It’s a strange thing, yes, this concept called building your “platform.”
And I think I’m beginning to understand the energetic side of it and how it translates into social media.
Allow me to share with you my breakdown. Because everything begins and ends with social media. And while social media constitutes just 10% of platform building according to Brooke Warner of She Writes Press, people spend (and waste) a lot of time on all the social media channels so it makes sense to build visibility in a good way.
If you read this latest article by Jane Friedman When Less is More on Social Media people spend a lot of time trying to feel inspired, engaged and uplifted.
There is just so much junk on social media, so why shouldn’t your posts stand out in peoples’ minds?
And what does “Less Is More on Social Media” mean for us platform builders?
And how does courage fit in?
The Courage Part
It takes courage to put yourself out there on social media in a way that emotionally resonates with the people we’re trying to attract. There’s a tendency to do more of what everybody else is doing. And your individual voice can get lost in the shuffle.
How to Get More Courageous With Social Media
Here’s my advice to those who are struggling to figure out how to really make social media really work and make it worth the time:
Decide first how YOU want to feel.
What moves you? (Mornings are a good time to do this.)
What gets you feeling inspired?
In my case, I tap into the most passionate and emotional music by artists who pull on my heartstrings. That usually gets my creative juices flowing.
Within moments, I’ve got a story rocking and I’m busy writing.
Take the essence of what you’re feeling and writing and spread that emotion into your social media channels.
For example, I’m listening to Ellie Goulding’s Here’s to Us who is helping me channel that eighteen year old again in my memoir:
Minutes later I’m positing this copy on my Facebook author page as a last minute attempt to promote the book signing I’m doing for my newly released memoir Accidental Soldier: A Memoir of Service and Sacrifice in the Israel Defense Forces.
FACEBOOK COPY
She was just 18 years old. She took a chance. And got a one-way ticket to a country she had no connection with. She hoped the Israel Defense Forces would give her the freedom her mother couldn’t. She traded college for the battlefield just to know her own self-worth. To believe she had a home. That she was loved. And ultimately, she could become her own person.
Catch that eighteen year old today – Sunday, 3-5pm at Classic Lines – Book signing for Accidental Soldier.
(So far there have been 4 likes in the last 5 minutes.)
Writing this copy uplifted me and it took only 5 minutes to write. Much better than the bland “Come to My Reading.”
For those of you wondering if this extra effort and attempt translates into sales or any outcomes, consider this:
1. People have been commented on guests blogs “What Americans Can Learn from Israel and the Israel Defense Forces” like this one how inspiring and uplifting my posts have been. (Back to the premise behind Jane Friedman’s “Less is More.”)
2. People following me on social media have been sharing the news of my upcoming events, which has been attracting people in their network to come to various events I’m doing for the book. Word is slowly getting out there, but faster than what I could do on my own. There is nothing more powerful than word of mouth marketing. Nothing, nothing, nothing.
All this momentum begins with just a feeling.
Because a feeling is REAL. Authentic. You can’t lose if you’re passionate about what you’re feeling.
Ready….
Do you want to feel inspired?
Engaged?
Loved?
Decide on the emotion you want to feel and decide on your message.
You’ve got nothing to lose and EVERYTHING to win.
Try it!
Take Accidental Soldier on Your Summer Vacation!
Accidental Soldier: A Memoir of Service and Sacrifice in the Israel Defense Forces made the Top 20 Summer Best Reads!
SheKnows.com “This poignant memoir reminds us that women truly do run the world.”
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