A Healthier Mindset for Social Media (Part 2)

Edie Melson    @EdieMelson

Social Media Director for Southern Writers Suite T

My worth is not determined by my numbers.

For me, the blog posts that mean the most are rarely the ones that generate the highest numbers. The ones that mean the most are those that help someone, that connect the dots for an individual who’s hurting or help someone who’s frustrated finally see the light. It’s when I pen those words that I feel true satisfaction in my calling.

So how do I avoid the numbers race? I’ve come up with a few things to keep me on track.

• I quit talking about myself on social media—completely. Instead I work hard to help someone else succeed or reach a new level. This takes my focus off me.

• I volunteer. I offer to write an article or blog post for someone who doesn’t have the same size audience as me.

• I issue an invitation. I ask someone who doesn’t have as much experience and/or exposure to contribute to my blog. 

• I watch the clock. I limit my time on social media to a strict thirty minutes a day. With that, I don’t have time to obsess over my numbers.

• I reveal something new about myself. I know this seems like the opposite of the first bullet, but it's not. I'm talking about being vulnerable, not saying come look at me. I've discovered that I make those important heart-to-heart connections when I open up and I'm vulnerable. When I revert to slick slogans and polished posts, I'm just hiding.

Even when I follow my own advice, there are times when the people I’ve invested in move on. They may stop following me on social media and/or unsubscribe from my blog. How do I deal with the disappointment that inevitably follows?

• I remember it’s not about me. My first thought is always to wonder what I’ve done wrong. Truthfully, I can only think of a few instances when it’s really been something I did. On the few times when I’ve contacted someone to ask why they’ve moved on, I’ve learned that their focus has changed.
• I remind myself that we all have limited time. Perhaps the person leaving is reprioritizing, and for that I’m glad. We’re all trying to do too much. I applaud anyone taking steps to get control of life.

• Finally, I take time to pray for the person who left. I ask God to bless them and to let me know if there’s anything I need to readjust.

Social media is an important part of our toolbox as twenty-first century wordsmiths, but it’s not the focus of what we do. It’s so easy to get caught up in the race to the highest numbers and forget why we’re doing it. This media driven world we live in ebbs and flows. One second we’re on top, the next at the bottom of the pile. When we measure our worth through charts and graphs generated by numbers, we’re certain to fail. But when we look at the lives that are impacted by our words, success is guaranteed.

 TWEETABLE

A Healthier Mindset for Social Media @EdieMelson @southernwritersmag

Edie Melson is the author of numerous books, including the bestseller Connections: Social Media and Networking Techniques for Writers.

She’s the co-director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, Social Media Director of Southern Writers Magazine and board Member of the Advanced Writers and Speaker Association.

Visit Edie on www.EdieMelson.com and through social media.

A Healthier Mindset for Social Media (Part 1)

Edie Melson    @EdieMelson

Social Media Director for Southern Writers Suite T

As writers, we all know the importance of building an online following. We spend time crafting valuable blog posts with SEO rich headlines. We follow others on social media, working to connect. All the while keeping a sharp eye on those numbers that define success or failure. It’s easy to get caught up in those numbers.

But the truth is, they’re people—NOT numbers!

We even begin to judge the worth of what we have to say by those numbers. Let me remind you why you’re doing what you’re doing. Why you sweat over a keyboard, struggling to find the right word. Why you risk rejection by submitting those carefully crafted words to editors, agents and contest judges.

I Will Google You

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by Shannon Milholland, Social Media Director

If I'm an agent considering representing you, I will Google you.

If I'm the editor of a magazine and considering accepting your article, I will Google you.

If I am aggregating an anthology and contemplating your piece, I will Google you.

If I'm the acquisitions editor for a publisher, I will Google you.

Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan may have crooned "I'll remember you", but they were singing in a different millennium. As today's author, we have little chance of being found let alone remembered if Google doesn't know our name.

As promised last week, I have some tips to increase your "Google-ability":

1. Keywords

Anytime we're exploring a topic, we type in words to find what we're looking for. If you write historical novels set during the 19th Century mining era of Colorado, you'll want relevant words in your titles, articles and labels. On the other hand, if your focus is songwriting and music history, you'll use those words. Be intentional. It works.

2. Building Backlinks

Backlinks are built when another site contains a url link to your site. Google constantly changes their "formula" for success but this one is a constant. The more independent sites that reference your site, the more likely you are to appear toward the front of a Google search.

3. Linking Within

Another top shelf practice is to link within your own site. Google not only measures how much traffic is coming into your site but how long they stay. Give them incentive to browse around by providing additional content within your own site of interest. In fact, this website has built a widget or gadget you can add right to your site to do so.

4. Content

This may seem obvious but your content needs to be on topic. I read blogs and websites all the time that are a rambling hodge podge of mood swing, topic and interest. Don't do that if you want your site to be successful. Select no more than five topics and write exclusively on those topics. Become an expert in your field.

5. Use Meta Tags

Every web platform has built in meta tags you can use to pinpoint your area of influence. Make these words a customer would type if they wanted to find your product. You are a writer but you don't write on everything. Make sure your top five are represented here.

