Tag: social media

I want to start blogging, but I don’t know where to begin!

Posted on by Keely Flanagan

blogging workstation pixabayThe other day, I was discussing social media with my Dad, and he brought up the topic of blogging.

“I want to start a blog,” he said. “But I don’t know where to begin.”

“Begin? Like, ideas to start writing?” I asked.

“No,” he said, “I don’t even know how to make a blog. How do I do that?”

Dad, this blog post is for you and any readers on the internet who have the desire to write online, but need help finding the tools to do so.

Some great blogging platforms are:

Blogger.com. This tool is owned by Google, and it is a free service. Blogger makes it very easy to create, write, and edit posts, and it includes a fair amount of design templates.

WordPress. There are two different WordPress sites: .com and .org. WordPress.com has a free blogging platform, WordPress.org is software you can install on a website domain that you own. So, if you are interested in creating a blog, go with the .com. It’s simple, plus WordPress has a fantastic help forum if you run across any issues.

Tumblr. Tumblr is one of my personal favorite social media/blogging platforms. There is so much you can do with Tumblr. You can write blog posts, but Tumblr also allows you to easily add different forms of media so you can share your favorite photos, audio, and video with the world. It’s also much more interactive than the other blogs listed above—other users can comment, repost, or like your Tumblr posts, and you can do the same.

These three websites are the easiest platforms on the Internet for anyone who is a beginner at blogging. There are others, like Medium and Blog.com. You could even purchase a website domain name through GoDaddy or another server network. I would recommend starting by testing the platforms listed above to get a better grasp on how blogging works.  Next step: Have fun posting and writing!

Social Media 101: Instagram as an author tool

Posted on by Keely Flanagan

Instagram LogoIs your New Year’s Resolution to use a different form of social media other than Facebook or Twitter? Instagram is one of the best social media platforms out there, and one of the most popular among 18-24 year olds and 25-34 year olds, according to Social Media Week. If those age groups are your main audience, then utilizing Instagram is an app you should seriously consider. It’s fun, easy to use, and unless you’re Justin Bieber, less likely to be spammed or “trolled” than outlets like Twitter.

For those who aren’t familiar, Instagram is an app that allows you to post photos and graphics with (or without) a caption. It’s different from sites like Facebook and Twitter because you can only post to it if you have a picture to upload.

If you’re an author, how can you use Instagram to your maximum potential?

Use those hashtags. Like Twitter, Instagram allows you to use hashtags so you can search for terms like #ThrowbackThursday with ease. Participate in trending hashtags to insert yourself into the conversation.

Show us what you’re reading. Why not show your audience what books you enjoy or are currently reading? The hashtag #bookstagram is popular, and if you have a bookshelf that’s as grand as the one in Beauty and the Beast, you can even get involved in the #bookshelfporn tag.

Give us a glimpse of your life. Your readers may love your books, but we want to know who you are, too. If there’s anything going on in your life you’d like to share, like showing off your new lightsaber while in line for the new Star Wars movie, your audience will love you the more for it.

Cats, cats, cats! Since the dawn of time, photos of pets are proven to receive the most likes, hearts, and favorites across all social media. It’s okay to upload a photo of your kitty making an angry face worthy of Grumpy Cat, or your dog trying to lick peanut butter off his nose.

Quote your own stuff. Do you have some lines in your new book that you seriously love? Post them on Instagram as a pretty graphic! You never know who will find your book quote inspirational enough to repost.

What social media platform do you find is the best to use as an author? Tweet us your thoughts @mckinneypr!

 

Social Media 101: Tips for Efficiently Using Twitter

Posted on by CMPR

Twitter logoTwitter is a social media website that can be used for more than just chatting with friend—it can be a marketing power tool. In our short-attention span generation, Twitter is perfect for getting your message out in small doses. With a 140 character limit, Twitter forces you to get to the point quickly, which in turn, pushes a user to be more creative in their approach.

Whether you’re a brand, author, musician, etc., Twitter is extremely valuable in sharing your vision, goals, and project samples. The following are some tips to effectively use Twitter to get the word out about your product, services, and message.

  1. Send informative and/or entertaining tweets. Unless the tweet teaches, notifies, or amuses a reader, they probably won’t be back to see what else you’re saying.
  2. Save some room for a hashtag. Twitter says: “People use the hashtag symbol (#) before a relevant keyword or phrase (no spaces) in their Tweet to categorize those Tweets and help them show more easily in Twitter Search. Clicking on a hashtagged word in any message shows you all other Tweets marked with that keyword. Hashtags can occur anywhere in the Tweet – at the beginning, middle, or end. Hashtagged words that become very popular are often Trending Topics.”
  3. Be current. Topics of tweets can be tied into holidays and current news. (Example: Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to express gratitude in children, etc.)
  4. Announce an important event. Tweets can be used to announce upcoming interviews, lectures, appearances, etc. Do you have a book signing coming up? Maybe a radio interview in the next few weeks? Use Twitter to let people know about your schedule.
  5. Share the wealth (or an article)! It’s a good idea to frequently repost or retweet articles, essays, tweets, etc. that fall in the topics of things you write about. This will provide a greater chance of people in your field to want to follow you on Twitter and also spreads the word much better about whatever topic/subject is being discussed. In addition, the more you retweet & repost, the better the chance that person may do the same for you.
  6. Use it as a writing tool. If you’re an author, posting short sentences from your book is a good way to tease interest from readers. If you have some really strong blurbs, those too should also be tweeted.
  7. Reach out to others. Commenting on others’ tweets is another way to build rapport with people who write about subjects in your field. This is also another way to possibly get more followers. So join in on the conversation and start meeting people!
  8. Show the love! Everyone enjoys seeing a tweet of theirs get a favorite, and people will be more than willing to reciprocate.

These are just some quick tips for effectively using the social media tool. Practice makes perfect, so be sure to apply these tips whenever you use Twitter.

Have your own tips to share? Tweet us at @McKinneyPR!