@SocialSprite 's Weekly Tip @NWCreativeUnion

Pinning for Authors

Last week you learned how to get started on Pinterest. This week I’ll focus on some creative ways authors can use Pinterest in their marketing efforts. If you missed the first week’s Pinterest post read it here.

Create a board for each book. This way you can tell the story of how each book came to be. You can also share your journey after publication. If you do book tours share scenic shots of the places you’ve visited. Try not to pin too many pictures of yourself, that’s what Facebook is for. Keep in mind that people repin pictures they can relate to and unless you’re really famous, pictures of you won’t travel far on Pinterest.

Create a board for each current project. Are you working on a new book or series? A board for this new project can create excitement for a book before it comes out. Pin pictures of things that capture the feel of this new story. Share images that inspired you take this new journey.

Create a “behind the scenes” board. Pin pictures of your workspace or the places you write and that inspire you. You can also pin images that best depict your creative process.

Create a board on which your fans can pin images. It can be a board for one book or a book series on which fans can pin images of how they imagine your stories. Also your fans can pin creative pictures of themselves with your book. If they are worldwide you could get some great shots pinned on the board. To keep it interesting and pinable ask fans to take pictures of your book in scenic areas from their hometowns or regions. This is a great way to interact. You can do this by going to a current board and clicking “Edit Board.” Look for “Who can pin?” In the space you add the names of people whose boards you follow. When creating a new board especially for this just add the names of fans during the creation process.

Create a board for the images that inspire you. These can be images you find online, your friend’s artwork or photographs or pieces of art you created yourself.

Post your pins to Facebook. Go to your settings on Pinterest. Scroll down to the Facebook section and turn on “Publish activity to Facebook Timeline.” This is an easy way to share with your Facebook fans that may not be on Pinterest. It’s always great to keep everyone in the loop.

Create boards for all of your other interests. Share who you are with your fans. If you have a passion for Italy share pictures of your favorite areas, delicious foods, beautiful clothes, etc. Remember to have fun, but don’t get so addicted that you forget to write.

Always give credit where credit is due. All images you share on Pinterest should always link back to the original site and be sure to name the artist in the description.

For more information on what I do, please check out my New World Creative Union profile.

Social Sprite's Social Media Tips 23~04~23

Social Sprite’s Social Media Tip of the Week

The data is in!

About three weeks ago the 2012 Social Media Marketing Industry Report by Social Media Examiner came out. There are a few things I’d like you to take note of.

1. 85% of marketers said they had increased exposure even with a minimal time investment using social media.

2. 74% of participants in this study found they had an increase in traffic even with as little as six hours a week on social media.

3. For those using social media for at least a year, 65% found it useful in building loyal fan base. The more time invested did make a difference here. Those using social media six or more hours a week had better results opposed to those using it for five or less hours a week.

What these numbers tell you is that social media is a useful tool to get your name and product out there, to increase traffic and build your fan base.

Some of you may have already experienced these outcomes. If you haven’t then you may want to evaluate what you are doing.

Ask yourself these questions:

How much time am I spending each week on social media for my business, book, art…?

I’m spending more than six hours a week. Ask: How am I using those hours? (Really take a look at how those hours are spent. Keep a log for a week and track what you do. You may find your answers to why it isn’t working in that log.)

I’m spending less than six hours a week. Ask: Can I afford to spend more time? If not, can I get help?

If you’re spending too much time and it’s time you can’t afford to spend then you need to ask: What platforms am I using and do I need to use them all? (You may not need to be on every social media network. Find out where your fans live and do that one well.)

It’s a good idea to revisit your efforts every few months and use reports like this one every year to reevaluate your strategy.

Good luck! And if you have any questions just ask.

Visit Joanne's profile to learn more about her and Social Sprite Media Services and how she can help you take your networking to the next level!

Social Sprite's Social Media Tip of the Week! 16.04.12

Social Sprite’s Social Media Tip of the Week

Reciprocity

The definition of reciprocity on Wikipedia says, “The focus of reciprocity is centered more on trading favors than making a negotiation or a contract with another person.” It also mentions that, “Because there is a sense of future obligation with reciprocity it can help to develop and continue relationships with people.”

So if you want to spread the word about your work on the social media, spread the word about the work of your fellow creatives and partners. This is the model that is used here at New World Creative Union.

