnel.

Spelling and Grammar are IMPORTANT!

Spelling - Authors WritersWhile it’s easy to become lax about spelling and grammar, I would urge you not to be. Have trouble with either one? Try a free plugin like  Grammarly. If you’re a fumble fingers with your phone, consider a USB keyboard, using a stylus, or waiting until you’re able to concentrate more on your posts.

Social media isn’t the literature-killer that people believe. Not every reader will be on board with their favorite author having a social presence. For the rest, however, they’ll be thankful for the chance to get to know you.

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Top Three Thursday: Social Media News You Can Use

TTTPearsWelcome to my Thursday feature. Here’s where I link three useful and interesting articles from excellent information sources all about social media and marketing subjects.

As you know, changes are always happening in the world of social media. We have a lot to keep up with!

In Pinterest’s recent blog titled “Picture this: Advertising that goes beyond words” they explain what their visual discovery technology is and how they are bringing it into the advertising side of their website. This new technology is changing the advertising world and improving product relevancy to the consumer’s interests.

Adweek’s recent article titled “ Facebook is automatically adding images, links from landing pages to Canvas Ads” highlights some new ways that Facebook is simplifying and automating Canvas Ads for advertisers. Now advertisers essentially just input their url and Facebook handles basically everything else.

Periscope recently explained in a help article titled “What is 360 Video?” that 360 broadcasts are not limited only to Apple users, but now extends to Android users as well. This article also provides tips on how to create a 360 video and where to go for more information.

See you next week with another edition of Top Three Thursday: Social News You Can Use.

Melody Jones is your social media aspirin. She helps take the pain out of social media for you! Check out her services and see which one can reduce your social media pain the most.