Blog Organization for the Busy Writer

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills

Are you scrambling through your files for the last time you posted a blog
title?

Are you pulling your hair out trying to keep track of when a blog is due or when it appears?

At the last minute of posting, have you neglected an image?

Have you groaned at forgetting a hashtag on a tweetable?

Are you having second thoughts about blogging because the organization is driving you nuts?

Then relax. I have a solution for you, and it’s super easy. All you need is a spreadsheet titled Blog Organization. A single page works if the writer is blogging on only one site. Or you can create additional tabs for each additional blog.

Read the rest of this post on our new home at www.BlueRidgeConference.com.

The ABCs of Social Media

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

Social Media doesn’t have to be difficult. These tips can take you farther, faster if you implement them into your social networking strategy.

A is for Answer. Think about the questions your target audience has and use social media to give them the answers. For instance, my followers want to learn how to use social networking efficiently, so I Tweet short-cuts, tips and easy solutions that take up very little time.

B is for Basics. Whatever you’re doing, make it excellent. That means take time to check for typos and readability, in your Tweets, Facebook posts and in your blog. Also be sure you’re using giving accurate links. There’s nothing more frustrating than clicking on a link that takes you nowhere.

C is for Conversation. Remember social networking is all about interaction between people. It’s NOT talking at them...it’s talking with them.

Read the rest of this post on our new home at www.BlueRidgeConference.com.

Tips to Grow Followers on Goodreads

By DiAnnMills @DiAnnMills

Tweet this:  Tips to Grow Followers on Goodreads

Goodreads is one of my favorite sites to find new authors, explore reviews of potential new reads, and promote my own novels. With a new release August 1 of Deadly Encounter, I’ve been talking to my friend Jenn dePaula at Mixtus Media about how to add new followers on Goodreads.

Jenn gave me two tips that I’d like to share with you. They are so very easy and can have a powerful impact on your marketing and promotion.

Go to your Goodreads page. Click on your photo to view  profile options.

 

Tip 1:

On the drop-down, click on friends.

In the right hand corner look for: FIND FRIENDS FROM.
Listed are: Gmail, Yahoo, Facebook, Twitter, and the Goodreads icon for friends of friends. The best option for me was Twitter. Click to bring up a window allowing Goodreads to access what you’ve chosen to use.

Tip 2:

Farther down the same page is INVITE FRIEND LINK.

Listed is: Send this link to your friends to connect with them.
Below that is your personal link. Use this link for e-mail, blog, and newsletters to encourage others to be your friend on Goodreads.

Two simple ways for readers to discover your books!

How are you active on Goodreads?

Tweet this:  Tips to Grow Followers on Goodreads



DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests. Library Journal presented her with a Best Books 2014: Genre Fiction award in the Christian Fiction category for Firewall.

DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Suspense Sister, and International Thriller Writers. She is co-director of The Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference and The Author Roadmap with social media specialist Edie Melson. She teaches writing workshops around the country. DiAnn is active online and would love to connect with readers on any of the social media platforms listed at www.diannmills.com.

Find Your Authentic Social Media Voice

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

Click to Tweet: 11 Tips to Help You Find Your Authentic #SocialMedia Voice - @EdieMelson 

As authors we talk a lot about voice. In fiction, and even non-fiction, it’s defined as that certain something that makes an author unique. In everything—from the rhythm, cadence and flow—to the sentence structure. It conveys the author’s personality and attitude.

Although many may not realize it, there’s an advantage to developing a voice for your social media presence. If you think about it, it’s something that those most successful social media folks have done.

But with social media, it’s not just the words you choose, but it encompasses the images you use to represent yourself and the topics of the updates you post.

Here’s how to develop an authentic social media voice:

1. Be yourself. This may seem obvious, but with any new technology, it’s easy to get sidetracked by all the bells and whistles. Don’t over think the hashtags or lingo of any platform.

