Dec 2, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Social Media Saturday
It’s never too soon to have an actual plan for your social media. [Says This Girl who has forgotten to write her blog posts til it’s almost bedtime.] So we’ll just call this part of our “Do I Say, Not As I Do” series, yah? #thankyouverymuch.
I recently shared ideas on daily planning. [Read: Planning is Key.] But what about those special projects like book launches or grand opening parties?
Here are a few ideas to keep you on track. [Note to self: Implement more, implement regularly. Just implement.]
- Keep a calendar available and make note of important dates:
- Make a list of what you’d like to accomplish. What is your goal for this project, and what steps can take you there? For instance, a successful book launch party includes Author Q&A, trivia with prizes, and perhaps a live reading from the new book. You should map out a time of the event, list the answers, and photograph your prizes ahead of time.
- Invite, invite, invite. Remember 3 is The Key? Here’s the same theory. Announce your shindig. Remind people. Toss out one more friendly “hey are you coming?” notice.
- Work backwards. That is, set the date and from there set up your To Do’s.
- Let’s say your Twitter Party is on July 4th. You can’t always buy red, white, and blue decor in February, so make sure you remember to look over the discount sales after Memorial Day.
- Hosting a live event? What will you serve? If you’re preparing the foods yourself, you’ll need time to buy the groceries, cook, and set things out. Make a grocery list and check it twice! You don’t want to run out of Bleu Cheese dressing for your ahh-mazing salads, right?
- Get a few eyes on the project.
- Ask a trusted friend or colleague to review your plan with you and help fill in some gaps.
- Google party plans and check for ideas to add.
If you have projects happening in the New Year, are you already planning for them? If so, how?
Share your project planning ideas in the comments!
TWEET THIS: Social Media Saturday: Plan Now to Start Later @RealMojo68 #socialmedia #planner
With an erasable pen and an open Happy Planner,
Happy scheduling!
~Molly Jo
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Nov 25, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Social Media Saturday
So, here’s the thing. Yah, I know. Some of you hate that phrase. But there it is anyway. What? I’m gonna pretend it doesn’t exist? Fuggedaboutit.
I’ll keep this as short and sweet as one teaspoon of sugar in your coffee. [Unless that coffee mug’s a 24 oz. tumbler. Then we’re gonna be here a while.]
So, you’re on social media. Because you have to be, not because you want to be. And you hate it. I mean, You. HATE. it. Am I right? Yup. Know how I know? ‘Cause y’all tell me so. Regularly.
Why do some of you hate it? Because y’all think you don’t have anything to say. Or sure, you can chat up the store clerk with digressions on the value of laundry detergent fragrances, or your family at the dinner table when it comes to tonight’s hockey game or next week’s NCIS episode. But then you get in front of your Twitter feed.
And you stare. I mean, you just stare.
And that blinky spinny icon thingy on whichever media site you’re looking at. It taunts you.
It says, “You’ll never be as quippy as the next guy. Never!” And it gives off a computerized maniacal laugh. Muahahahahah . . . Okay. Too far? Yah. Maybe. Let’s walk it back a few steps.
Anyway. So how is it you have something to say to friends and your family and your coworkers, but y’all don’t know what to say to your Swarm?
Two words: Performance Anxiety.
Y’all get stressed.
*Insert Gibbs slap here!*
Stop it. Stop being stressed. Stop thinking you have nothing to say.
Obviously, you have a lot to say. And there’s an audience. They’re already ready for you. Honest!
All you have to do, is not change your voice.
Did ya hear me on that? It just means write the way you talk. Super simple. Not sure you can? Record yourself. Listen to how you hold the coffee audience captive. Pay attention to those “hello” moments at the gas station. And when you’re ready to share something of yourself in the world, pick a person to address. Direct your posts to one or two people, not the world at large.
It can be someone specific: Your 23-year-old daughter. Or the Postal Clerk you chat with once a week. Or it can be a general idea of someone: A 30-ish tall, dark and handsome guy named Rain. Or some insecure Italian redhead named Josie. The point is, you know how to reach these people. You already speak their language. So speak it into your keyboard.
Yah, it takes some practice. And here and there you need to pick a different audience. Maybe you send your tweets to Paige and your Facebook posts to SuperGirl. LinkedIn is for those business cohorts who said you wouldn’t amount to much [insert snickering laugh here]. But once you know who your audience is, you’ll recognize your voice. And you’ll be able to say everything you need to say.
Promise.
TWEET THIS: Social Media Saturday: That Time You Thought You Had Nothing to Say @MollyJoRealy #socialmedia
And Frankly, My Dear . . . : That’s all she wrote!
Nov 18, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Social Media Saturday
It happens. There you are, at the local coffee shop typing out tweets and you realize you clicked “Tweet” when you meant to click “Cancel.” Or you shared that superfluous snapshot on Instagram.
Hey, it happens. If we’re not drowning in our multi-tasking, we’re not living. Right?
You share so many different topics that nobody knows anything about you except your platform’s multiple personality disorder.
Yeah.
It happens.
So, on the in-depth heels of last week’s Social Media Saturday, this week offers tips on how you can funnel down to what’s important to your followers, and to you.
- Take a survey. Give your readers the opportunity to tell you what they like and don’t like.
- Follow the score. Watch your analytics. Amplify what works (#coffee, #amwriting), and pare down what doesn’t (#hashtagsthatnobodyelseknows).
