Media Explosion

Media Explosion

Social media sites have exploded onto the scene in the last couple of years and they’re already having a profound impact on the way many people communicate with friends, family and brands online.

With the success of sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, it’s no surprise that the overall social media landscape has gained traction as a viable communication option for businesses and especially content creators like article writers.

Social media offers a relatively new option for article writers, like yourself, to connect with a tech-savvy audience to share your articles and your expertise. Plus, that audience can be invaluable as each member has the power to share your articles with their own followers. Then, those followers can share with their even larger network of followers and so on.

The viral nature of social media makes it a perfect tool for article writers. The question is no longer “Should I be using social media to generate interest in my expertise?”, but “How do I get started and where do I go from here?”

To help answer those questions, we put together this list of 6 social media best practices for article writers. These guidelines will help you on your way to giving your article writing a whole new dimension.

(1) Come Up With a Social Media Plan – Social media marketing takes time and effort. When you choose to add it to your promotional mix, give yourself a set amount of time each day to research and explore. That set amount of time will help keep you focused until you figure out the best strategies for building your brand as an expert. Then, scale back and focus on those best outlets and strategies.

Listen In and Observe – Social media sites are great places to work on your online voice, learn how to effectively communicate with others and follow your competition. Believe it or not, they’re also great places to find article inspiration. Spend time listening to how other people communicate.

Engage Others and Let Your Voice Be Heard – Join conversations on social media sites and share the same level of great content you do in your articles. If people have questions and your existing articles answer those questions, refer them to your articles. If you don’t have an existing article answering their questions, consider writing one and sharing it.

Avoid the Temptation of Responding to Every Negative Comment – Replying to every negative comment can be detrimental to you in 3 ways. It will (1) drain your energy, (2) waste your time and (3) make you seem defensive to your readers at times. If your original message was loaded with great content, it’s likely your readers will come to your defense, which is far more powerful. Taking the higher ground will position you as an expert.

Keep the Proportion of “Salesy” Messages Low – Treat social media sites as you would a table full of friends. Listen and contribute only when you have something valuable to say. Build the relationship first and then ease into your sales message. That is (and always will be) the best way to acquire long-term customers no matter what form of marketing you’re using.

Choose Followers Wisely – As your number of followers grows, you’ll get a sense of how much of an impact you have. If you aren’t selective on who you’re following, it can cost you a lot of valuable time, so make sure to follow people that have some sort of connection to you and your business. Quality trumps quantity. Following quality people (not spammers or fakes) is always the best strategy when it comes to using social media for your business.

Incorporate these social media best practices into your article writing plan today for increased exposure and traffic back to your website or blog. Leave a comment to share your own experiences with social media and what it has done for you.