So a while ago I told y’all what memes are. Then I shared the power of three. That was fun. The power of three was a fun post to share. [See what I did there?]
Today I want to combine the above with one more: Your Message.
Let’s say you’re in the kitchen and don’t know what to cook. You have chicken in the fridge, but you’re not sure how to use it. Whatcha gonna do? Call Ghostbusters? [Sorrynotsorry. Had to throw a little October in here somehow.]
Frankly, My Dear . . . : What’s Your Social Media Recipe?
Back to the cooking without direction thing. If you don’t know what to do with the chicken, there are a few possibilities:
You can let it sit in the fridge until it stinks
You can eat it raw and get sick
You can try to cook it and hope it turns out okay
You can look for a recipe and give it a go
Where do you start when you don’t have a recipe but you know you need one? You ask, right? You call Mom, you Google “How to cook a chicken”, you buy yourself a cookbook. Whatever it takes. You research.
Now, let’s flip the switch. Let’s suppose you’re the one with the information. How are you gonna get that fresh-out-of-college, I-has-no-skills person to pick up your recipe? Easy peasy. You let them know you have it.
Social media platforms are your time to shine. This is where you say, “I have this to offer,” and then . . . wait for it . . . you offer it! Crazy, right?! I know, but there it is all sweet and sassy like the tea you know I drink.
Don’t know what platforms to use? Ask.
Not sure how to do it? Check Google.
Hit or miss on your message? Try a few recipes. Change it up. Make it your own.
And don’t forget the seasonings. Ain’t nobody like eating a dry chicken. Add some fixins to the mixin’ and pretty soon you’ll be selling your recipe like the pro you know you are.
Ooh, one more morsel before I go: You won’t always be perfectly original. And a few times you’ll burn the toast. But when you find your stride, take what you’re given and add your own touches, you can make it better. Practice makes perfect. So don’t stop learning. Ever.
Scheduling and time management is huge whatever task you undertake, but especially so with social media postings.
Whether it’s a blog, a visual, or a link, the first rule to remember is don’t drown your audience. That is, don’t link post after post after post within a few minutes of each other. Think of social media as a busy street: Traffic flows in several directions and it’s your job to not create gridlock. Let others get on the road, too.
I use several scheduling apps to post for me when I know I’m otherwise unavailable. TinyTorch and Hootsuite are my two favorites. You can easily set up your links for the future, through each of the social media accounts you manage. And, bonus, you can repeat schedule.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Social Media Saturday: Scheduling
Let’s say you write a post about the benefits of berry-infused water. And you just know around New Year’s Eve you’re gonna want to share some health tips with your peeps. But this is only September. Even now you know you prob’ly won’t want to babysit your media posts on a major holiday. Am I right? [Just this time, let’s pretend I am.] Hootsuite to the rescue! Bam! Your post is scheduled for this weekend, New Year’s Eve, and the first day of next summer. Pretty awesome, yes?
But wait! There’s more! What if you want this one post to be on Facebook today, Twitter next month, and Google+ in December. Yup, your scheduling apps can make that happen too.
Super Bonus: Your apps can often suggest when to schedule your posts, and suggest what types of posts to share at a certain time. Schweet, yes?
Now if y’all will excuse me. I have some scheduling of my own to do.
Photos can’t replace words for informational learning, but let’s be real: Visuals are a big part of our world today. Our attention spans are shorter. If you want someone’s attention you need to grab it immediately and a photo can do that ohsomuch quicker than text.
Recognition comes before cognition. This means our brains will say, “Wait a sec. That looks familiar.” And then our eyes read the words that follow for more. It can be a photo of someone we know, food we like, or a place we’ve been researching online. Or we see something completely unexpected. Something beautiful, gross, shocking, lovely . . . you get the, uh, picture.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : NOLA research
This is why logos are so important to brands.
We “know” who a popular company is without thinking about it.
Whether you’re a writer, a painter, a home improvement DIY-er, visual postings will increase your followers.
I mean, I can tell y’all about my Lizzie Cat. But unless you’ve seen her photo, you don’t really know how beautiful she was. Am I right?
Frankly, My Dear . . . Lizzie Cat
Photos are great on a sidebar, as a Tweet, on Instagram, and of course, Pinterest. Look at Facebook: How many posts do you scroll through that don’t have a photo? Not too many any more.
You don’t need to be a pro-photographer, but you do need to know a few basics.
Here’s a few tips I learned through trial and error:
If you’re posting to your professional or public sites, make sure it’s something your audience cares about
Take a few photos and post the best one: clear, in focus, good display
Use photos to enhance your story, not tell it for you
Don’t drown your viewers in twenty photos of the same scene
DO share multiple views that capture the enormity of your surroundings
Before-and-After posts are great for home and yard clean ups, holiday decor, parties, and announcements
Coffee and foodie photos are always da best.
And cats. Always, always, always cats.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Berry Sunshine enjoying the last licks
Depending on which media site you’re posting to, hashtags are also useful in describing and enhancing your visuals.