2. Write like you talk. Try not to use lingo on social media that you wouldn’t use in conversation. Of course there are exceptions, one notable one is LOL! I don’t really use that in conversation, but I do crack jokes and it’s sort of a shorthand version of that.

3. Consider your community. I don’t necessarily mean your physical neighborhood, but more the people you surround yourself with. What do you talk about? What makes your group unique? What do you stand for?

Listen to the conversation around you.

4. Listen to the conversation around you. What do you have to add without becoming part of the noise? We all approach life from a unique perspective, don’t be afraid to be authentic.

5. Stay consistent. The majority of people out there like to know what to expect. Sure we all like occasional surprises, but when I walk into McDonalds I expect certain things. Your social media presence is like that as well. Develop a strong consistent presence and people will respect what you have to say.

6. Be relevant. There are lots of trivial things around, make sure your social media voice isn’t one of them.

7. Use hashtags with care. To avoid the used car salesman voice, limit yourself to no more than two (or occasionally three) hashtags per update.

8. Don't be an egomaniac. To keep your social media from being me focused, follow Edie’s 5 to 1 rule. For every 5 social media updates, only one can be about you.

9 Keep it positive. Let’s face it, nobody likes a whiner. Social media is no different, so keep the tone upbeat and positive.

10. Avoid lecturing and scolding. This is another no-no. If you wouldn’t like the tone in person, don’t use it on social media.

11. Make sure your avatar (image) reflects your voice. A lot of times, it's the only visual clue that can reinforce who you are. 

Social media voices can be witty, quirky, encouraging,
snarky, playful, educational, and hundreds of other things. 

Social media voices can be witty, quirky, encouraging, snarky, playful, educational, and hundreds of other things. Make an effort to develop yours into an accurate representation of you. 

Now it's your turn, share what you think your social media personality is. Or if you're not sure, ask some questions and let's figure it out together. 

I'll go first. I think my social media voice is educational and encouraging. If I'm not hitting that, feel free to post what you think it is.

Click to Tweet: There is an art to #socialmedia, it involves finding your authentic voice -@EdieMelson  

Edie Melson is the author of numerous books, as well as a freelance writer and editor. Her blog, The Write Conversation, reaches thousands each month. She’s the Director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference and the Social Media Mentor at My Book Therapy. She’s also the Military Family Blogger at Guideposts. Com, Social Media Director for Southern Writers Magazine and the Senior Editor for NovelRocket.com. Connect with her on Twitter and Facebook. Look for her newest book, While My Soldier Serves (Worthy Inspired), available at bookstores and online.

Where Do You Find Blogging Ideas?

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills 

Tweet this: Where Do You Find Blogging Ideas?

You’ve allotted time to write your blog. No one is around to bother you. Your fingers are posed above the keyboard. Seconds tick by to minutes. This must be posted today.
And you have no clue what to write.

This blog is for every writer who ever peered into the idea bucket and found it empty. Not a single drop of creativity. Where do you find that sweet stream of blog topics?

A blog is a reflection of the writer professionally, personally, and psychologically. We share knowledge, reveal our interests, and show our unique and sometimes quirky temperaments.

The more we are transparent and relational, the more readers want to follow us and eagerly await our next post.

The following helps will fill your bucket with ideas now and in the future.

Professional Blogs

We focus on our brand and reflect on our experiences in the publishing world. We teach the craft in snippets of useful information. Social media, marketing, and promotion tips instruct the reader. Every how-to article is an opportunity to help a reader successfully meet a challenge. Post a podcast or a video. Make the blog interesting.

Personal Blogs

Harness your hobbies. Where do you vacation? Special restaurants? What are your quirky traits? Writers have varied interests, and your readers are excited to find out what relaxes and gives you satisfaction. Take photos, lots of them. Videos of you in the midst of a favorite pastime or hobby creates a tone of friendship. If you’re cooking and burn the meal, laugh, snap a few pics, and offer a great takeaway. If you’re attempting a craft with the kids or grandkids, show the reader what’s going on. Do you have a pet? We writers are not mindless robots who spend our entire day in front of a computer screen. We’re real!

