2. Keep in mind
Social media is about engagement
It’s not a one-way conversation (That’s called broadcasting.)
Divide your time on social media in thirds.
1/3 engaging (retweets, replies, responding)
1/3 promoting (sharing links to stories, videos, etc.)
1/3 being yourself (have voice/show personality)
@Buffy Andrews
3. Examples of short writing
Tweets
Headlines
Captions
Blurbs
Blog posts
Text messages
Facebook posts
Lists
Fortune cookie fortunes
Sonnets
4. Writing short
Focus. Zero in. What’s the most important piece of
information to share?
Ask yourself, what information can I leave out?
Tighten. Eliminate needless words
Cut weaker elements: adverbs, passive constructions,
prepositional phrases, etc.
The shorter the sentence the greater the value of each word
More powerful the message, the shorter the sentence (I do.)
5. Writing short
Put most important word at the end of the sentence ie. In
Macbeth, the messenger says: “The queen, my lord, is dead.”
Revise, polish proofread
Good reporting critical for short writing success
It takes more time not less to write something good and
short
Donald Murray: Brevity comes from selection and not
compression
6. Writing short
Author and editor David Von Drehle would focus with these
questions:
Why does the story matter?
What’s the point?
Why is the story being told?
What does the story say about life, the world, the times
we live in?
8. 5 types of tweets
Links
Images
Quotes
Retweets
Questions or comments of your own
9. Twitter tips
Post good profile photo
Fill out profile completely
Tweet frequently (handwritten, not RSS)
Tweets not all about you
Have something interesting to say. Add value.
Find and follow people who share your interest
Join the conversation. Engage
Retweet, reply and promote others
‘Steal’ followers from other accounts
Use hashtags to find people with shared interests
BuffyAndrews
10. Twitter tips
Use @mention in tweets helps people notice you
When you include someone’s handle, they’ll see it in their
“mentions” feed
If you’re lucky, they’ll follow you back
Twitter is all about connecting. Don’t miss this opportunity
to connect
BuffyAndrews
11. Twitter
Difference between at @reply and @mention
@Buffyandrews, only people who will see this tweet is the
sender, me and our mutual followers
To have this tweet seen by everyone, add “.” before name.
ie. .@buffyandrews
BuffyAndrews
12. Twitter tips
Check to see if hashtag you’re considering is one that’s used
Ie. Check #childabuse and you might find
#domesticviolence #negligence #abuse
Include the hashtags you discover in your tweet
BuffyAndrews
13. Twitter tips
Quickest way to find someone Twitter handle is to use
Google
Its search function is better than Twitter’s.
Just google “person’s name” and “Twitter” and you should
find what you’re looking for.
19. Facebook tips
Identify breaking news as “breaking” or “breaking news" Analysis
shows increase in engagement
If reader asks question on Facebook, answer it
Schedule for engagement
Engagement=18 percent higher on Thursdays/Fridays
Engagement=32 percent higher on weekends
Best time to post 1 to 3 p.m., also sweet spot in evening
Use hashtags
Try writing longer posts. Clicking on the “more” link triggers
relevancy
Use photos: Images receive 37 percent more interactions
BuffyAndrews
27. Social media
Perhaps the most important tool in your marketing toolbox
It’s the new word-of-mouth advertising (Facebook, Twitter,
Digg, review sites, etc.)
Efficient, allows you to connect with people interested in
your work
Helps you engage with your audience
Buffy Andrews
28. Why promote
Bring content to the attention of
those most likely to be
interested.
By building audience, we build
more opportunities to stack
digital dimes.
72 percent of online adults use
social networking sites
YouTube now reaches more U.S.
adults aged 18-34 than any cable
network.
Buffy Andrews
29. How to promote
• Share links in a conversational way in places where the links
would be relevant, welcome content. These include:
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Google+
• Linkedin
• Blogs
• Newsletters
• Websites
• etc.
Buffy Andrews
30. Identify audience
Identify the audience for
your content (blog post,
story, video, slideshow,
etc.)
If you want to hook fish,
you have to cast your line
where they swim.
Use tools like Topsy to
find potential targets
Buffy Andrews
31. Match audience with content
Buffy Andrews
Read Across America Day
Seuss FB page
Kids Craft Corner FB page
PetSmart
Petco
Elementary teachers
Elementary schools
Children’s book publishers
Etc.
32. Match audience with content
Medical marijuana
Epilepsy FB pages
Epilepsy Google groups
Epilepsy Twitter accounts
Etc.
Buffy Andrews
33. Look at metrics
Measure value of your hard work; adjust if necessary
Watch what gets the most traffic, most links, most social
shares, most comments
Social media audience will help spread your content if they
find it worthwhile
Content that attracts most attention tends to be well-
defined and focused
Buffy Andrews
35. Facebook tips
Find relevant Facebook pages
Be conversational; don’t want to come across as a spammer
Comment within thread that makes sense
Tag people in comment when appropriate
Include links and keywords in post
Peak time = 1 to 3 p.m., also boost early evening
Buffy Andrews
36. Facebook tips
Buffy Andrews
When you post within comment
thread on Facebook, check to see
who shared the post. Those who
shared post are potential targets
40. Promote: National websites
• Submit unique, weird or important posts that could go viral to:
Digg
Fark
Reddit
StumbleUpon
Drudge
Boing Boing
Jezebel
etc.
Buffy Andrews
42. Parting words
Content finds readers; they often don’t look for it
Best content provides value to reader
Use SEO best practices
Don’t be afraid to try new things and fail
Be a visionary
Buffy Andrews