- Post photos of kittens. Seriously. This totally gets attention. Every time.
- Share more. Make sure your posts are distributed frequently over Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google+, and Pinterest.
- Share less. Don’t give up every aspect of your personal life. Your readers don’t have Smell-O-Vision so step-by-step recipe photos are only necessary to show how something’s done, not look-how-each-layer-builds-upon-itself. Unless you’re making Hamburger Pie. Then it’s totally okay.
- Make a list. Check it twice. Keep a short list of topics and make sure your posts fall under those categories. It’s easy to want to share every aspect of life with your peeps, but save that for your private page with friends. Your followers are a little hungry for what your posts can do for them. So offer tips on what they follow you for: writing, Faith sharing, learning Italian, cooking, how to drink coffee without spilling, that sort of thing.
- Do a Self-Inventory. This is in line with 2 and 6 above. Find out which topics people are most responsive to. Make sure they’re at the top of your list moving forward. If you post nine times about coffee and only get one reaction [I know. I’m laughing, too], then maybe it’s time to switch to afternoon tea. Or lasagna. #foodie
How do you find focus on your social media?
TWEET THIS: How do you find focus on your social media? @MollyJoRealy #socialmedia
And Frankly, My Dear . . . : That’s all she wrote!
Nov 11, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Social Media Saturday
It’s that time of year again. No, I’m not talking about holidays (at least, not here on the blog.)
I’m talking about what happens after the holidays. That’s write right.
I’m talking about making a plan for the future of your media.
Hey, if you’re like me (and I know at least some of you are), you’re figuring out how to move forward with your health, your budget, your home. So why not your media presence as well?
If you want your social media to grow, you can’t just scatter a bunch of seeds and hope they stick. You have to plot the garden, figure how to feed what needs feeding, and prune what needs pruning.
It’s not too soon to think about a marketing budget, a posting schedule, and contacts you need to make to get the word out.
Overwhelmed? Don’t be.
It’s as easy as getting a weekly calendar and plotting out ahead of time things you want to draw attention to, and maintenance you need to do. If you’re blogging, it might look something like this:
SATURDAY: Schedule posts for week.
SUNDAY: List themes/ideas for next week.
MONDAY: Read book notes, write review.
TUESDAY: Contact/Call/Email so-and-so re: guest blogging
WEDNESDAY: Pull research for next week
THURSDAY: Rough draft posts
FRIDAY: Review/edit posts
Or, if you’re only about posting to Twitter or Instagram, it might look a little different:
SATURDAY: Share recipe posts from so-and-so
SUNDAY: Search hashtags for NYC
MONDAY: Post coffee facts
TUESDAY: Create memes for the week
WEDNESDAY: Follow three new people
THURSDAY: Share three #throwbackthursday posts
FRIDAY: Create list of themes/ideas for next week
Sure, you say. But that’s just weekly. How does a year calendar come into play? Easy-peasy answer coming up! Try to pick a theme for each month before the month starts, and curate information and other links to share. Boom. Job half done. Got guest bloggers? Assign them a day each week or month, and remind them ahead of time. Bam. Another to-do marked off. And once or twice a monthly (even weekly) schedule time to review your stats and responses. See what works, what doesn’t, and change accordingly.
Having a theme and a calendar makes it easy to track the special days you want to celebrate online, the stories you want to write about, and the times you may need someone to fill in if you’re on vacation or at the dentist. [Note to self: Reschedule exam after the holidays.] There are several websites that list Celebration Days. For instance, did you know tomorrow is National Pizza with The Works Except the Anchovies Day? Hey, I’m not making this stuff up!
Now, I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say I think y’all can tell I’ve not been following any calendar guide lately. Short posts, late night posts. But hey. At least I’m posting, right?
Y’all will be happy to know it’s time This Girl picked up next year’s Happy Planner. I’m gonna Plan the bejeebies out of 2018. Who’s with me? #plannersunite
Frankly, My Dear . . . : MoJo’s Happy Planners
Okay. So that’s my social media scheduling advice. What do you do to keep track, and how do you get through the days you don’t?
TWEET THIS: Social Media Saturday: Planning is Key @MollyJoRealy #socialmedia
And Frankly, My Dear . . . : That’s all she wrote!
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Nov 4, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Social Media Saturday
“Brand” is one of those ethereal words. It means something different to different people. Ultimately, it’s the outward recognition of who you are, whether you’re a business entity or person.
There are a lot of ways to promote your brand, ranging from advertising to hosting events. Material items such as magnets and pens. Your presence at public functions.
Branding can be subtle, too; like the mention of a character drinking a Coke or eating some Ben & Jerry’s.
Promoting your brand is not just waving your banner and saying, “Look over here!” It’s leaving a mark so others are aware of your brand even when you’re not around.
Think of some typical items people use:
- Business cards
- Pens
- Magnets
- Notepads
- Mugs
- Clothing
- Water bottles
- Keychains
But what are some other ways to share your company? Well, if your business has anything to do with food or recipes, try a stand-up recipe holder, a branded spatula, a tea spoon attached to a business card that looks like a recipe card. Let’s say you’re a dog walker. How about providing prospects with a branded pooper-scooper and some plastic bags?
Branding isn’t just about getting your name out there. It’s about showing people why they should remember your business.
What are some different branding ideas you’ve seen or used?
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
