#5 Twitter Plugs Us Into A Community:
Writing can be a solitary business, and it is easy to get discouraged if we are always by ourselves. Twitter has a massive population of writers from all over the world to keep us encouraged, inspired and even accountable. On Twitter we can regularly converse with our professional peers and build the essential relationships that can take our careers to a whole new level.
Social marketing is different from traditional marketing. In traditional marketing, the message was static. Traditional marketing relies on fixed messages being continually “top of mind.” Print ads, commercials and billboards are a one-way communication with the potential consumer. Social marketing, however, relies on mobilizing entire communities. How does this happen? By creating friendships. We don’t have to “friend” a million people to reach a million people. We just need to focus on making relationships and then trusting that our friends will tell their friends who will tell their friends who will tell their friends.
I often liken Twitter to a barn-raising. Every member of the community just tends to a handful of simple tasks. When we all work together it is impressive what we can accomplish. I called my book We Are Not Alone for a reason.
Writers keep hearing they need to market. That is true. But what I see happen far too often is that writers drift to extremes. Either we hear the word “marketing” and run for the closest stash of chocolate and a closet OR we turn into the third cousin we haven’t talked to since she started selling vitamins out of her mini-van.
Community keeps us balanced. We rely on a team of peers and aren’t left panicked, sick and overwhelmed. We have friends to help us with the heavy lifting.
Kristen Lamb is the author of the best-selling book We Are Not Alone—The Writer’s Guide to Social Media. She is currently represented by Gina Panettieri of Talcott Notch Literary. Kristen worked in international sales before transitioning into a career as an author, freelance editor and speaker. She takes her years of experience in sales & promotion and merges it with almost a decade as a writer to create a program designed to help authors construct a platform in the new paradigm of publishing. Kristen has guided writers of all levels, from unpublished green peas to NY Times best-selling big fish, how to use social media to create a solid platform and brand. Most importantly, Kristen helps authors of all levels connect to their READERS and then maintain a relationship that grows into a long-term fan base.
