I recently wrote about how book authors have to do much of their own PR and that often involves social media. For many, it’s a challenge because they are already busy writing their books.
So what is an author to do, or for that matter anyone who is looking to use social media to promote their business? It comes down to having a content strategy.
To develop my strategy I needed to look at three areas – audience, location and measurement.
As with any PR effort, the first thing to do is to identify your audience. My audience is members of NFPW and prospective members. I knew that I wanted to reach members of NFPW on a regular basis. I also knew that many members were like me – they already received too many emails. And I wanted to use a social media platform so that members would become more familiar and comfortable with social media.
Facebook was out because I couldn’t tell enough of a story, although I’ve found that it’s good to link my blog to my Facebook account. Twitter was no good because at 140 characters I would never finish a thought! And for many members, Twitter is simply too overwhelming. The ideal place was a blog. So I started Cynthia’s Communique.
I had the first two areas covered. Now I had to measure how I’m doing. Each month I review the stats that are available to me on WordPress. My goal is simple – I would like to average more than 300 hits a month. I’m not consistently there yet but I’m getting closer. I am encouraged by the number of comments. It’s nice to start a conversation. I’d like each post to have at least one comment.
My blog does not come easy. As with any writer, I suffer from writer’s block so I try to keep a running list of ideas. I also try to write some blogs in advance so I’m not always on deadline. This is especially helpful when I’m traveling; at least I don’t have to worry about finding a WIFI spot.
I’ve already made my calendar for the year, noting all the days that I will publish. I’ve gone through and marked when the NFPW conference will be held (Sept. 8-10), affiliate meetings that I will attend and other possible topics, such as National Letter Writing Week or Resume Month. I sketch out potential topics and fill those in, too. Before long, it doesn’t look so daunting.
Writing a blog is rewarding, but it’s also a commitment, and I have to treat it that way, which is why I have a content strategy.
Cynthia's Communique 
Great read. You should check out these free webinars from Cision. I think you would find them helpful as well: http://us.cision.com/events/webinars.asp
COUNT ME IN AS A FAITHFUL READER. EVEN IF THE TOPIC DOESN’T APPLY TO ME, I FEEL A CONNECTION TO YOU AND TO NFPW. ALSO, AS A CHILD OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION, I ALWAYS LIKE TO HAVE A PLAN B, SO I TUCK IN MY BRAIN MANY OF THE THINGS YOU SUGGEST FOR THE TIME WHEN I, AT 85 YEARS OF AGE, MAY BECOME UNABLE TO TRAVEL AROUND AND COVER MEETINGS.
PLEASE KNOW THAT YOU ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO ME.
Mary Lou,
You made my day! Thanks for being a faithful reader. I’ll keep working hard to make the connections. Thanks for writing.
Cynthia
I used to think that just breaking tasks into simple steps was the key to accomplishment. Eventually, though, keeping everything in my head, instead of investing a little time to write it down, wasted much more time in the long run. A side benefit: It’s easy to track how much you’ve accomplished as well how much is left to do.
@Louise
I like to think of it as a horse race. I draw the starting gate, the finish line and steps along the way. My competivie side wants me to get to the finish line, and, as you noted, writing it down allows me to track my progress.