So, my girl Paige and I have been coming up with some great, and I mean great class ideas, on the chance we win the lotto and get to open our much-dreamed-about writers’ cafe. Or more likely, work our tails off and earn it. Oh, you don’t know about that? Well, we have plans. And SuperGirl‘s our baker. But all that’s for another post.
One of the class topics I threw out was my love for animal symbolism. I mean, all y’all already know my affinity for bees and frogs and zebras, am I right? Hulloh, annoyingteasingnoticing everyone with my Bee pen at Blue Ridge two years ago? Priceless. And the Dazzling Zebra theme on social media? It’s just fun.
So now I’d like to introduce you to the newest member of the New Inklings Press Media Menagerie. Ladies and Gentlemen (and lions and tigers and bears), I give you Bruce Allen.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Meet Bruce Allen
Bruce has been around for a while. As long as Nippers, actually. I’m a bear collector. For realz. I mean, how could I not be? My dad had to kill a bear to survive when I was a baby. It was in all the papers. Okay, so maybe it wasn’t all that dramatic, but I grew up with this story. He really did shoot a bear. And now the rug is in my cedar chest. [Read: The Bear Rug ~ A Heritage Story.] I still have the teddy bear my mom gave me for Christmas when I was nine months old. So, yup. I’ve been collecting bears since I was born. At last count, I have over a hundred, although most are in storage.
Thankfully, Bruce Allen (B.A. for short) stayed in the house. And he’s turned into a growly great reminder:
He reminds me that it’s okay to forage my way through the forest.
He reminds me that even when I’m not exactly sure what’s coming next, I just need to know whatever I need will be there.
He reminds me to slow down when I need to, give the body a rest.
He also reminds me it’s okay to bare my soul, to expose those vulnerable parts of me or my characters, that my audience can connect with.
And he reminds me to not be afraid to make some noise.
I mean, people and bears. Not always a good mix. Am I right? But B.A., he’s adorbs. Who doesn’t want his cute little mug around saying, “Go for it!”
And here’s another thing. Remember the A-Team? I’m talking the original TV series created by Stephen J. Cannell, (although the movie was pretty decent, too) and the character B.A. Baracas. Now there was a bear of a guy, but at heart, really just a teddy. Yeah. That’s another reason my bear is named B.A. [read: Why I Write. Every Day.] When I was a nobody, Stephen took my inquiry and made it something. He reached out, and through example on social media, helped me gain courage to claim the title Writer. He networked with me before I knew what networking was, and I was lucky enough to meet and talk with him a few months before he passed.
Frankly, My Dear . . .: Meeting Stephen J Cannell
That was really a foraging moment for me. I knew what I wanted and needed, and I found a way to get there and make it happen. He was the first famous person to call me “Molly Jo”. #suchatreasure
So here’s a little video advice from Stephen to every aspiring writer:
And here’s a little more advice from Bruce Allen: Take the word “aspiring” out of your vocabulary. As soon as you’ve put pen to paper or finger to keys, you are a writer. What you do with it, well that’s your journey through the forest.
My question to you is, what does your foraging look like?
What’s your social media identity? Are you popular on Instagram but not Twitter? Does your Facebook feed look a little hungry?
One way to keep your numbers up across the board is to maintain consistency.
WHO you are is as important as WHERE you are, and these are both as important HOW OFTEN you make your presence known.
I’ve seen people have a different user name for each platform they use. That’s not a good idea, unless you’re creating multiple personalities. You want your followers to be able to find you easily, like the neon Denny’s signs for late-night travelers.
Now, I’m not advocating cookie-cutter posts. You don’t want your feeds to be a Xerox copy of each other all the time. But you do want to share your same message through different venues.
You are the cake, and your media is the icing. The icing doesn’t change the cake, it makes it more appealing.
Frankly, My Dear . . . Icing on the cake!
Some sites may want a small piece, others require something bigger. A third requests a chunk of frosting the size of your fist. You’re the chef. This is your restaurant, your bakery, your tail gate party. You know what you’re good at, so don’t be afraid to serve it up with a smile.
And be sure to include the whole meal. Your followers will, well, follow you more if the breadcrumbs you leave are flavorful, lead to better foods, and invite others to the table. By that I mean, well, now I mean I’m hungry. But in the social media world, I mean give your peeps a buffet to choose from. There are nine gajillion ways to cook foods. Surely you know more than just one meal’s worth.
Your garden, your fridge, your pantry all work together to make a great meal. Your media sites should do the same. Add a little of this, a side of that. My, that’s a lovely four-course plate you’re serving up.
Bring your people back to the table with a variety that will garner their taste buds. And if you experiment with the recipe now and then, great. How else will you know what you can add to your plate?
Just make sure your meals are going out three times a day, every day. Don’t leave ’em hungry and eating elsewhere. Like picky eaters, your audience will let you know what works and what doesn’t.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some cupcakes I need to bake. And eat. Share. I mean, share.