Psychological Blogs

These are serious and fun posts. We can share an insight, a lesson learned, or our humorous side. The key is to be uplifting. Walk a narrow path with this one. Not every pitfall of life is to be shared. I take notes in church with the understanding a phrase or a twist of the sermon has the potential to be a powerful blog—not to preach or condemn but to show a different side of me.

Is your bucket dripping with a bazillion ideas? Keep a file of blogging topics for those dry times. And don’t forget to keep adding to it!

How do you find blogging ideas?

Tweet this: Where Do You Find Blogging Ideas? 


DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She combines unforgettable characters with unpredictable plots to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels.

Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests. Library Journal presented her with a Best Books 2014: Genre Fiction award in the Christian Fiction category for Firewall.

DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. She is co-director of The Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference and The Author Roadmap with social media specialist Edie Melson where she continues her passion of helping other writers be successful. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country.

DiAnn has been termed a coffee snob and roasts her own coffee beans. She’s an avid reader, loves to cook, and believes her grandchildren are the smartest kids in the universe. She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.

DiAnn is very active online and would love to connect with readers on any of the social media platforms listed at www.diannmills.com.

8 Social Media Updates You Should NEVER Share!

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

Social media is all about connections. It’s a digital community where relationships are built. IN this community, the relationship building takes place in much the same way as in a physical community. The foundational component is sharing—sharing lives, sharing thoughts, sharing hopes and dreams. But with all this sharing, there are still things we don’t need to know about one another.

I hate to say this, but I’ve seen all of these irritating updates show up in one or more of my social media feeds. My reaction on seeing these has ranged from mildly irritated, to what-was-she-thinking shock. I’d love for you to make note of these, and avoid them completely

How Contests can Boost Your Subscribers

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills

Tweet this: How Contests can Boost Your Subscribers

I don’t know a single person who doesn’t enjoy entering contests. We love the thought of winning a prize or being selected in a random drawing. Unfortunately, once the contest ends and a winner or winners are announced, the participant is no longer interested in who we are as writers unless we give them a reason to return.

Our objective in offering regular contests has two goals:

• To create enthusiasm for our books and our brand.
• To show participants we care about them.

We want readers to subscribe to our blogs and social media posts, to stay connected with us, and form a loyal relationship because we care about their needs. So how can a contest boost our subscribers?

1.  Develop well-written contest material. Spend time ensuring it’s witty, enticing, exciting, and in a consistent voice as your regular posts.
2. Use images that are relevant and easily understood. Study color and what appeals aesthetically to a participants’ emotions.
3. Strive for simplicity in how the person enters the contest. Random drawings are the easiest. I suggest using an online random generator site to select winners.
4. Include a sign-up box for your blog or click-through icons for your social media platforms.
5. Offer contestants a pdf of something for entering contest/random drawing. This could be used for new subscribers to your blog as well.
6. Each time someone enters the contest, send them a personal thank-you.Quality prizes are essential. Select items that are valued or gift cards.
7. When we cheat our participants, they have no reason to follow us.

The result is simple. When potential followers view how you engage with them, they are eager to make an investment. Don’t disappoint, and your followers will reward you.

How do you boost your social media followers?

Tweet this: How Contests can Boost Your Subscribers


DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She combines unforgettable characters with unpredictable plots to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels.

Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests. Library Journal presented her with a Best Books 2014: Genre Fiction award in the Christian Fiction category for Firewall.

DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. She is co-director of The Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference and The Author Roadmap with social media specialist Edie Melson where she continues her passion of helping other writers be successful. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country.

DiAnn has been termed a coffee snob and roasts her own coffee beans. She’s an avid reader, loves to cook, and believes her grandchildren are the smartest kids in the universe. She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.

DiAnn is very active online and would love to connect with readers on any of the social media platforms listed at www.diannmills.com.