Presents for Your Social Media Manager

by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy

Whether you do it yourself, for yourself, for others, or have others do it for you, social media is a great tool to connect you with the world.

But we all know it can take up a bit of time. [I guess that’s why they call it “management”.]

Now, I’m not exactly an expert, but I’m also not-not one either. In my ventures with social media, there are a few things I’ve learned that make it easier.

Frankly, My Dear . . . : Presents for Your Social Media Manager

Frankly, My Dear . . . : Presents for Your Social Media Manager

Scheduling is prob’ly the first thing you need to manage. I recommend a scheduling app like Hootsuite. Hootsuite gives you a variety of options, from posting to all your sites at the same time, to scheduling them separately, to working with a team of contributors. With a range of prices from free to professional (read: not free), and somewhere in between, there are a lot of great reasons to give a year’s subscription to your favorite media ninja.

Frankly, My Dear . . . : Hootsuite for Social Media Management

Frankly, My Dear . . . : Hootsuite for Social Media Management

Another calendaring “app” I recommend is the old fashioned paper and pen system. You know my love for Happy Planners, yes? I have one exclusively for the use of tracking which posts are on which sites, who’s contributing to Frankly, My Dear . . . , and what’s coming up that I need to pay attention to (contests, celebration day, speaking engagements).

Frankly, My Dear . . . : My Blogging Planner

Frankly, My Dear . . . : My Blogging Planner

A camera comes in handy, not just for the writer, but for the social media manager as well. Let’s say y’all happen to be at a Christmas party together and one of you hates social media and so has hired the other to do it. Party A wants to take a picture of Party B in their Coolest Ugly Christmas Sweater at the Party C. Y’all best make sure your smart phone has the new awesome camera, or you have a digital at your side. You can also use an instant film camera, and take a smart phone photo of your print photo for a double shot of photographic greatness. If you do this, I recommend a middle-grade camera. Something you can have fun with and trust to give you decent pics. [Dear Santa, the Fujifilm Instax in Pomegranate Red is looking rather delicious. Just sayin’.]

Now, we all know media managers don’t live on internet alone. There’s this life-sustaining thing called coffee that makes the world a better place for everyone. An individual Keurig machine, a gift card to Starbucks, or a can of their favorite brand of beans goes a long way in keeping your manager functioning properly.

Frankly, My Dear . . . : Merry Christmas with Cafe du Monde

Frankly, My Dear . . . : Merry Christmas with Cafe du Monde

And while you’re at it, throw in a gift card to their favorite eatery or two and you’ll sustain them for at least another round of “Why did you put that online?” – “Because you pay me to” dialogue.

Let’s see, what else. Ah. A plethora of research and photo sites. There’s plenty of free stuff available, but if your topic requires a bit more, subscriptions to photo sharing sites or in-depth informational platforms (think online news articles) are a boost.

But wait. There’s more. Plates. Because no matter how much you give your social media ninja to do, if they’re really good at it, they can heap it high and keep it spinning.

Frankly, My Dear . . . : What's on Your Plate?

Frankly, My Dear . . . : What’s on Your Plate?

Books, magazines, or gift cards for such, anything that helps with research.

If you really want to spoil your social media person, think break time. A day-vay (one-day vacation), tickets to a movie, an evening out with friends. Let your ninja know they’re more than just your internet poster. Let them know you see them as a person, too.

But you know what you can give your social media manager that would mean the most? Your time. Sit with them, hash out your game plan, and work together. Knowing what you want from them, and that you trust them enough to accomplish your mutual goals, is the whipped cream on the pie. [Ooh. Foodie reference. And I didn’t even try!]

Happy Planner Page: Social Media MoJo

Happy Planner Page: Social Media MoJo

With a huge cup of coffee and always-typing fingers,
Happy Media-ing!
~Molly Jo

And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!

Sweeten my tea and share:

Hand of Adonai Launch Party

Aaron D. Gansky's Hand of Adonai: The Book of Things to Come

Aaron D. Gansky’s Hand of Adonai: The Book of Things to Come

It’s a bit surreal to announce, but Tuesday, Aaron D. Gansky’s newest book, Hand of Adonai: The Book of Things To Come is finally available.

The first in a series, Hand of Adonai is a Young Adult Fantasy novel that starts in North Chester, Minnesota and ends in Alrujah, a video game kingdom created by best friends Lauren Knowles and Oliver Shaw.

Don’t be fooled by the genre. This book has been read and enjoyed by all ages.

Being Aaron’s social media manager has its perks. I was also one of his beta readers. That just means a few pre-release books were printed for people like me to review and edit. Since I took the task while we were at Blue Ridge, I opted to make comments via stickie notes instead of a computer file.

My HoA Beta Notes

My HoA Beta Notes

Don’t worry. Most of those are “Way to go, Gansky” cheers. I fell in love with Lauren and Oliver.

They’re not perfect characters. They have real struggles. Like weight gain and bullies and broken families and high school awkward genes. So they create a perfect world. Lauren writes out her ideas in her journals and Oliver transforms them into computer code that results in a game.

After a particularly hard day for both of them, they wake up. Or do they? Lauren doesn’t know if she’s dreaming or dead. Oliver doesn’t know what to do. Together, they play along with the game only to find there’s more to it than they invented.

Dark creatures like the Nar’esh and Beresus are not easy to conquer. And worse, Lauren and Oliver are in the roles of a Princess and a Monk ~ not easily deniable. Their traveling companions swear to protect them. But would they still, if they knew they were frauds? Or are they gods?

Soon they are joined by Erica Hall and Aiden Prince ~ the objects of their real-life affections. It’s hard enough to navigate through high school emotions in this world. Setting aside teen angst and popularity contests, the four must work together to return home from a place that shouldn’t even exist. Will the demon Belphegor win the game by destroying Alrujah?

I’ve been helping Aaron and his publisher spread the word on social media, and Tuesday, we’re having an online party! Starting at 6:30 pm (Pacific Time) you can join our Aaron D Gansky’s Hand of Adonai Launch Party event on Facebook where we’ll be interacting and sharing trivia questions. And if you can’t meet us on Facebook, at the same time we’ll be streaming live with his weekly Firsts in Fiction Podcast. This week’s theme is How to Launch a Book and I’ll be the guest caster.

Of course, what’s a party without presents?

What's a party without presents?

What’s a party without presents?

As we talk about inspiration, social media, what it takes to write a book, and all things from first thought to final print, Aaron, Al, and I will be giving away copies of books, a packet or two of Magic: The Gathering cards, and I’m not sure what else.

If you’d like a preview of the book, you can view the Hand of Adonai pre-release with your BookGrabbr app (download it to your computer or smart phone).

If you like what you read, you can buy Hand of Adonai at Amazon. It’s now available both in print and Kindle editions.

So we hope you’ll join us for the fun. You can check in to either event (or both) ahead of time. In fact, we’d be super glad if you did, and share them with your peeps. Because what’s a party without guests, right?

Click to Tweet:
I’m joining @ADGansky and @RealMojo68 for the #HandofAdonai book launch. #hoaisnotagame

Click to Tweet:
#Belphegor is unlike any demon you’ve dreamt of. Unless, of course, you created him. #HandOfAdonai #HOAisNotAGame

And Frankly, My Dear . . . that’s all she wrote!

You may also enjoy reading:
MoJo Book Review and Giveaway: The Bargain by Aaron D. Gansky
“What’s the Word?” Wednesday: Aaron Gansky on Magic and Writing

Sweeten my tea and share: