Social media support for an author/speaker was a little overwhelming at first. The woman I was assisting had written a book, and she had an online store, along with a business blog. Somehow, I was going to help her get it all out there, and it all began with baby steps.
Getting Started
It’s all about adapting to the client. Knowing what has worked in the past is a good foundation for figuring out what can help in the future.
Then I got organized. I needed to learn everything I could about this author/speaker, and gain access to various photos in her DropBox account. I can appreciate what a big step this could be for someone not wanting to relinquish file control. This trust means the world to me and it’s not something I take lightly.
Then it was time to plug links and images into her Buffer account. This was trial and error, as not all platforms play nice with Buffer.
The first issue was learning not to just re-Buffer past posts. This sometimes screws up and doesn’t display right the second time around. I’d copy the blog post title, paste it into Buffer, then paste the URL into Buffer. A post preview would come up after Buffer had it loaded and it was good to go to queue.
Except, it wasn’t.
When the posts showed up in Facebook, the images were cut off for some reason. I remember this day so well, it was maddening trying to figure out why it wasn’t working. Technology makes our lives simpler, doesn’t it?
The problem originated when using the post preview from the pasted link in Buffer. This was causing the photos to be cut off.
The solution was to upload the blog image first. This meant I needed to have all the images saved on my computer for ease of use. Once I uploaded the image, the blog post title could be pasted into Buffer, and then the URL. Did you know that Buffer shortens URLs after you paste them in? Neat trick for Twitter!
So, you’d think that was it, right? I’m a pro now, I got this!
NOPE.
Any author/speaker… they’re always so busy. This is why they need help with scheduling social media in the first place. The job never ends, there’s always something new going on. New places to speak at. New blog posts. The public must know about it, right?
Recycling what I’d been doing thus far wasn’t enough. All her new material needed to be prioritized and included. That means sharing all the newest speaking engagements with her public on time. The soonest ones needed posting first. Speaking engagements later in the year shouldn’t be advertised before a speaking engagement a month from now. I was just pushing everything at first. Due to this, growth wasn’t happening.
Somehow, at some point, everything just clicked.
A handful of blog posts. A testimonial. Another handful of blog posts. Advertising a speaking engagement. Another handful of blog posts. Advertising her book. And so on.
Especially relevant, I was happy with the analytics. Her post-engagement was going up and up since the light came on for me. This formula works for THIS author/speaker. This isn’t to say it won’t work for anyone else. It all boils down to trial and error.
Social media engagement is an inexact science. But if you can find what works for you, you’ll be laughing all the way to the bank. Literally, because more post engagement means more sales.
This is just one example of how I help others. I love to see people succeed.
Wondering if you could use some help with your social media? Book a free consultation call with me and let’s talk about your options.
