I’ve written about this in the past – this notion that on social media “yes” is conditional. I attended a writing conference in late February that made me think I need to write about it again.
Here’s the thing:
The beauty of social media is also its terror. Everybody on social media gets to tune in to the voices they want to hear. You can build a world around those who agree with you, which brings its own problems outside of writing. When voices start saying things they don’t like, people can turn them off. As long as they like what they read, the streams keep flowing.
And that’s the problem.
From an indie author perspective, my goal is not selling. My goal is to avoid alienating the very people I want to reach – or may want to reach in the future. My goal is keeping my brand alive. My goal is to keep my career going by not figuratively shooting myself in the foot. This is particularly important if I happen to have my foot in my mouth at the time – a situation that occurs with frightening regularity.
I’ve been thinking about that conference ever since I got home, in particular a presentation on marketing – what it is, what it isn’t. How it’s aligned with your goals. For many there, their goal was to dominate a particular niche. Their strategy was to do everything in their power to accomplish that goal. The presentation was a good one because it underscored some important ideas about strategy and tactics. Key among them was the differentiation between strategy (the market you choose) and tactics (the tools and techniques you use).
So, Facebook ads aren’t a strategy. They’re a tactic. What’s your strategy?
Which brings me back to social media, because so many people look at it as a marketing (actually sales and promotion) tool. Social media is no more a strategy than Facebook ads. Failing to understand your own strategy means you can’t really pick good tactics. In social media, that’s a serious problem, because “yes” is conditional on having your audience like what you’re saying. As soon as you exceed your audience’s “nope” quotient, they’re gone.
Sure, it won’t be everybody all at once. Perhaps it’s only one or two this week. You’ll make that up in people who like your messages next week, right?
Maybe.
But keeping the customers you have is a much better strategy than pruning your fan base because you’re willing to risk a “no” by stepping over a line that you don’t even know is there. Or stepping over a line that you know is there but “Hey, I don’t talk about my books more than a few times a week. That’s okay, isn’t it?”
Maybe.
Just remember, for somebody out there, your next tweet could be your last for them. Your next Facebook post could be the final chapter for somebody.
Make sure you know your strategy. Make sure you know how that tweet or post helps that strategy so that the benefit outweighs the risk, because “yes” is conditional.
But “no” is forever.
I always feel as though I’m walking on eggs when I’m on Facebook or Twitter because even a couple of relatively innocent comments or “Likes” earned me a virtual smack in the face. Now I tend to restrict my updates/tweets to bookish and writerly stuff plus some occasional blog links and shares and tales of Sassy Dog and Katie Cat (who happens to be occupying my left arm and shoulder so I’m typing–slowly– with my right hand).
Public timelines are mine fields. I seldom pay any attention to them. I never play in them. (Well, almost never. Sometimes I just need to poke a troll.)
For Facebook, private groups are my go-to. I’ve promised to remove my Author Pages – but somehow they persist with the last post saying I’m going to delete them in June but fans can keep in touch by joining the closed group. I’ll get around to deleting those pages. Eventually.
Twitter, I only follow people I find interesting – and I seldom post anything other than items I’m pretty sure will be of interest to my fan base. What my fans seem to want to know is “When are you going to release the book I want you to write?” or “When will I get Book X in the format you haven’t released yet?” or (rarely now) “Why aren’t you doing your narrations any more?” At the moment, my twitter feed is almost all pictures of the same tree on different days. Over 1600 of them and counting. (There’s a reason that’s part of my strategy.)
My blog only gets updated on the first of the month with the current status of projects. Even when – quite often – the comments ask a question that was answered in the post they’re commenting on. 🙂
My podcast winnows out trouble makers because you have to take an extra step to listen.
But yeah. Social media can be miserable. I try to minimize the misery by never selling anything, only linking to something if somebody asks first, and spending my time playing there – not working.
Thanks for the comment, Pat. Sorry I didn’t get back to you before this. 🙂
I thought I was the only one feeling as though virtual egg shells were stuck to my feet.
Thanks, Pat! And thank you, Nathan. Very valuable info.
I think this is fantastic advice. Easier to keep them, impossible to bring them back.
strategy vs. tactic. Interesting I never thought of it that way. Sort of like Voice vs. style. Thanks for the post.
Thank you for your clarity on Strategy v. Tactic. I get confused on this a lot. A great post!
It’s one of those ideas that often gets muddled.
A strategy is more like a goal. It’s which war you’re going to fight. My strategy is to continue selling enough books that I can remain a full time author. Everything I do needs to support that.