6. Social media

Okay so Facebook and Twitter aren't technically a part of SEO (search engine optimization) but they are two of the top referring sites on the internet. Help people find you by having a strong social media presence.

7. Headings

Believe it or not having headings within your article will aid your chance of being found. Use headings you could imagine someone "googling" and they will be picked up by search engines.

Although I'm getting older, I'll try to remember you. Just know this has a better chance of happening if I can find you...and I will Google you.

Help Them Help You

by Shannon Milholland, Social Media Director

Have you caught the American Idol bug? Last week I shared my love for the show. After the American Idol auditions, there's always a name that creates a buzz. According to J-Lo this year's name is Phillip Phillips. I have to agree. The charming young man from South Georgia has a music style and talent all his own. He was even hesitant to let celebrity stylist Tommy Hilfiger alter his look from that of a casual coffee-shop rendering. "I want the music to speak for itself," declared Phillips.

This is where we disagree. At least when it comes to authors. In the January issue of Southern Writers, I wrote an article about the importance of being "Google-able". Many authors launch their career with magazine article writing or as a contributor to a larger work. Quite often thousands of entries are received from any call out. The difference in writing style and ability between various submissions is likely small. Why are some chosen and authors not?

You might wish it were all about the writing. It isn't. The editors will select contributors that will both help sell the anthology or publication and who have submitted a quality piece. As writers we must strike a balance between the two. A complete unknown author with no social media activity, no website and few hits on Google has much less chance of finding his name in print than his counterpart whose skill may be slightly less but has a strong brand recognition. Help them help you!

You may be a Phillip Phillips and if you are, let the music of your writing speak for itself. For the rest of us, we need a weekly plan to build our platform and recognition. Next week I'll give you some tips on how to increase your "Google-ability".

5 Ways to Get on the Shelf and Get Noticed

by Amy Bayliss

As writers I think we can all agree on one thing: we desire to be read.

So what happens when you spend hours each week crafting an article for your website or blog only to find that very few people have read it? Discouragement can set in quickly but it is soon overclouded by confusion. You know the content is good. You know it is written well. Your writer's critique group raved over it so what could be the problem?

It's simple. In the vast network of the internet your website is lost. No one can find it. If it can't be found, it can't be read.

The internet is like a library. It stores and shares millions of written works in the hopes someone will want to check them out. Search engines are like the card catalog guiding people to what interests them. In this internet library, your website is still in a back room somewhere waiting for the librarian to tag it, categorize it, add it to the card catalog and put it on a shelf.

Five Ways to Get on the Shelf and Get Noticed

1. Choose an SEO (search engine optimization) friendly platform. Self-hosted WordPress sites are superior when it comes to SEO friendliness. This platform also delivers more options in the way of advertising, plug-ins, networking and monetizing. Perhaps the most appealing feature for writers is that you own your content with this platform. If you write on a free platform then you should check your terms. It is likely they can use your content at any time to benefit them and you can't do anything about it.

2. Use highly searched keywords. I use and recommend Google's keyword tool to find the terms that people are searching for but that have low competition. Strategically placing them in the title and post body in a way that reads naturally will contribute to an increase in search rank. Using those same keywords to name the photos within the post will also bring traffic.

3. Optimize internal links. Linking to your articles from within other articles is called internal linking. This practice is beneficial for several reasons but we'll discuss the two main ones. Internal linking causes others to stay on your blog longer. The longer people stay, the lower your bounce rate which increases your search ranking. It also serves as a way to get more hits from your RSS feed reader subscribers. Without links within a post they aren't likely to click over to your site but if there is an enticing link within an article then chances are good that they will click on it. NOTE: Always use search worthy anchor text when linking. That means you should not use "click here" as the link. Instead use a keyword phrase or the title of the post. No one searches for "Click here."

4. Network with other writers in your niche. You can reach more together than you can apart. When you link to each other Google pays close attention. That is what Google looks for. In addition to it being good for search rankings it is also great for readership. You expose each other to your readers. The internet is an unlimited audience. Here we can share readers instead of competing for them. Guest posting on sites is the most successful way of gaining other readers. Promoting each other on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter increases search rankings and exposes you to new readership.

5. Avoid duplicate content posting. In the past when a writer published on another site they would simply freshen up an old article or even use the same article on multiple sites. That is no longer advised. Google frowns upon sites that have duplicate content. It is also no longer recommended that you write excerpts to articles on your blog since that too can be seen as duplicate content. Instead, change out complete words and sentences or rearrange the format of articles before reusing them. Publish a synopsis on your site to direct traffic to the article you wrote and be sure to use searchable anchor text when doing so. This practice will benefit both sites.

We've only scratched the surface of ways to improve your web presence but this list will definitely get you out of the backroom and onto a shelf to be discovered.
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Amy Bayliss is a professional writer whose preferred medium is the internet. Her skills and talent help hundreds as a consultant and the co-founder of DIYMinistry.org. Along with her business partner, Lisa Boyd, they have made the site a one-stop site for help for those looking to build a platform online. You can also find Amy blogging at her home on the web: AmyBayliss.com.