When you reciprocate you are also building relationships. This is an important part of social media marketing. Reciprocation and expressing who you are, sharing a little of your life goes a long way toward building bonds online.

Here’s one take on how you can put this into practice.

  Make a list of all the people whose work you enjoy.

ü  Follow them on the various social networks.

ü  Share and retweet their posts about their work.

ü  Mention that you like their work in your own posts. Tell them and your friends.

ü  Get creative in the ways that you share their work.

ü  Soon they’ll start sharing your work with their friends…thank them.

Social media is about reciprocity and not persuasion. Your friends share links to your work because they are passionate about it, but do not try to persuade anyone to like it, just to sample it. Your object is to get your work seen or experienced. Then, when it resonates, it should be easy to purchase.

Visit Joanne's profile to learn more about her and Social Sprite Media Services and how she can help you take your networking to the next level!

Social Sprite's Social Media Tip of the Week

Social Sprite’s Social Media Tip of the Week

What you put into social media is what you get out. Persistence pays off, but many give up before the results have a chance to manifest.

I tell my clients that if you put in the work it will pay off, but it won’t happen overnight. I tell them to post at least five times a week, to interact with others and make an effort to share what others post. I tell them that using social media to market is work. They tell me they have too much work already.

So how do you put in the time with your social media profiles and still get your creative work done?

You plan ahead. Create a content schedule and use tools like Hootsuite or Tweetdeck to set up automatic posts. It will take time, but you have to take control of your time. If you want to write or paint during the day, use an hour in the evening to create and set up the auto post of your Facebook status updates.

Almost immediately you’ll realize you’ve got more time during your productive period to create. In fact, with more time to think about it you’ll be able to create a marketing campaign for your latest work or for your next public appearance. You should still visit your social media profiles to interact and share. But make sure you take control of that time as well. Use a timer so you don’t get sucked in and have your ten minute session turn into an hour.

Experiment and find out what works for you. You may still spend a couple of hours a day on social media, but when it’s in a controlled fashion it feels less like a waste of time and more like the productive exercise you hoped it would.

 Visit Joanne's profile to learn more about Social Sprite Media Services and how she can help you take your networking to the next level!

Social Sprites Social Media Tip of the Week!

Social Sprite’s Social Media Tip of the Week

Join me weekly, right here on the New World Creative Union blog, for a quick social media tip. I’ll focus both on technology know how as well as marketing uses. And if you have any questions please leave them in the comment section and I’ll be sure to answer.

The Facebook Timeline cover photo is probably the most important aspect of personal branding on Facebook. Remember, people make decisions about you in the first few seconds. Showcasing your beautiful artwork or book covers in the cover photo gives you the best shot at those few seconds so doing it right is imperative.

I also recommend changing your personal profile over to the Timeline if you haven’t already. It’s important to take advantage of the tools available to get your work out there.

Below are some things to consider when choosing and making your cover photo. The cover is not like the old landing pages so pay close attention to Facebook’s terms of use section below. If you already have a cover photo, but notice it is stretched that’s because it needs to be sized properly. Size information is also provided via Facebook.  

Share with us all your amazing cover photos by linking to your Facebook page below! This way we can learn from one another and get to know each other better.

If you just can’t figure out how to make a photo conform to the recommended size contact me at jelliott@socialspritemediaservices.com and I’ll let you know what I can do.

From Facebook Page Terms:

Cover

All covers are public. This means that anyone who visits your Page will be able to see your cover. Covers can't be deceptive, misleading, or infringe on anyone else's copyright. You may not encourage people to upload your cover to their personal timelines.

Covers may not include:

i.    price or purchase information, such as "40% off" or "Download it on socialmusic.com";

ii.   contact information such as a website address, email, mailing address, or information that should go in your Page's "About" section;

iii.  references to Facebook features or actions, such as "Like" or "Share" or an arrow pointing from the cover photo to any of these features; or

iv.  calls to action, such as "Get it now" or "Tell your friends."

From Facebook’s Help Center:

What are the dimensions for my Page's cover photo?

Cover photos are 851 pixels wide and 315 pixels tall. If you upload an image that's smaller than these dimensions, it will get stretched to this larger size. The image you upload must be at least 399 pixels wide.

To get the best quality image and fastest load times for your Page, upload an sRGB JPG file that's 851 pixels wide, 315 pixels tall and less than 100 kilobytes.